Church accused of trying to charge R89k for Joe Mafela's memorial
Grace Bible Church has come under fire for allegedly trying to charge a "ridiculous" amount of money for Joe Mafela's memorial service.
The family of Joe Mafela is reportedly fuming after Grace Bible Church gave them a quote of R89,000 to use their venue.
The "Generations: The Legacy" star was killed in a car accident on Saturday.
Actor Mangaliso Ngema took to Facebook on Wednesday to slam the church for trying to charge a "ridiculous" amount.
“We visited the Joe Mafela home last night to pay our respects. I was shocked to learn that Grace Bible Church, in Soweto, wanted a fee of R89000 for the memorial. When the head pastor [Musa] Sono was consulted, he offered a R10k discount. Needless to say, there was no deal as this is totally ridiculous. This is supposed to be 'a house of God' serving the community,” he wrote.
Mafela's son Jimmy told the publication that he did not attend the meeting, but “heard that the price was something along the range of R100000.”
The church’s head pastor Musa Sona declined to comment on the allegations.
"Kindly note that as GBD (Grace Bible Church) we don't comment on arrangements between people seeking to use our facilities for memorial services. The Mafela family will be best placed to give you a response," he told Sowetan Live.
The Mandela Theatre in Newtown was confirmed as the venue for Joe Mafela's memorial on Thursday.
Final funeral arrangements are still underway.
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