Congregants believe Durban pastor is innocent
Some congregants of the Jesus Dominion International Church in Durban believe there is no truth to the allegations of sexual abuse levelled against the church's founder.
The Durban-based Nigerian pastor faces more than 20 charges of sexual exploitation and human trafficking involving young women.
He was arrested in Port Elizabeth earlier this year.
Hundreds of people marched through the CBD today, demanding the 58-year-old be granted bail and receive a fair trial.
Thabile Mkhwanazi says the pastor has had a positive influence on many people's lives.
"Our father in the Lord is a very jovial person, he is a youthful person and he loves being involved in the things concerning youth empowerment. When it comes to our father in the Lord, he is not biased, if you have been a prostitute or a gangster, people who have been condemned in the world come to his church because they are welcome. To me that is something special, that is the love of Christ at its best," she said.
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Pastor Sanele Myeni, who heads up a branch of the church says they are unhappy with the way the justice system is handling the case against their church's founder.
Myeni is based at the church's Richards Bay branch.
"We are here to make our demands to the Department of Justice to move quickly with the bail. In this country or in the world anyone is innocent until proven guilty by the court of law. The way people are treating the man of God is as if he has been found guilty," he said.
The Nigerian pastor is due to make a second bail application in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court later this month.
Listen to the full bulletin below:
Pastor Myeni says that the church will hand over a memorandum to the Department of Justice, calling for them to address the issue #KZN pic.twitter.com/wHwubnZZSx
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) August 11, 2017
Myeni is based at the church's Richards Bay branch.
"We are here to make our demands to the Department of Justice to move quickly with the bail. In this country or in the world anyone is innocent until proven guilty by the court of law. The way people are treating the man of God is as if he has been found guilty," he said.
The Nigerian pastor is due to make a second bail application in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court later this month.
Listen to the full bulletin below:
Members of the Jesus Dominion International church in Durban say that their pastor is innocent and a man of God #KZN pic.twitter.com/5eM8U8Zqgl
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) August 11, 2017