Police pounce on cultish church
A church belonging to what police say is a criminal element with rape charges under his belt was closed down yesterday while a pastor of another church had to escape with police as villagers bayed for his blood after he accused some of being witches.
TUYEIMO HAIDULA
OSHIKANGO
Police yesterday closed down the True Gospel of Salvation Ministry at Oshikango in the Ohangwena Region, which housed, amongst others, mental patients who were told to toss their medical prescriptions and put their faith in prayer.
The church belongs to Pastor Erickson, better known as Commander, whom Chief Inspector Christina van Dunem Dafonsech described as a “well-known criminal with various criminal cases under his belt, ranging from rape, theft and con artistry”.
Founded on 5 February 2012, the church now fronts as a hospital
admitting ‘patients’ with different illnesses.
Van Dunem Dafonsech yesterday visited the True Gospel of Salvation Ministry to close it down.
Upon arrival, some of the church members told her that they’ve thrown away their pills because the church prays for them.
Those coming here to seek healing are admitted at the church, which has a separate sleeping room for its congregants.
Mother controls my life
A 21-year old woman, Rachel David*, was dropped off at the church’s ‘casualty’ by her mother in October last year. She is now a first-year student at the International University of Management (IUM), studying towards a degree in education.
Yesterday, David was studying for her Oshindonga exam, which will take place this morning at IUM’s Ongwediva campus. She will be taking a taxi from the church to school and back. David said she has lost her freedom and her mother now controls her life.
She has been diagnosed with a ‘mood disorder’ and according to David, her mother doesn’t want her to take her prescribed medicine.
She said she fell ill in August last year. She was then admitted to Walvis Bay State Hospital.
“After my admission at the hospital, I was discharged and put on treatment. I then started going for therapy sessions with social workers at the women and child protection unit division,” she recalled.
In October, she fell ill again. This time, she was diagnosed with a mood disorder. She was admitted again to the hospital, this time in Ward 16.
After she was discharged, David said her mother started looking for assistance from traditional healers, refusing to accept that her illness is medical.
“She doesn’t want me to drink medicine. She’s worried about side effects because she said she has seen people who have been taking their mental health medication and now they can no longer function without them,” she said, adding that her mother doesn’t want the same to happen to her.
No healing
“The first traditional healer she took me to was at Onyati. I got better then I started getting sick again. She took me to different traditional healers who would give her herbs for me to drink which can heal me. But there was no healing,” David said.
Shaking her head, she said her mother refused to listen to reason that she doesn’t want to be kept at the church.
“My depression was caused by home issues and people talking down on me. I would share all of this with my social workers who would encourage me to keep going. My father is at Omungwelume, he was a builder but his hustle keeps going. “He doesn’t agree that I’m brought to the church for prayers, but my mother insists I am her daughter and she had the right over me,” David said.
Money-making scheme
Van Dunem Dafonsech said churches have turned into money-making schemes rather than preaching the gospel to the people for free.
She closed the church and confiscated some of its books for investigation.
"We are not here to become your enemies, but only to tell the people what is wrong and what is right," she said.
She added that when a church is telling its congregation about witchcraft prophecies, trouble erupts.
"Churches are supposed to bring unity and peace among people."
She also used the opportunity to urge Namibians to stop abandoning their family members who have mental illnesses.
Mob justice
In a separate incident at Omupindi village, a community had decided to take the law into their own hands, accusing Pastor Heita Simon Nghishiyeleke of the Full Gospel Church of God of dividing the community.
Nghishiyeleke (24) reportedly told his congregants that the villagers are bewitching them, hence the lack of progress in their lives and those of their children.
Van Dunem Dafonsech transported the pastor out of the village to keep him safe and told the villagers to apologise to each other and to live in peace and harmony.
- [email protected]
*Not her real name
OSHIKANGO
Police yesterday closed down the True Gospel of Salvation Ministry at Oshikango in the Ohangwena Region, which housed, amongst others, mental patients who were told to toss their medical prescriptions and put their faith in prayer.
The church belongs to Pastor Erickson, better known as Commander, whom Chief Inspector Christina van Dunem Dafonsech described as a “well-known criminal with various criminal cases under his belt, ranging from rape, theft and con artistry”.
Founded on 5 February 2012, the church now fronts as a hospital
admitting ‘patients’ with different illnesses.
Van Dunem Dafonsech yesterday visited the True Gospel of Salvation Ministry to close it down.
Upon arrival, some of the church members told her that they’ve thrown away their pills because the church prays for them.
Those coming here to seek healing are admitted at the church, which has a separate sleeping room for its congregants.
Mother controls my life
A 21-year old woman, Rachel David*, was dropped off at the church’s ‘casualty’ by her mother in October last year. She is now a first-year student at the International University of Management (IUM), studying towards a degree in education.
Yesterday, David was studying for her Oshindonga exam, which will take place this morning at IUM’s Ongwediva campus. She will be taking a taxi from the church to school and back. David said she has lost her freedom and her mother now controls her life.
She has been diagnosed with a ‘mood disorder’ and according to David, her mother doesn’t want her to take her prescribed medicine.
She said she fell ill in August last year. She was then admitted to Walvis Bay State Hospital.
“After my admission at the hospital, I was discharged and put on treatment. I then started going for therapy sessions with social workers at the women and child protection unit division,” she recalled.
In October, she fell ill again. This time, she was diagnosed with a mood disorder. She was admitted again to the hospital, this time in Ward 16.
After she was discharged, David said her mother started looking for assistance from traditional healers, refusing to accept that her illness is medical.
“She doesn’t want me to drink medicine. She’s worried about side effects because she said she has seen people who have been taking their mental health medication and now they can no longer function without them,” she said, adding that her mother doesn’t want the same to happen to her.
No healing
“The first traditional healer she took me to was at Onyati. I got better then I started getting sick again. She took me to different traditional healers who would give her herbs for me to drink which can heal me. But there was no healing,” David said.
Shaking her head, she said her mother refused to listen to reason that she doesn’t want to be kept at the church.
“My depression was caused by home issues and people talking down on me. I would share all of this with my social workers who would encourage me to keep going. My father is at Omungwelume, he was a builder but his hustle keeps going. “He doesn’t agree that I’m brought to the church for prayers, but my mother insists I am her daughter and she had the right over me,” David said.
Money-making scheme
Van Dunem Dafonsech said churches have turned into money-making schemes rather than preaching the gospel to the people for free.
She closed the church and confiscated some of its books for investigation.
"We are not here to become your enemies, but only to tell the people what is wrong and what is right," she said.
She added that when a church is telling its congregation about witchcraft prophecies, trouble erupts.
"Churches are supposed to bring unity and peace among people."
She also used the opportunity to urge Namibians to stop abandoning their family members who have mental illnesses.
Mob justice
In a separate incident at Omupindi village, a community had decided to take the law into their own hands, accusing Pastor Heita Simon Nghishiyeleke of the Full Gospel Church of God of dividing the community.
Nghishiyeleke (24) reportedly told his congregants that the villagers are bewitching them, hence the lack of progress in their lives and those of their children.
Van Dunem Dafonsech transported the pastor out of the village to keep him safe and told the villagers to apologise to each other and to live in peace and harmony.
- [email protected]
*Not her real name
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