Assault victims want possessions returned
The five men from Phola Park in Thokoza, who claimed they were assaulted by the controversial Katlehong self-proclaimed “Prophet” Mbhoro, of the Incredible Happenings Church, are demanding that the pastor return the four cellphones and the R750 his guards took from them.
The men said they are angry. Despite having laid charges of assault and theft against the prophet, the police in Katlehong and Thokoza, as well as in Alberton where they finally laid their complaint against Mbhoro and his guards, have done nothing to process their case or to even contact them about an update concerning the progress, or rather the slow pace of the case.
“There is no doubt in our minds right now that both the police in Katlehong and Thokoza, and as well as those in Alberton, are scared to take action against the controversial Katlehong church leader. The five men, who are all from the same rural village of Engcobo in the Eastern Cape, claim they were violently assaulted by the prophet’s security guards after they mistook the prophets’ church car-park for a car dealership in Wadeville a fortnight ago.
They said their mistake led to several hours of a severe beating at the hands of the guards. The men claim they were saved by the intervention of the EMPD, who happened to be passing by at the time.
The men, who were later forcefully detained by the prophet’s guards before they were handed over to the EMPD by their assailants, said that although they were later released by the EMPD and allowed to go home, their cellphones, car-keys and R750 was not returned.
The victims accuse the guards of taking these items.
One of the men, Mcikeleli Mankayi, described how they ended-up spending R3 000 to get a duplicate key for the Ford Focus sedan owned by one of their colleagues, Viwe Dlayedwa, after they were allowed to collect it from the police pound.
“But now we are stuck without our cellphones because we are unable to communicate among ourselves or with our families and loved ones,” said Mankayi.
Asked what their plans were, now that they had not heard anything from the police, nor had their personal belonging returned to them, the men said they still wish to meet with the controversial prophet.
“He (Mbhoro) had no right to assault any of us the way he and his guards did,” said Sonwabiso Maqingana.
However, according to Sgt Nkuna, the spokesperson for the Alberton SAPS, the case reported by the five men has been referred to the Provincial Detectives for further investigation.
“All cases involving Mbhoro are transferred to the provincial detectives,” said Sgt Nkuna.
A request for comment was sent to Prophet Mbhoro. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
