No shame from petrol pastor
Petrol pastor vows to continue giving congregants petrol to drink.
David Matsena
Controversial petrol pastor Daniel Lesego is adamant that he will continue giving his congregants petrol to drink.
He was being questioned on Monday by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (the CRL Rights Commission).
Pastor Lesego of Rabboni Centre Ministries in Ga-Rankuwa sought to justify his actions by comparing them to the rite of Holy Communion.
The Man of God, as pastor Lesego is addressed by his church members, was called before the commission following questionable practices at his church.
The commission spokesperson Richard Mkholo confirmed to Rekord on Wednesday that the controversial pastor did appear before the commission.
“We were less than impressed with the pastor’s explanation of why he made his congregants eat grass and drink petrol. We have heard his side and now we are going to sit and decide what action to take against him,” said Mkholo.
Pastor Lesego said when he did things, it was no longer him but him and his Master.
“I am led by the Holy Spirit,” he told the commission.
Pastor Lesego also compared making people drink petrol to the rite of Holy Communion.
Mkholo said Pastor Lesego was one of a number of pastors who have been summoned to appear before the commission to answer for their conduct.
The commission was formed in response to a complaint lodged by the SA Council of Churches about a number of events that had caused outrage.
“When churches start selling pap, T-shirts and water after services… or when people stop taking their HIV or blood pressure medicine because traditional healers say ‘drink my water, it will heal you’ – and charge people for it, it becomes problematic,” said Mkholo.
He said the commission was also on the heels of Snake Pastor, Penuel Mnguni of the End Times Ministries in Soshanguve. Mnguni was wanted in connection with weird practices in his church.
The snake pastor became known after he convinced his congregants to eat live snakes and rats after reportedly telling them they would taste like chocolate.
“We have formally launched an investigative study that aims to unpack this phenomenon and also address all the concerns and complaints about this matter and other related practices,” said Mkholo.
He said the commission had been battling to issue a summons to the Snake Pastor because his residential address was not known.
“He has vanished. We don’t know where he is now. Last we heard he had opened another church in Mmakaunyane, but when we went there we were told he had been chased away.”
Mkholo said the commission was told angry residents of Mmakaunyane this week marched to the tent in the bushes where he had been operating and started attacking his congregation.
The residents took the tent apart, threw all the chairs and Bibles on it and set it on fire.
Then he disappeared until three weeks ago when residents of Mmakaunyane went to investigate a noisy church that had appeared in the bushes.
When they discovered it was Pastor Penuel, they discussed a plan and this Sunday decided to destroy the tent, as well as everything inside. A shack used as a storage hut was also torched.
Cops arrived too late to save the tent, but rescued church members who had been tied up.
No charges have been laid at the time of going to press. Police at the scene said the pastor could lay charges if he wanted to.
The pastor’s old phone number no longer works and church members refused to supply his new number.
Also read:
Rabboni Ministries – Lesego Daniel – Congregants drink petrol and say it tastes like pineapple juice
Pastor’s weird rituals elicit anger
Petrol drinking at church condemned as health risk
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