"Body of Christ" stolen in raid on Soweto church service

Thursday 8 April
                                            2021, 0145

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

“Body of Christ" stolen in raid on
Soweto church service
Everson Luhanga

The congregation was ready for the Holy Communion on the
night of Easter Friday.

But then armed thugs stormed their church in Dobsonville in
Soweto 30 minutes before the Lord’s Supper ceremony was to
begin.

Pastor Obvious Ncube told Scrolla.Africa that the gunmen
didn't just rob the congregation of their cellphones and money.
They also forced the female congregants to strip naked and
“made off with the wine and the biscuits which we call the
body of Jesus Christ.”

“No one was able to sing or pray,” said Pastor Obvious. He said
the men “made everyone lie down and surrender their
cellphones to them. Women who didn’t have cellphones were
told to strip naked. It was very unpleasant,” he said.

Pastor Obvious said when he heard the thugs ordering women
to strip naked, he confronted them and told them to shoot him
dead rather than seeing a woman naked in his church.

“Because of that they started beating up the women who didn’t
have phones,” he said.

“I was afraid that the men will rape the women including my
wife who was also in the church."

Pastor Obvious said besides the wine and biscuits, they robbed
about 20 people on the night and made off with nine
cellphones and R700 in cash.

He said after the men had left, everyone was left traumatised
and the church service ended.

“Everyone had to go home,” he said.

Pastor Obvious said since the incident he and his church
members have been praying that the men be caught and be
punished by the law.

“I know our God won’t fail us. Although I have not reported the
case to the police. God knows where these men are and He will
deal with them,” he said.

Community leader Juel Mabaso said this is not the first time
such an incident has happened in this area.

“We had such an incident before and some of these church
members were robbed on a Sunday,” he said.

Karate champ turns crimefighter to
protect kids at bridge of horror
Joseph Chirume

                 It used to be a place where criminals and rapists
                 lay in wait for defenceless school children - but
                 times have changed.

Martial arts practitioner Thamsanqa Joseph Nkevu, from
Kariega in Uitenhage, said he was moved by the horrendous
cases of robberies and rape that happened at a footbridge
between KwaNobuhle and Khayelitsha.

He has stepped in to guard the area to ensure the safety of
school children.

Nkevu stands under a tree near the bridge doing his karate
training while keeping a close eye on the kids.

“I decided to step in after the rape of a young girl who was on
her way to her 7am classes,” he told Scrolla.Africa.

“Then there was the mob killing of a man who robbed and
attempted to rape a school girl.”

“I grew up playing and swimming at the place,” Nkevu said.

“There were bushes and trees. The place was darker than
today, but it was safe.”

Nkevu said attacks on students attending school at Solomon
Mahlangu Secondary School and residents have escalated in
recent years.

He said he has been doing martial arts all his life, and teaches
martial arts to children at the Lukhanyiso Youth and Childcare
Centre in KwaNobuhle. “As a Christian it is imperative to
provide a witness to the world about my faith so that people
can see the gospel that we preach,” said Nkevu.

Retrenched workers show pluck (and
plenty of cluck) in hatching new
enterprise
Lungani Zungu

After a group of 20 Rainbow Chickens workers
got the chop in 2017, they refused to chicken
out.

They decided to start their own chicken farm in Cato Ridge west
of Durban.

The farm, known as the Isukile Agricultural Cooperative,
employs 34 permanent workers, and they have produced 7,500
chickens since early last year.

Zilungile Ngcobo praised her colleagues for not running away
when things were tough.

“There was a time when we felt like throwing in the towel, but
we stuck to it, and today we can see the results,” she told
Scrolla.Africa.

Zilungile was upset when she got the retrenchment letter four
years ago and with a family to take care of. She had to make a
plan quickly.

“We approached the eThekwini Municipality which had a farm
in the Cato Ridge area that lay fallow,” she said.

“I couldn’t believe it when the municipality gave us the farm.”

Sandile Thusi says he thanks his fellow members of the
cooperative for taking him under their wing.

“I never dreamt of running my own business. If it wasn’t for my
colleagues I would still be searching for a job,” he said.

With eight years of experience working at Rainbow Chickens he
said it was not difficult for them to run their business.

Although the chicken business was flourishing, Sandile, who
comes from Hammarsdale, decided he would not put all his
eggs in one basket.

“I decided to also sell fruit and vegetables in my hometown.
The cooperative has taught me many things about business. I’m
looking at starting more businesses.”

Ethekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the municipality would
upgrade the Cato Ridge farm into an Agri-Park Incubator which
could potentially be good for job creation.

"He's no racist" - top SA thinkers call for
Adam Habib to be reinstated

Four of South Africa's most respected public figures have called
on a top British university to give Adam Habib his job back after
he was accused of racism for using the "N" word.

In March, shortly after starting the prestigious job of director of
the School of Oriental and African Studies, Habib used the word
on a Zoom call.

Habib, a leading SA academic, is the former Vice Chancellor of
Wits University.

He was answering a question about how the university could
allow lecturers to use the word in class. Instead of saying "the N
word", he actually used it, triggering attacks from students on
the call.

One of Habib's student attackers said that as an Indian he could
not use the word.

SOAS, an arm of the prestigious London University, asked Habib
to step down after the student body called for him to go.

Now two law professors - Thuli Madonsela, the former Public
Protector, and Barney Pityana, the former chair of the Human
Rights Commission - and two writers, Justice Malala and Palesa
Morudu, have thrown their support behind Habib.

They've published an article - "Adam Habib is no racist. He
should be reinstated without delay" - in which they say Habib

showed poor judgment in using the word, and in getting
defensive about it. Scrolla.Africa has published a Zulu
translation of the article here.

But, they say, "context is everything, and Habib is no racist. He
should be reinstated at SOAS without delay".

They warn that "allowing the self-righteous to act as universal
thought police can only lead to the silencing of all voices.

"If this trend is not reversed, books and films that have the n-
word will have to be revised or banned."

The writers say that to dismiss Habib's Indian heritage as
irrelevant to the apartheid struggle is incorrect. "Habib’s lived
experience is that of Indians in South Africa, most of whom are
descendants of indentured laborers brought to the eastern
province of Natal between 1860 and 1911. The legacies of
indentured servitude, land dispossession, and apartheid racism
have shaped South African history.

"Sadly, this incident reflects a global trend in which much of the
discourse on racism is reduced to identifying the pecking order
of historic oppression."

Photo source: SOAS

Taxi rank built at huge cost, but never
opened, is now a haven for criminals
Elmon Tshikhudo

                  An unused taxi rank in Thohoyandou built at the
                  cost of R280-million has become a brothel for
                  learners from nearby schools and a haven for
criminals.

Communities around the new Thohoyandou Taxi Rank are up in
arms and blaming the government for the crime that is
happening at the non-functioning facility.

Known as the Thohoyandou Public Transport Intermodal
Facility, it was completed almost ten years ago at a cost of
R280 million but it remains a white elephant and has become a
safe haven for criminals who hide and rob passersby.

Built by the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport, it
was supposed to ease traffic congestion as many people in the
area use public transport.

The local Thulamela Municipality promised it would be opened
but that never happened.

Rumours were doing the rounds that the contractor used
substandard materials that rendered the facility unsafe.

Hawkers who have booked stalls for business have also been
dropped.

A Block F community member Israel Mudau said many people
have been mugged at the facility while girls and boys from the
local schools engage in sex and smoking drugs in broad
daylight.

“If they cannot let this building operate it is better to demolish
it. We have waited for many years and nothing is happening,"
she said.

Mbulungeni Ntsieni of the Thulamela Business Forum said they
have members who have booked stalls there but nothing is
happening.

The DA in Limpopo have been putting pressure on the
Department and said they welcomed the commissioning of the
rank which is to take place later this year.

Limpopo Roads and Transport spokesperson Matome Moremi
said the structural defects have been fixed and the facility was
declared safe by structural engineers.

He said the delay in commissioning of the rank was as a result
of contractual differences with contractors.

"We resolved the challenges and we hope to commission the
taxi rank by the end of the year," he said.

Undertakers protest ban on burials on
dead days
Doreen Mokgolo

Undertakers and residents in Ekurhuleni are
calling for the City of Ekurhuleni to reverse their
decision to stop burials on Sundays and public
holidays.

In a notice released by the City’s Environment Resources,
Waste and Management and Parks and Cemeteries Division, it
said burials at cemeteries will be suspended on Sundays and
public holidays until further notice.

Cemetery staff will not be on duty on Sundays so all burials and
bookings must be concluded by Saturday.

This is the message sent to the undertakers operating in
Ekurhuleni who were asked to relay the message to their
clients.

An undertaker operating in the area, Gugu Mbonani, said it was
unfair of the Metro to take this decision without consulting the
undertakers and residents.

Along with other undertakers she was informed of the decision
last weekend when she went to make burial bookings.

“The decision was taken prematurely especially now that we
are expecting the third wave,” she said.

“If there is a holiday then we will only have five days to squeeze
all the burials and force families to bury during the week.”

She said it would have been better if they allowed for burials
Monday to Saturday even when there are public holidays.

“The Metro needs to reverse their decision,” she said.

Pastor Maria Shongwe said he does not understand why the
Metro felt the need to change the burial arrangements.

“The Metro failed to consider that there are other religious
groups that observe Saturday as Sabbath,” said Shongwe.

“We are forced to carry out our burials during the week. This is
not fair on us.”

His sound bite is worse than his bark
Arthur Greene

Nadezhda Serezhkina, a reporter for Russian TV station MIR 24,
begins a routine outdoor report in Moscow about the pleasant
spring weather - but a shaggy golden retriever has other plans.

In a now-viral video, a golden flash jumps into the frame and
snatches Serezhkina’s brightly coloured microphone from her
grip and runs off with it with Serezhkina in hot pursuit.

While the news anchor, visible in a split-screen, can only stare
wide-eyed at what has just happened, the skilled camera
operator has the quickness of thought to follow it all, no doubt
knowing good TV when they see it.

Footage then cuts to the anchor, who can’t see the humour in
the situation.

Some minutes later, the news cuts back to Serezhikina, now
squatting beside the dog, who looks a great deal calmer than
when we last saw her.

The correspondent has retrieved her microphone, that now
boasts a clearly visible bite mark, and informs viewers that the
retriever is a female dog named Martin.

The station said Martin is a "kind and playful" dog and
Serezhkina plans to visit her for a follow-up interview.

Hunt’s gift of youth to Chiefs
Menzi Magubane

               A 2-2 draw against Stellenbosch on Tuesday night
               may not be the best way to celebrate his Kaizer
               Chiefs career for Gavin Hunt, but his faith in the
young stars is already a great success.

Aged between 21 and 23, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Njabulo Blom,
Reeve Frosler and Happy Mashiane are the best thing Hunt has
given Amakhosi faithfuls.

It is clear that Chiefs won't win the DStv Premiership but the
future looks bright for Amakhosi.

Ngcobo said senior players have been guiding them since they
came to the first team.

“They make our job easy. All we need to do is to run because
we still have fresh legs," he said.

Ngcobo was the hero for Chiefs on Tuesday night and walked
away with the man of the match award after slotting the
equalising goal to help Amakhosi salvage a point five minutes

before time. The goal was Ngcobo's fourth in the league this
season.

A defeat last night would have seen Chiefs being dragged back
to the relegation zone.

"To be honest we went to the Stellenbosch game looking for
three points,” said Ngcobo.

“But we are happy we avoided a defeat and we got a point. We
will keep fighting."

Chiefs are currently sitting in ninth place with 24 points with 10
matches to go before the season ends.

Their assignment on Saturday is a tricky one. They travel to
Guinea for a do or die Group C encounter against Horoya FC in
the CAF Champions League.

It's a final match of the group and Chiefs need a win to go
through to the quarter-finals.

Picture source: @KiazerChiefs

Dr Tumi and his wife released on bail
Dylan Bettencourt

Gospel singer Dr Tumi and his wife Kgaogelo
Makweya were released on bail after the couple
handed themselves in last week for allegedly
defrauding the National Lotteries Board.

Hawks spokesperson, Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu confirmed
the couple's arrest in a media statement.

Mulamu said the couple were listed as committee members of
a non-profit organisation where the alleged fraud occurred
when the couple reportedly misrepresented grant application
documents in 2018 regarding the approval of funds to the
board.

The statement said investigations revealed that the couple and
two co-accused, Christopher Tshivule and Thomas Ndadza
allegedly altered information on the documents submitted to
the National Lotteries in September 2018.

The co-accused, Christopher Tshivule and Thomas Ndadza have
been released on R5,000 bail each.

“Over R1.5 million was transferred into a private bank
account,” said the statement.

Mulamu said the couple allegedly gained around R760,000 of
the R1.5 million.

“The couple handed themselves in early on Tuesday, 6 April and
appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes
Court and were granted bail of R3,000 each,” said Mulamu.

Picture source: @News24

Madrid inflicts more pain on Liverpool
Timmy T Maranda

Just like they did in May 2018 in the UEFA Champions League
final in Kiev, Real Madrid inflicted more pain on Liverpool. They
beat the shaky English side 3-1 in the first leg quarter-final on
Tuesday night at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

Disastrous mistakes by Loris Karius handed the trophy to Real
Madrid after he fumbled a Gareth Bale strike and a Karim
Benzema goal.

Brazilian Vinicius Junior scored from a cross by Tony Kross and a
Trent Alexander-Arnold error gave Marco Asensio a goal.

Liverpool came back stronger in the second half and were
rewarded with a goal from Mohamed Salah, who beat the
offside trap.

Liverpool defensive frailties allowed Vinicius Junior to score his
second of the night and the third for Real Madrid with Luca
Modric being the provider.

Real Madrid take a three goal cushion going to the second leg
at Anfield next week while Liverpool will be banking on an away
goal to turn the tide around.

Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport you have to earn
the right to get into the semi-final.

"We made it too easy for them and we just didn't play good
football,” said Klopp.

Meanwhile, on-form Manchester City left it late to beat
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the other 1st leg UEFA Champions
League match at Etihad Stadium in the City of Manchester.

Man of the Match Phil Foden scored what proved to be the
winning goal for City and helped City take a slight advantage to
the second leg.

Picture source: @Realmadriden

Yaya Mavundla opens up about her
reality show
Lwazi Nongauza

                 Yaya Mavundla intends to use her upcoming
                 Mzansi Magic reality TV show to educate the
                 public about transgender people’s struggles.

In an exclusive interview, the award-winning transgender
activist told Scrolla.Africa the 13-part reality show will delve
into the psyche of being a transgender person.

Becoming will follow the lives of four trans people - Gina
Sokoyi, Ramazan Ngobese, Gugu Kumalo and Yaya herself, as
they face many obstacles and find ways to overcome them.

“I hope the show can teach society about the challenges and
injustices that transgender people go through at institutions
like Home Affairs, police stations and health care services,” said
Yaya.

“There are also dozens of myths about transgender people that
I hope Becoming will confront and expose. Those issues include
how transgender people are not allowed to go to work dressed
as they really prefer to look,’’ said Yaya.

According to Nomsa Philiso of Local Entertainment Channels at
M-Net, Mzansi Magic viewers will get a first-person account of
the journey that transgender South Africans have to go through
as they transition to the gender they identify with.

When the first episode premieres on 7 April, emotions will run
high for members of the cast and crew as they pay tribute to
Gina Sokoyi, one of the four central focuses of the show, who
sadly passed on late last year while the show was being shot.

Picture source: @Abdulmajeedexs