In a bid to appease the family the victims who died in a building collapse at his church, the pastor of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, (Temitope Balogun) aka TB Joshua, took them on a shopping spree and had dinner with some the relatives of the dead on Christmas, South African newspaper, Daily news claims.
Quoting bereaved family sources, the paper said the controversial pastor who as failed to appear before a coroner inquest into the circumstances surrounding the collapse also doled cash and gifts.
47-year-old Wonder Ndlovu, whose husband was killed in the building collapse who was among the group who accepted the invitation to visit the Pastor said she had a “nice time, went shopping and stayed in beautiful hotels.”
“We met with the man of God (Joshua) and he briefed us about the site visit. Wiseman Harry and other evangelists took us there; it was very emotional for me, but others were strong and comforting. I brought flowers from South Africa and laid them with my son. It is ugly. Looking at the building foundations we are convinced it was an attack,” the widow said.
She added, “The prophet is full of surprises. After weeping, he took us to the city to see places. To our surprise, we shopped till we dropped and the bill was on him. We were having the time of our lives, forgetting the pain of the past and looking forward to picking up the pieces and moving on. Yesterday has gone by, but tomorrow is forever.
“He (Joshua) took us to a five-star posh hotel for dinner, fine food and drinks. The hotel is in Victoria Island. After chilling, we came back in his luxurious kombis. (There were) more surprises while (we were) preparing to sleep. The mamas who took us shopping knocked and presented us with N50, 000 each and they said we (must not) use all our (own) shopping money… I just sang A huna ya tshwana le yena (there’s no one like him).”
Reverend Eric Myeni, whose 29-year-old son, Sabelo, died in the September 12 collapse, also accepted Joshua’s invitation.
“We need to overcome what has happened by showing our faith in Christ. We can never reverse our adversity. But with hope in the lord we can overcome the pain suffered,” he said.
Kirsten Nematandani, a spokesman for the church based in South Africa, confirmed to Daily News that a second group would visit this month.