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| This is one of the churches that was closed |
Authorities in Rwanda
have closed more than 700 churches in the capital Kigali for failure to meet
safety and hygiene standards, the privately-owned The New Times reports.
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“Doom”
pastor Lethebo Rabalago has been sentenced to an effective fine of
R21‚000. Image: Antonio Muchave/Sowetan LIVE
|
It
says the operation began a week ago and has so far targeted 714 churches and
one mosque.
A
government official told the BBC that some of the more than 700 buildings shut
down have already reopened after they were approved by inspectors. According to
a proposed new law, all preachers must have theological training before opening
a church.
Pentecostal
churches, often run by charismatic preachers claiming to be able to perform
miracles, have grown rapidly in many parts of Africa in recent years.
Some
are massive, attracting thousands of worshippers each Sunday, but others
consist of tiny structures built without planning permission.
Church
leaders have at times been criticized for using loud public address systems to
attract worshippers.
Government
official Justus Kangwagye told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that they
simply required the churches to meet "modest standards".
Some
church premises exposed worshippers to unnecessary risks and could "cause
danger to those worshipping," Mr Kangwagye told the Rwandan New Times
newspaper.
“Worshiping
should be done in an organized way and meet minimum standards. Exercising your
freedom of worship should not encroach on other people’s rights. They have been
asked to halt operations until they meet the requirements,” he said.
He
said some churches had not renewed their licences and the authorities were not
going to allow them to continue to operate.
The
report says some churches were operating in tents and did not have adequate
parking for the worshippers, who ended up parking on the side of the road and
causing traffic jams.
Kigali
residents, according to the report, gave mixed reactions to the operation. Some
supported the move but others called on the authorities to give the churches
more time to comply with the rules.
Bishop
Innocent Nzeyimana, the president of the Churches' Forum in Nyarugenge
district, pleaded on behalf of the churches that they should be allowed to
operate until the raised issues are fixed, the report said.
The reported crackdown is
being carried out by the local authorities with the support of the Rwanda
Governance Board, according to the New Times.
Some 700
churches were thought to be operating illegally, the Rwanda Governance
Board said in a recent statement.
The
vast majority of Rwandans are Christians but many also follow traditional
practices.
South Africa’s ‘Doom
Pastor’ Will Pay Fine To Avoid Jail
Sowetan
(South Africa) reports that Lethebo Rabalago claims Doom insecticide can heal
people with cancer and HIV
South
Africa's "Doom Pastor" - who sprayed congregants in the face with
insecticide - is to pay a fine in order to avoid jail.
Lethebo
Rabalago was offered the option of a four-year jail term or paying a 21,000
rand (US$1,800; £1,300) after being found guilty of assault and contravening the
Agricultural Stock Remedies Act.
The
25-year-old has agreed to pay the fine off in 3,000 rand monthly
installments, the
Sowetan newspaper reports.
Rabalago
- who runs the Mount Zion General Assembly - was arrested after it emerged he
had used the product to "cure" his followers of various ailments,
including cancer and HIV, in 2016.
In
photos circulating on social media - which were picked up around the world - he
was seen spraying the insecticide directly into the eyes and various body parts
of his congregants.
Five
worshippers came forward to tell police he had sprayed it directly in their
faces. One
was left coughing for months afterwards.
When he was convicted earlier this month the magistrate said that being "sprayed in their faces with Doom makes this offence [the] worst of its kind".
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