Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
08 August 2024 | 15:15 CAT

Panga-wielding pastor terrorises staff, pupils at Katlehong school. Image/ News24

There is outrage after a controversial pastor, along with three other people, allegedly attacked staff at a Katlehong primary school.

It is believed that Pastor Paseka Motsoeneng, better known as Pastor Mboro, are among four people arrested after machete-wielding men were involved in a violent attack on the school.

A video, which has gone viral, depicts a tense standoff between Motsoeneng and a group of teachers.

He is seen dangerously waving the weapon and threatening staff with it.

Motsoeneng had come to the school, demanding to fetch two children he allegedly did not have custody of. Teachers refused to allow him to do that. On Monday, angry residents looted Mboro’s church before setting it alight.

Meanwhile, ActionSA calls for immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore safety at the Matsediso Primary School.

“It is vital to ensure that our children can learn in a peaceful and conducive environment, and therefore all stakeholders, including the Department of Basic Education, the Provincial Government, and law enforcement, must work collectively to safeguard this fundamental right,” says ActionSA.

The exact cause of the tensions or the reason for the alleged abduction remains unclear. However, a Gauteng Department of Education statement suggested that a conflict between two families over the custody of two boys enrolled at the school had escalated.

The statement detailed that the mother of the children died in April, leading to a dispute between the paternal and maternal sides of the family.

It is alleged that Pastor Mboro is the grandparent of these two boys.

“The circumstances may be dire and the dispute between the family may be complicated, however there is no justification for the actions of Pastor Mboro,” ActionSA National Spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni told Radio Islam International.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Lerato Ngobeni here.