The ANCYL says it will not allow Nigerian preacher TB Joshua into the country
The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) has said it would not allow Nigerian preacher TB Joshua into the country.
“TB Joshua should not be allowed to come to South Africa until we know what happened to our fellow countrymen at his church,” spokesperson Bandile Masuku said in a statement.
“We will make sure we engage with the department of international relations and cooperation to make sure they do not issue him with a South African visa.”
The ANCYL welcomed a statement by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan that investigations would be undertaken on what led to the collapse of the building.
“This is important, as we demand answers on what happened to our compatriots at the Synagogue [Church of All Nations]. The South African government should also assist in this regard by sending a forensic team to assist the Nigerian government.”
“Upon conclusion of these investigations, those found culpable should face the law without fear or favour.”
Failure to address the incident
Eighty-four South Africans were killed in a building collapse that occurred at the church in Nigeria on September 12.
Scores more sustained injuries when a multistorey guesthouse belonging to the church collapsed on Friday.
The injured have been brought back to South Africa for treatment.
Since the building collapse, Joshua has come under fire for not addressing the incident, but instead focusing on a plane repeatedly flying low above the building an hour before its collapse and reading out a message from an alleged Boko Haram would-be bomber seeking conversion.
In 2011, Joshua was third on the Forbes list of Nigeria’s five richest pastors, with a net worth approximated at close to $15-million. – Staff reporter