Three days have not even passed, yet a church that claimed
to have resurrected a man is now backtracking from its "miracle".
As pastor Alph Lukau's "resurrection" video
continued to dominate social media conversations yesterday, with many
ridiculing his claims, the Alleluia International Ministries said the
"dead" man was actually "already alive" when his
"body" got to the premises.
The Alleluia International Ministries church in
Kramerville, Sandton, now says that Lukau had only "completed a miracle
that God had already started".
The climbdown is after the church found itself in hot water
with three funeral parlours that were apparently duped into taking part in the
act reporting it to the police yesterday.
Advocate Prince Mafu, speaking on behalf of Kings and
Queens, Black Phoenix and Kingdom Blue, said the parlours were used through
various forms of misrepresentation to suit a particular outcome.
Mafu said people linked to the church approached the
parlours individually, buying a coffin from one, stickers from another and
hiring a hearse from another one. "It is with regret that the outcome of
such a plot has adversely affected our reputation as service providers.
"We have reported the matter at Jeppe police station
for further investigation," Mafu said.
Lukau faced a backlash on social media for claiming "a
dead man came back to LIFE in this service" on Sunday.
Amid mounting pressure, church leaders hurriedly sought to
change their tune on the incident yesterday, saying the man identified as
Elliot in the video had arrived alive and kicking inside a coffin at the church
gate.
Church minister Busi Gaca and pastor Rochelle Kombou
described how the hearse driver ran away in fear after hearing rattling noises
coming from inside the coffin upon arriving at the church.
Gaca said church leaders were alerted that a hearse had
just arrived at the gate when Lukau decided to go and inspect.
"As soon as they got here they started hearing
movement coming from the coffin. And you know [in] our culture, if a person is
dead and you start hearing movement people get scared," she said.
Gaca said the man's relatives who had been travelling in a
separate car had explained that they were on their way to Zimbabwe for the man's
burial when they decided to visit the church.
She said the man's family told pastors the man had been
sick and coughing but was denied treatment by a local hospital.
They also claimed that he died while receiving treatment
from a private doctor.
Kombou said: "By the time the man of God [Lukau] got
to him he was already breathing. I was screaming. I saw his tongue moving. It
was not a resurrection miracle, we are saying the testimony was completed by
the one who is chosen to do what he does.
"These miracles of healing and deliverance were not an
unusual sight at the church. The responsibility of the man of God is to help
the testimony to come to life.
"The man of God completed the miracle by praying
because prayer is the key."
In the video, Lukau can be seen laying his hands on the
man's stomach as he lies inside the coffin. The man, who appears to be gasping
for air, then rises up with a bewildered look in his eyes as Lukau continues to
"speak in tongues".
"Can you see what happened? This man died since
Friday, he was in the mortuary," Lukau said to loud cheers and applause.
"This is a sign that no matter what the devil's done it is over. Devil, I
told you wherever I find you I will kick you."
Following the prayer, the man was ushered into the church
where he was given water. A woman could be seen feeding him his first meal as
congregants sang in celebration.
Yesterday, Kombou said the church was not interested in
responding to critics who accused them of misleading the masses as they are
preoccupied with doing God's work.
According to Kings and Queens Funeral Parlour manager in
Polokwane, Vivien Mponda, the hearse used to transport the man had been booked
for a mechanical service in Johannesburg.
"We are also not part of the people being raised from
the dead. We don't have the records including the death certificate of the
alleged deceased.
"I have been struggling to get hold of the driver to
explain what had happened," Mponda said.
She said her operations manager later informed her that the
hearse had been hired by the church for R2,000. Sowetan
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