BAFUNDISI BALAMBILE - APOSTLE JUSTICE

MBABANE - “Bafundisi balambile!” If the above vernacular statement made by Apostle Justice Dlamini is anything to go by; local pastors are living on empty stomachs due to the COVID-19 regulations which limit the number of people at gatherings, including churches, to only 20.

The statement was the buzzword on social media circles after a video clip, where Apostle Dlamini was addressing issues related to COVID-19 and the church, circulated last Saturday.

The apostle made it known that local pastors had been hungry ever since government issued guidelines to limit gatherings as means of controlling the spread of COVID-19. The regulation affecting churches is clear that social gatherings are prohibited and that not more than 20 people are allowed to gather.
The video clip shows the outspoken man of God being interviewed by seasoned journalist, Qhawe Mamba on Channel YemaSwati in the show titled ‘People and Places’.

Issues

This was last Thursday when the whole world celebrated Ascension Day and the apostle, who was joined by Prophet Khulani Mamba, responded to a variety of issues which have become a subject of debate, one of which is the regulation on the operation of churches amid the coronavirus.

One of the issues that the host raised was the notion that some pastors were demanding the reopening of churches and or increase in the number of attending members, and that their sole intention was the collection of offerings.

Apostle Dlamini said it was important to consider that pastors were also human and that most of them resigned from their initial places of employment in order to preach the Word of God.

He said pastors operated in such a way that the church was an institution where they worked, which was why they had to be paid through the contributions made by church members.
Dlamini, who told this publication that he was speaking in his personal capacity, said even the Bible was clear that pastors were to live on what the church members contributed.

The apostle said the situation was a sad one for pastors in that they were hungry and had nowhere to raise their biggest concern - that of being hungry.

In jest, the apostle said pastors were unlike members of the public who had registered for the much anticipated food distribution announced by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).

“They cannot even ask for groceries from the NDMA. Umnikelo wehlile kani umfundisi lo unemkakhe nebantfwana. Nyalo bafundisi abakhoni nekuthandaza ngoba bakwatile. Akuthandazeki nawukwatile,” said Dlamini in vernacular, which means: “The offerings have gone down yet the pastor has a wife and children to take care of. Now the pastors cannot even pray because they are unhappy. It is not easy to pray when you are unhappy”.

Also, Dlamini said it was imperative to remember that most local churches operated in rented venues. “These days there is not much activity for the churches. It means that some of them will not be able to pay rent. They will not be allowed to operate because of the owed rent,” said Dlamini.
Again, the apostle said it was money that was needed to pay rent and not the belief in God.

Situation

“Ngeke utjele mastandi kutsi utsembe Nkulunkulu. Akubhadalwa ngelivesi, kubhadalwa ngemali,” he said. The gist of what the apostle was saying was that it was not fair to liken the situation of the church and that of drinking spots.
He said since the country and the whole world was faced with a crisis, the church should be allowed to play its role of ensuring that the nation had spiritual support.

“It is not good for government to run around alone. We must be allowed to gather and be spiritually uplifted because what constitutes the church is coming together. People are confused now and they need the church the most. Even the workers themselves who are in the frontline are confused and they need the church in order to regain their strength,” he mentioned.

He said while government, through the NDMA, was assisting the people, the church also had a huge role to play in feeding those who had been hard hit by COVID-19. “Those who stay in the towns or informal settlements and those work in textile firms, are suffering yet they constitute a bigger percentage of the church membership. Allow them to come to church and we will feed them,” he said.

The apostle also emphasised that it was not true that the church could be a breeding ground for COVID-19.
In his view, in churches there was not a lot of movement involved as was the case in supermarkets.

“People go to the shops, are sanitised upon entry, but once inside the shop they go to different directions as they check on the shelves where the items they want are found. They also meet other customers who are their friends or relatives and there is a high risk there,” he said.

Prophet Khulani Mamba, speaking in his capacity as a Board member for Iron Sharpens Iron, which is a group of over 200 local pastors, supported Dlamini by saying the churches should be allowed to operate while at the same time controlling them, to ensure that they adhered to all the regulations.

Situation

Mamba said the country should take a leaf from how Tanzania had handled the situation by not closing churches. “We need the church for the healing of our people. The church, is also important as we need to pray for the nurses and our leaders. Let us not treat churches in isolation. People need spiritual healing more than ever,” he said.
The men of the cloth seemed to have impressed the viewers as those who called in to pose questions or make comments said they were happy that they spoke the truth.

One of the callers, who identified herself as Make Nxumalo, thanked the duo, saying they hit the nail on the head by calling for church members to be allowed to come together.
The caller said she was aware that some churches offered food to disadvantaged members, which meant that church gatherings were important.

Worth noting is that the video clip which was shared on social media was only a fraction of the whole programme as it only focused on Dlamini’s statement on the pastors being hungry.
The whole video of the show was made available on the television station’s Facebook page where again users posted comments on what they thought.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: