JOHANNESBURG – The man who was allegedly resurrected in a video by Pastor Alph Lukau of Alleluia International Ministries has been identified as Elliot aka Brighton Moyo from Zimbabwe.
Brighton is a 29-year-old man who worked at a timber company in Pretoria.
The company, Vincent Amoretti PTY LTD, told Eyewitness News on Tuesday the last time they saw Brighton was 19 February, when he arrived late for work.
He had gone to a funeral over the weekend of 16 and 17 February, and he told his colleagues he was late on Tuesday as church elders asked him to stay a day longer.
Brighton has not been at work since last Tuesday and is his absence, is being treated absent with leave.
Speaking to 702’s Azania Mosaka on Tuesday, a caller by the name of Vincent said this was not the first time Brighton was involved with Pastor Lukau. EWN heard from a colleague at Vincent Amoretti PTY LTD that Brighton has helped the pastor with another miracle.
On the show, Vincent, who said he’s the owner of Vincent Amoretti PTY LTD and employer of Brighton, told listeners that Brighton helped the pastor by pretending to be wheelchair-bound and then standing up after Lukau prayed for him.
His employer described Brighton is an intelligent man.
“Can you imagine what a life he’s had? He’s worked for me, he died, he was resurrected and now he’s been arrested,” said Vincent on the show.
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities on Monday said it would be investigating the incident in which the Johannesburg pastor was captured on camera resurrecting the man from a coffin.
“As a commission, we need to get to the root of this. Unless we do that, South Africans are taken for a ride and their intelligence is insulted,” said the commission’s deputy chair David Mosoma.
Mwanwhile, some worshippers at the Alleluia Ministries International have dismissed criticism of its pastor who tried to convince the congregation that he resurrected a man from the dead, insisting it takes faith to understand what happened.
A woman who says she visited the church from London spoke to Eyewitness News about what she saw on Sunday.
She says a true miracle took place and only believers who have faith will understand.
“That’s because they are not Christian, they don’t believe in miracles. Even Jesus Christ when he was resurrected people didn’t believe. Jesus said you will do more than what I did.”
At the same time, the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities will be investigating the incident.
CRL Rights Commission says the investigation is necessary to ensure churchgoers are not taken for a ride.
LAWS TO REGULATE THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR
The CRL Commission says it will continue to fight to have regulatory laws passed in order to hold religious practitioners responsible for their actions.
The commission says it’s not been in touch with the Alleluia International Ministries yet, but investigations are underway after its pastor tried to convince his congregation that he had resurrected a dead man on Sunday.
CRL chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva says the religious sector remains one of the most unregulated in South Africa.
She says the commission is mandated to ensure that in the next five years, religious leaders are monitored.
“It’s a profession; doctors are controlled by the Professional Council, and nurses by the Nursing Council. Everyone has someone who controls them.”
She says there is no place where victims in the religious sector can report abuse.
“While that continues, they continue raping more and more women, while we dilly-dally, talk and argue about freedom of religion.”
She says the case of Timothy Omotoso, who is currently on trial for rape and human trafficking, is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unscrupulous religious leaders. — EWN