By: Frans Sinengela
The Kavango West regional commander Commissioner Josephat Abel has warned fake preachers to refrain from practising witchcraft on the pretext of the church.
“Witchcraft is witchcraft, and the church is the church; there is a difference,” he said.
Commissioner Abel told Eagle FM that the police in his region is not against legal and orderly church establishments.
He said they are against those who are fake and practice witchcraft while at the same time pretending to be pastors.
“Fake pastors and prophets are just criminals like any other criminal, and we will deal with them,” he continued.
The commissioner also said they had arrested five fake pastors, and their churches were thus closed down.
Last year, two pastors were arrested after anally administering a mixture of mentholated spirit, salt and vinegar in boiled water, which resulted in the death of three people, and a woman who survived is suffering from digestive complications.
“She can only eat soft food, and I think she has an artificial intestine. That harmful concoction damaged her intestines,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner further cautioned churches to preach for the betterment of the people and to refrain from harmful activities that have the potential to endanger the lives of their followers.
“I am also a Christian, and members of the police force are also Christians. That is why we have a chaplain,” he said.
However, Chief Inspector Christine Dunem Dafonsech told Eagle FM that the ongoing police operation in the Ohangwena region against fake churches focuses on community awareness educating church pastors and community members on what the law says.
“So far, we have only arrested one witch doctor we found operating without a permit,” she said.
“We closed one church in Oshikango area, but after the pastor understood our operation, he applauded us and called for such police operations to continue,” Dafonsech said.
Meanwhile, the Christian Freedom Fighters Bishop Festus Thomas leader told Eagle FM on the Homerun that they will stage a demonstration on February 25 protesting against the Inspector General in what they term “discriminatory actions” targeting Pentecostal and charismatic churches only.
However, Bishop Lukas Katenda of the Anglican church lamented that disunity among Christian churches makes it challenging to regulate Church activities.
“Christians are divided amongst themselves; charismatic churches are on their own. The Catholics on their own; Protestant churches are also divided among themselves,” he said.
