WE CHARGE PASTORS OVER E18 000 FOR POWERS – SA TINYANGA

MBABANE – The two South African tinyanga who were in the country two weeks ago charge more than E18 000 to pastors who seek secret powers.

This was revealed by one of the traditonal healers, Dr Fohla Inyanga, who was in the country with Khwesha Mfana for three days, courtesy of pastors and businesspeople, among others, to assist them advance their churches and businesses. During their previous visit, they said they attended to more than 35 people - pastors, businesspeople and ordinary members of the public while in the country.

Phones

Dr Fohla Inyanga has informed this publication that their phones had not stopped ringing as their services were in demand and he said they would surely be back in the country. He said pastors who sought their services for the first time were charged E9 500 and those who were familiar with the service paid E18 000 and upwards, depending on the level they were at. “Pastors who are only starting to use our services pay E9 500, while those who have amandla already operating and are familiar with our services pay from E18 000 upwards,” he said. The inyanga said they had received bookings from a number of emaSwati and would be returning to the country. The pair said they came from Jozini, ‘Kamhlabuyalingana, eButhonga, KwaGayumuthi, ezweni labathakathi’.

Clientele

The renowned traditional healers caused a spectacle during their initial visit to the country, they mentioned that they had a good rapport with their Eswatini clientele and were looking forward to returning. However, not everyone was happy with the services offered by the tinyanga, with some expressing shock that their target market was pastors. The Ministry of Home Affairs was reached for comment on the matter, specifically to ascertain how far the regulations were which would ensure pastors and prophets who performed ill-practices on their congregants or hosted services where perculiar behaviour resounded all in the name of religion were regulated.

Communications Officer in the ministry Mlandvo Dlamini said the regulations were at their draft stage and they would be sending them to Parliament for approval in due course. “We are treating the regulations with urgency and working to ensure they are soon tabled in Parliament. In previous years, we have seen numerous practices which are unforeseen and odd, such as the feeding of grass to congregants all in the name of religion and with these regulations we are aiming to do away with such churches,” said Mlandvo.

Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) Head of Communications Vusi Dlamini was also reached for comment to ascertain how foreign nationals who operated their business in the country remitted their taxes to ERS, more especially those who accepted cash payments. Responding, the ERS head of communications referred this reporter to Riccardo Kruger, ERS Customer Service Manager, who said the principle that was provided by law was that the onus to withhold tax on imported services was upon the local importer of that service; the amount withheld is 10 per cent of the value of the services being imported. “For example, if a business brings in a lawyer from outside of the country, the local business is required by law to withhold 10 per cent on the agreed upon fee, which will then be remitted to ERS. This principle is further dependent on all other legal requirements being met; e.g. a permit has been sought for the foreign service provider to operate locally and a legal contract exists between the foreign service provider and the local entity.

“It is not clear who invited the said traditional healers to come and operate in the country, as well as if all other legal requirements were met. We have systems that we use that aim to identify such cases that may not be compliant with the law, but the system has its shortcomings, so it is possible for some transactions to elude the tax administration,” said Kruger. Dr Khwesha, as he is fondly known, during a telephone interview with this reporter, disclosed that pastors and businesspeople who used their services paid according to their level of experience. “Ngeke unike umuntu osacala into elingana neyemuntu osekdala ayenza lento,” he said. The SA traditional healer said their price range varied based on their client’s experience and level of prominence.

Previously, while they were in the country, Dr Fohla said they came mostly at the instance of pastors ‘ukuzobaphakamisa namabandla abo’. He said their other clients were businesspeople who required assistance to win tenders, among other things, and individuals who sought employment, healing and other requirements. “We have come to Eswatini at the instance of businesspeople and mostly pastors. Ikakhulu silethwe abafundisi njengoba nisibona (as you can see us, we were brought here by pastors). But we won’t reveal their identities,” Dr Fohla said. According to Dr Fohla, they were in the country for a period of three days and they attended to about 35 clients. The two were travelling in a navy blue Ford Ranger with stickers of snakes and a calabash, which attracted the attention of members of the public.

Sick

They said they were in the country to assist people who were in need of their services, such as job seekers, the sick and any requirement they might have. Dr Fohla said they had brought all that would be required by their clients. He also mentioned that apart from the about 35 people who called them to come to the country, they could attend to others who might contact them. He described Dr Khwesha Mfana as a traditional Zulu doctor. He also mentioned that other clients visited their headquarters, ‘esgodlweni esikhulu’ in Jozini. In a previous comment, Council of of Swaziland Churches Reverend Zwanini Tshabalala said this was a difficult matter to respond to as they were not aware of the identities of the pastors in question.
However, he said as council, according to their knowledge, the two things (traditional healing and preaching), did not mix. He said they did not believe that there were pastors who required powers from traditional healers.

“We do hear of such now and again but we have no evidence of it. We neither accept it nor encourage it from our membership. This might be individuals behaving in an unwelcome manner and the churches in which they belong, if there are such people, should advise them accordingly.
“We believe pastors are called by God to do His work and He gives them the required ‘tools’ to carry out His work and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Kuticinisa asikwati tsine,” said Tshabalala.

Powers

According to Tshabalala, it would be difficult to deal with this allegation because they had not heard of a member of the council being implicated in seeking powers to preach from traditional healers. Also previously, Swaziland Conference of Churches of Secretary General Themba Ngozo said: “Ngumkhuhlana lona (It is madness). No preacher gets his powers from a traditional healer; power comes from God, who gives pastors the responsibility to preach. “Any pastor who consults traditional healers is not a preacher of the Word of God. He is a fake pastor. The people (Dr Khwesha Mfana and Dr Fohla Inyanga) you are talking about, if they say they have been called by pastors to give them powers, they should reveal their identities, otherwise no pastor receives powers from a traditional healer; kungaba ngumhlolo,” said Ngozo. When informed that the renowned traditional healers, Dr Khwesha Mfana and Dr Fohla Inyanga, had shown this journalist pictures of a prominent pastor taken with the latter, Ngozo said they should publish those pictures, ‘so that we can see that they are telling the truth’.

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