Coastal police to arrest pastors of illegal churches

THE Namibian Police and the Walvis Bay municipality have agreed to deal with illegal churches and bogus pastors by arresting them if they mislead and rob people of money.

The head of community policing in the Erongo region, sergeant Ileni Shapumba, told Nampa that the mushrooming of unregistered churches in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund has forced the police to approach local authorities to decide on how to deal with them. He said the parties are looking at arresting bogus clergy and closing all unregistered churches soon because of an outcry by the community. “We agreed that all unregistered churches will be identified, and the owners warned to register and operate legally. If they fail to do so after three warnings, they will be arrested,” Shapumba stressed. He added that there are more than 100 churches in both towns, with some operating from backyard shacks and garages, and others in public areas. Dennis Gurirab, who represented the Walvis Bay municipality at the meeting, confirmed the decision to Nampa. “It was decided that if there is an illegal church, the police will tell the municipality, and we will give them notices to stop operating illegally. If they fail to comply, the church will be shut down,” stated Gurirab. Swakopmund mayor Paulina Nashilundo told Nampa that she is aware of the community's outcry, but her council did not get a chance to attend the meeting with the police at Walvis Bay. She, however, said the council will follow up the matter, and decide on how to deal with these churches. In a recent incident, a pastor from Swakopmund allegedly influenced a sick member of his congregation to take out a N$100 000 bank loan to pay for a trip to Nigeria for prayers. The pastor, who runs a church from a shack in the DRC informal settlement, is accused by a relative of the church member of 'brainwashing' the man into taking out the bank loan. The relative approached the police last week for assistance in removing his brother from the pastor's church, where he spent two days after leaving his workplace at Okahandja. The relative told Nampa at the Mondesa police station that his brother switched off his phone and refuses to speak to the family because the pastor allegedly told him that they are possessed by “evil spirits.” “He (brother) was also told that his workplace has demons, and he must go to Nigeria for prayers,” said the relative, adding that the trip took place in March this year. Approached for comment, the pastor denied the allegations levelled against him. “I have nothing to do with the loan, the trip or his stay here because the man made his own decision to take out that loan, to come and stay here and invite me to accompany him to Nigeria,” he stated. He said the family needs to understand that had it not been for his prayers, the man could have died. The man's jaw was allegedly operated on and he later fell ill, which apparently forced him to seek refuge at the church. Shapumba said the pastor told him that he (Shapumba) was sent by Satan, and does not know what he is doing.