Africa-Press – Lesotho. A WOMAN who consulted a “prophet” to exorcise a “demon” she believed was troubling her is now battling for her life at Motebang Hospital in Leribe after the exercise went awry.
Ntsoaki Kasai has been bedridden for a month undergoing surgery after she suffered extensive burns when the South African prophet boiled muti and covered her in a blanket during a steaming procedure as part of the exorcism.
Kasai, whose skin is peeling off as a result of the incident, refused to entertain questions from the media. Her uncle, only identified as Machake, said his niece is in excruciating pain following the unfortunate incident that took place on a Saturday morning earlier this month.
He said a prophet known as Siyabonga and going by the trade name of Koko Masithole hails from South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal region. Machake said the prophet visited the home of Kasai’s sister in Ha-Nyenye Maputsoe to help drive the demon from the family members, but it all ended in tears.
Machake said Kasai’s sister and her brother-in-law successfully underwent the rigorous exercise though. The exercise was performed at the rented home of Kasai’s sister with the door closed to block any intruders from interfering.
Machake said his niece, like the others undergoing the exorcism, was asked to kneel down in front of a big washing basin filled with boiling muti. She had to bow into the basin while her hands were touching the outer part of the basin and the upper part of her body was covered in a pile of blankets in order for them to absorb the steam from the boiling muti.
The prophet ignored his niece’s pleas that she was getting burnt from the unbearable heat. “The prophet told her that it was the demon that was burning, not her,” Machake said.
“Instead of removing her from the boiling muti, he pressed her down saying the demon would get out of her body that way.
Unfortunately, she lost her balance and both her hands dipped into the boiling muti. She got seriously burnt,” he said. Her breasts were also badly burnt.
“Her right nipple had to be removed altogether. Her face got burnt too,” Machake said. Writhing in pain, Ntsoaki was rushed to Maputsoe Filter Clinic for medical assistance.
What worries Machake is that his niece was asked to lie to the nurses that she was epileptic and that she fell into the boiling water when she was attacked by the seizure.
“The nurses were not told that the victim went through a life-threatening exercise,” Machake said. Machake said the family was informed that the nurses transferred her to Motebang Hospital for better round-the-clock treatment from doctors.
Instead of going to the hospital as instructed, Kasai wormed her way back to her sister’s home where she suffered silently. “She was applying cow dung and pig bile to the wounds,” Machake says, adding that home therapy did not work out for her.
After almost a week, she felt that she could not continue with the self-help as the pain became intolerable. “There was a foul smell in the house,” said Machake, adding that they have since located the prophet with the help of the local chief and community policing forum.
“The prophet was remorseful over what had happened.
He told us that he has been doing this job for 21 years without injuring anyone and has been in the country dealing with patients for a year,” Machake said.
He says the prophet has agreed to contribute towards Kasai’s medical expenses. “He has already fulfilled his promise with some contributions already,” Machake said.
Machake said he went to the police to collect a medical form for her niece so that she could open a criminal case against the prophet but was told that he has no right to take legal action on behalf of Kasai as she is an adult.
“I was told that my adult niece can open a complaint on her own.
Meanwhile, another prophet from the neighbouring Thaba-Tseka district is facing a culpable homicide charge in the magistrate’s court after a young boy died during an exorcism exercise.
According to court papers, Prophet Thabiso Makhetha of Jesus Power Demonstration from Mantšonyane in Thaba-Tseka allegedly killed the young boy as he tried to heal him.
The prophet, the prosecution says, was in Bobete, Thaba-Tseka, when the boy’s relatives brought him seeking spiritual help because the boy was allegedly sick.
Prophet Makhetha was holding a church service to perform miracles. Makhetha, according to the prosecution, started beating the boy using bare hands. When the boy fell down, the prophet tramped on him claiming that the demon was getting out.
The boy died there in front of the shocked congregation. Realising that he was in trouble, the prophet fled on his horse leaving the congregation in shock.
He was later arrested and granted bail. The two cases are part of a trend involving self-proclaimed prophets preying on highly superstitious communities in Lesotho and much of Africa. Some buy airtime on radio to market their services and invite people to visit their churches for life-changing miracles.
Supposedly satisfied clients phone-in to the promotional radio programmes giving testimonies claiming to have received healing after meeting such pastors in a bid to woo others to join the crusade.
However, many desperate people seeking healing have fallen for the deception. Last year, a pastor in Pretoria, South Africa, made members of his congregation strip naked and rode on their backs as he “prayed” for them.
Another Pretoria pastor, Daniel Lesego, made his congregation drink petrol and eat grass. Pastor Penuel Mnguni, based in northern Pretoria, capped it all when he declared a live snake a chocolate bar and commanded the congregation to eat it.
This kind of behaviour is not limited to developing countries, as many people in rich countries such as the United States have been deceived using similar tricks.
In April 2018, in an article titled: ‘Pastor’s ‘Blessing’ Caused Brain Injury, Lawsuit Claims,’ a US-based attorney named Molly Zilli said “most church-goers expect their place of worship to be a source of healing and spiritual renewal”.
Dr Lipalesa Mathe, a local sociologist, said while people have a right to use faith as a self-fulfilling mechanism, they can’t escape the reality of life – hard work.
“There is no way that those people will get jobs if they are sitting at home. They have to look for a job and apply for it,” she said.
“If people want to have babies, they should have unprotected sex to fulfil that goal instead of asking for miracles from prophets.
“If people go to church asking the pastor to help them have a baby yet they have protected sex, there is no way they could have a baby even if the pastor prays for them,” she said.
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