67 S Africans killed in Nigeria

SIXTY-seven South Africans, including at least two from the Eastern Cape, were killed in the collapse of a hostel housing pilgrims to a church in Lagos, Nigeria.

This was confirmed by the Office of the Presidency last night, making it one of South Africa’s worst peacetime disasters on foreign soil.

Last night frantic relatives were pleading for information on the tragedy, but were being reportedly stonewalled by church officials.

The victims were understood to have travelled in five groups to Lagos to attend the popular preacher and televangelist TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan).

They were believed to be staying in the church’s hostel for foreign pilgrims in the Ikotun neighbourhood of Lagos.

One reliable source close to the disaster last night told the Daily Dispatch that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) were still busy verifying the names of the deceased and contacting their families.

At least one Eastern Cape man was among those killed and the fate of a Mdantsane resident visiting the same church is also feared.

Thomas Matsila, 44, of Queenstown was part of one of five groups of South Africans who travelled to Lagos last week, a cousin, Vuyani Green, confirmed yesterday.

Green said he last spoke to Matisla, an employee of Victoria Hospital in Alice, last Thursday.

“He spoke for about five minutes over the phone as he was telling me about what they were doing there.

“He later sent me his pictures which he had taken from there.”

Green said that on Saturday morning he heard news on the radio that a building belonging to the church housing foreign visitors had collapsed.

“ we received a call from Nigeria informing us that my cousin was one of those killed in that disaster. His wife is flying back to South Africa and she will be arriving in the morning,” he said.

Another Mdantsane resident, Phumzile Mpondo, has not been heard from since the collapse.

Mpondo left the country last week Tuesday to attend the church and has not been in contact with his family.

Mpondo’s sister Nalita Nayo said yesterday that the family was concerned for his well-being.

“We don’t know what had happened because the last contact with him was a few minutes before the collapse of that building. We are still waiting for the news from the embassy and the department to tell us the news,” said Nayo.

Joshua’s network of churches and a television station have attracted people from around the world with promises of receiving miracles and prophecies from the man followers dub “The Prophet”.

Joshua has suggested that a low-flying aircraft was responsible for the collapse and released security camera footage apparently showing a plane flying four times over the hostel before its collapse.

A Dirco source said they had been hampered in giving information “because we simply don’t have the answers. The confusion lies in the disinformation and lack of information”.

He said many who journeyed to the church did so under the radar to avoid the controversy around the church.

According to insiders, frustrations boiled over as Scoan officials appeared to deliberately stonewall rescue efforts, allegedly denying emergency teams and diplomats guest lists on those in the building at the time of the collapse.

Some 134 survivors have been pulled from the rubble so far.

South African diplomats in Lagos on condition of anonymity slammed the situation, also saying they were being denied information.

“We are trying hard to find out information, establish how many South Africans were inside the building, but all that we are told is that it is not that bad.” — With additional reporting by Graeme Hosken and AFP