Leaders from the Endumisweni Faith Mission in Mdantsane have defended the church amid backlash from the community for a video showing two girls being severely assaulted with a water pipe at the church’s NU8 branch.
A video of two girls being assaulted - apparently for “sinning” - by a church elder and well known gospel singer surfaced on Saturday morning.
The 30-second footage shows a girl receiving lashes from gospel singer, Tsidi Spampool, founder and leader of Endumisweni Gospel Group. The girl is heard apologising repeatedly in the video as the church elder uses vulgar language while dishing out the hiding.
A church member who asked to remain anonymous told DispatchLive that the girls were being punished for “sinning” in public. “They went to Hemingways with some guys and they posted pictures with alcohol on WhatsApp and Facebook. This angered church leaders and they were beaten for being sinners,” said the church member.
While social media users are outraged and have criticised the church for the incident, church leader Asivo Nosenga told the Dispatch that beating unruly children was part of the church’s disciplinary methods.
Nosenga said the two girls violated church rules. “They were beaten for drinking and posting the pictures on social networks.
"Who are they trying to show that they are drinking while they are under a church that is [well] known [in the community]. We are trying to protect children from outside influences such as drugs; these are girls and they will get drunk and [can then] become rape victims.”
Akhanyile Mvunyiswa, 20, has since left the church that she says she has been attending all her life and has even left Mdantsane in fear of the church leaders. Mvunyiswa said that they were not drinking and that the pictures were of them with glasses of cooldrink at the cinema.
This is a developing story. The full story can be read in the Daily Dispatch on Monday...