'We shall worship': MK Party member criticises Buffalo City's Omotoso ban
East London MK Party member Themba Wele has criticised Buffalo City's decision to bar Timothy Omotoso from using municipal venues for his church.
Buffalo City Metro cancelled "New Dawn" crusade bookings, citing gender-based violence concerns despite Omotoso's acquittal.
Wele has urged the municipality to focus on service delivery issues, rather than restricting religious gatherings.
East London MK Party member Themba Wele has lashed out at Buffalo City Metro for preventing Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso from holding an eight-day crusade at a city-owned venue.
On Sunday, the City announced it had cancelled bookings by Omotoso's Jesus Dominion International at its Orient Theatre venue.
The "New Dawn" crusade was expected to take place from 4 to 11 May.
In its statement, the City said: "The [City] has stated clear that all bookings made at municipal venues towards this event be cancelled and no single venue will be utilised for this church in all our three regions and villages.
"To combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), [the City] would not allow a person like Timothy Omotoso to hold his crusades in our city."
Earlier last month, the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha acquitted Omotoso and his co-accused on charges of rape and human trafficking.
Although some people commended Mayor Princess Faku for the decision to prevent Omotoso from coming to worship in the city, there was also backlash from others who questioned the legality behind her decision.
Faku said Omotoso "was not welcome in our City".
But Wele, a former EFF MPL in the Eastern Cape legislature and now an MK Party member, said Faku's decision lacked legal basis.
He said:
Faku has no legal stand[ing] to prevent Omotoso from coming to the city. I am no member of Omotoso's church congregation and I have never met him, but I believe in the rule of law.
"Omotoso was in police custody for many years. He has not been found guilty by a court of law," said Wele.
He added that he had been invited by Omotoso's church on Sunday.
"We shall worship on Sunday. I will attend the church's service following an invitation. The venue (not city-owned) is in the East London CBD," Wele said.
He said the City rather needed to focus on service delivery and other social ills affecting its residents.
"People have a right to worship. This is where their hopes are uplifted because this ANC-led city has failed them. People are hungry in this city. Unemployment is rife. We have huge potholes and unreliable water supply, yet the municipality is now directing its focus on worshippers," said Wele.
News24 reached out to organisers of Omotoso's crusade who promised to send a statement on Wednesday evening. Their comment will be added once received.
Faku's spokesperson, Bongani Fuzile, told News24 on Wednesday that the organisers were "not allowed" to host their crusade in the city.
The ANC in the Dr WB Rubusana (Buffalo City) region said it supported the decision of the municipality.
"We saw the actions of Omotoso's loyalists during the trial, as they heckled and mocked those who came to support the victims. They must not be allowed to further polarise society," the party said.
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