PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-The Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) International Church this week issued its report to the human right body, the CRL Rights Commission. The report, on the December 28, 2018 that left three people dead and 17 injured, outlines the work of the international conglomerate of Malawi-born Prophet Shepherd Bushiri.
The report made available to The Maravi Post, among others, highlights its global operations in 2018, its contribution to society, the large numbers that attend the thrice weekly gatherings in Pretoria, and special events around the world. In 2018, in conferences that targeted getting two million people to follow Jesus, Prophet Bushiri spoke at events in 10 countries
The ECG also offered the South African people, citing that it takes full responsibility for the incident. The report also affirms that the ECG welcomes constructive criticism.
Prophet Bushiri was the 2017 Maravi Post Person of the Year, in recognition of the charity work he does in Malawi and around the world, his business acumen, and his role as leader of the fast-growing membership of the ECG, which according to the report, is operational in 178.
Below is the full Report submitted to the CRL Rights Commission by the ECG International Church on the incident that happened on December 28, 2018;
REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE CRL RIGHTS COMMISSION BY THE ENLIGHTENED CHRISTIAN GATHERING INTERNATIONAL CHURCH ON THE INCIDENCE THAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2018
BACKGROUND
This write up is an official report from the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church International submitted this Monday 28 January 2019 before the Investigative Committee of the CRL Rights Commission on the unfortunate incident that happened at ECG Pretoria Branch on Friday, 28 December 2018.
BRIEF HISTORY OF ECG CHURCH
ECG Church is an arm of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri Ministries (PSBM) which was founded by Prophet Shepherd Bushiri in the city of Mzuzu in Malawi.
The church began its operations in Malawi in 2010 and, over the years, it expanded through establishment of branches in different countries, among others, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya.
Operations in South Africa began in 2012 wherein it was formerly constituted and legally registered with CIPC. Prophet Bushiri joined the South Africa branch, as the general overseer, later in 2015.
As of today, ECG has branches in over 178 countries across the world. All these branches are governed by an umbrella body—ECG International Church—which has its headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. Prophet Bushiri is its president and founder.
ECG CHURCH SERVICES AND CROSS-OVER NIGHTS
The church has three regular weekly services namely the Monday Night Diplomatic Service, the Friday Night Midweek Service and the general Sunday Service. Currently an estimate of about 15 000 to 25 000 people attends these services.
Besides these services, the church also hosts International Visitors Programme every fortnight. The programme entails people travelling from various parts of the world to have a one-on-one spiritual moment with the Prophet. Each programmer brings roughly around 3000 people on average.
Apart from the International Visitors Programme, the church also hosts annual and biannual festivals and events such as ECG Youth Magnets Festivals, Women on Fire Conference, Iron Men Conference, Salvation Festivals, School of Seers, Pastors Conference and weekly Stewards Meetings. Each event, roughly, hosts about 40 000 to 60 000 people.
Further to that, the church also hosts Crossover Night Events on 31 December every year. Between 2015 and 2017, the church successfully and diligently held Crossover Nights at FNB Stadium in South Africa consistently attracting not less than 100 000 people across the world. Last year, the church held another 2018/19 Crossover Night event at Pretoria Showgrounds attracting over 60 000 people.
Further to this, the church also manages Global Prophetic Tours in different countries with a goal of winning souls for Jesus Christ. In these tours, the church, led by the Prophet, preaches to tens of thousands in stadiums, halls and open grounds.
In 2018, the Prophet travelled to over 10 countries and, among others, includes USA, India, South Korea, Australia, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya and different provinces of South Africa. Our estimates, through our records, indicate we managed to win more than 2.5 million people for Jesus Christ.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY
Beyond evangelism, our church has done, and continue to do so much to contribute to the South African society both through direct injection to the economy and, also, through our charity programmes.
The South African economy, through the city of Pretoria, has benefited so much through the religious tourism engineered by our church. Unlike Cape Town and Durban, Gauteng is not so much of a tourist destination. However, through our fortnight International Visitors Programme and other events, we have over 9 000 people coming to Gauteng every month, Pretoria to be specific or rather Tshwane.
In research conducted by Dr Acha-Anyi from Tshwane University of Technology reveals that ECG congregants noted 90% stay between 1 to 2 days and 20% stay in commercial tourist accommodation. This basically “proves the economic impact of religious tourism due to the operation of ECG in Tshwane”.
Besides that, ECG has also been robust in doing charity works in South Africa through our charity arm, BEACON OF HOPE.
For instance, in 2018, during Nelson Mandela Day, the church launched a School Adoption Programme at Kloofwaters Primary School in Rustenburg. We made several donations to the school to the tune of $40 000.
The programme continues this year as we target five more schools. Further, the church has, for the past three years, been working with different child care centers and social welfare centers within Gauteng and North West Province.
We consistently assist these centers with every emerging needs to ensure that the less fortunate are giving a decent life. Some of the centers include Boitumelo Child Care Centre and Lebohang Orphan Care Centre in Pretoria; and Kroondal Shelter for the Homeless in Rustenburg, South Africa.
This year our team has lined up several charity programmes which we are officially launching in this coming month of February in Limpopo.
VICTIMS OF SPECULATIONS
Despite the continued growth our church and the undeniable positive impact on the South African society, our church has, for years, suffered so much because of what I would call ‘SPECULATION’.
We have been victimized as a church, called all sorts of bad names and, sometimes, punished based of outright falsehoods advanced by faceless groups of people mostly on social media.
Here are some of the examples:
We have seen the media telling the public that I once said that South Africans love our church because they believe in magic/miracle unlike Malawians who believe in God. I have never said that. It is all lies. I challenge everybody out there who has such a recording of me saying that to come forward and face me with.
We have also read stories circulating on social media that our church sales the blood of Jesus, that my wife was pregnant of the Holy Spirit. They are all lies. Come to our church and inspect the church materials we sale. We are open and accessible.
We also have stories that the church charged R25 000 to people who want to sit close to me at a gala dinner. The church doesn’t even know who created the poster and the church has never had such a gala dinner.
We have also read in the media that our church charges people for me to pray for them. That’s shocking. Why don’t you the media come to church, disguise yourself as a congregant and find out if we charge people for prayers? We don’t do that!
There is just so much of these falsehoods out there that fuels speculations against our church. We are pleading with the media to challenge these speculations with facts in your reporting.
FRIDAY 28 DECEMBER 2018 INCIDENT
Despite an enviable, four-year incident free history of crowd control—as seen from different events and services that we have, domestically and internationally, hosted and managed successfully so far—the church experienced quite an unfortunate incident on 28 December 2018 during its Friday Midweek Service.
It was a regular Friday Midweek Service which starts at 18:00 hours.
Congregants would normally start entering the halls of prayer between about 15:00 and 18:00 hours.
However, on the particular day, Pretoria experienced unexpected high levels of thunderstorms that were accompanied by heavy rains and lighting.
Most congregants were caught off guard, as a result, panicked resulted as most of them began to run for shelter in church halls. It was this panic that caused the stampede at one of the halls.
The church has an onsite paramedics company which handles all emergency activities within its premises. The immediate report we got from them was that there has been a stampede at one of the Halls and, using their ambulances, they have evacuated 9 people who have suffered different injuries with varying intensities.
Further, they reported that of the recorded 9 evacuated, 3 were heavily injured and had been taken to their proximate clinic for immediate attention. The rest were taken to a government hospital. They also assured the church that everything is in control and being duly and professionally handled by them.
As most of the people attendant hospital we reliably learnt that the number of those who injured increased to 17 people. We were informed that most of those people attendant to clinic and hospital using other means such as private vehicles.
Acting on their assurance, the church advised me—as I was not on the premises by then—to proceed with the service. Based on that, I arrived at church and proceeded to be part of the service.
It was in the last hours of the service, while I was on the pulpit, when the Church was informed that that the three that were heavily injured had passed on and confirmed dead at the clinic. I was only briefed after the service.
Immediately after that, the church was faced with two pressing issues to oversee and manage: one, the injured in the hospital and, two, the three that passed on.
It must be underlined, here, that church was not hands-on in handling these two key issues. The paramedics, as professionals, took a lead in everything while the church only took the responsibility of facilitating every professional instruction from the paramedics.
As part of that, the church facilitated accommodation and transportation of all the injured congregants who, after treatment, were discharged.
As for the beloved three that passed on, we were assured by the paramedics that they are making all the necessary legal and medical arrangements that guide funeral processes.
The church administrators went to bed as late as 06:00 hours (CAT) of 29 December 2018 well assured that everything has been handled professionally.
The Church only came to know, through the media, that there was a case of bodies being moved from the church without the police and taken to the private mortuary. We also further learnt that the South Africa Police Services (SAPS) had, based on that, opened a case of defeating the ends of justice against the church.
It must be underlined, here, that the church left the management of the accident in the hands of the paramedics on the scene. From their report, there were only injuries at the scene of the incident—not deaths. The three died at the clinic as they were receiving treatment.
However, the church did not have enough details as to what transpired at the clinic to have the bodies end up at the private mortuary.
To get to the facts, the church took two measures. One, it launched internal investigations that saw Pretoria Branch resident pastor being suspended. And two, the church welcomed SAPS move to thoroughly investigate the matter and even pledged full cooperation and support.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE BODIES, BURIAL ARRANGEMENTS AND COMPENSATIONS
The church took sole responsibility to repatriate the three that passed on to their final resting place of their family’s choice. However, the greatest challenge was the process of identification which the church is greatly indebted to SAPS for making everything possible.
The church can report here that the remains of the three were buried at places of their family’s choice. The church took all the responsibilities in liaising with the bereaved families, facilitating the repatriation and, most importantly, leading the ceremony in others areas while in other areas being officially present to be part of everything.
I, together with my Prophetess Mary Bushiri, have personally met and condoled two of the three families. Consultations are underway for me and my wife to meet the remaining family.
Despite being an accident, the church, as earlier communicated, took responsibility of everything that happened because, one, it happened at the church’s premises, and, two, because those that passed were members of the ECG family. Because of this, the church is morally compelled to work on a compensation package that would help meet the responsibility gap left by those that died. The church has also commenced insurance claimed process against public liability insurance, to which we request support of the bereaved families. The church has further undertaken stance to supplement or top up insurance claim as normally such insurance claims inherently do not have enough pay out.
In a view of this, the church sought advice from the CRL Rights Commission on how best this can be handled. The CRL Rights Commission moved that it will handle all the compensation package process and the church will only execute. As we stand, the church is still waiting from the CRL’s direction.
COMPLIANCE
It is important to note that the church has its Health and Safety Policies in place and all supporting guidelines connected thereof.
It is well known that in terms of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act, 2010 (Act 2 of 2010), (SASRE) the city of Tshwane has the Joint Operations Committee (JOC). The city will confirm that this committee is fully functional to which the church is part of.
JOC is responsible for mitigating disasters that may involve the city’s service departments, by law enforcement agencies and department that deal with event compliance.
The stakeholders, therefore among others, include but not limited to, South African Police Services (SAPS), City of Tshwane Metro Police – for traffic control and road closures, Fire safety, Ambulance services, Health Services such as paramedics, Disaster Management and others.
It is this committee that ensures that all events or church services held at Pretoria Showgrounds are presented and approved beforehand.
The church, each year and monthly, present its services plan for approval and among others present to JOC church events overview and details, event risk categorization, to which JOC has over the years declared us to be medium risk.
We also, as part of church plans, present venue/site plan, crowd management plan, public liability insurance plan, security plan, emergency services plan, application and approval of temporary structures, etc.
What I have said here is what the church complies with. Without that, the church cannot be operational. This is why we have always been issued with Compliance Certificate for each and every service we ever held in the year 2018 and even all other years before.
Allow me to pause and mention that we have reliably learnt through the media that the was a document allegedly issued by the City of Tshwane Emergency Services purporting to be bringing the church to code wherein it was widely reported that as a church we given 30 days within which to comply.
Our lawyers took the matter with the city of Tshwane Emergency Services and it was discovered and confirmed to our lawyers that the document was FAKE and does not exist. In fact, the city of Tshwane Emergencies Services that visited our church premises for purposes of inspection has since distanced itself from such document.
They have since relayed their correct findings through our lawyers to which they only found that that, date stamped on the body of our fire extinguisher had expired. I am happy to report to you, that the church has rectified it and duly communicated the same to the landlord.
To this we confirm and assure the public that:
We are legally registered and incorporated in accordance with laws of the Republic of South Africa.
Our certificate of registration allows us to operate as a church.
We obtain JOC approval for each and every service held.
We have all structures and all necessary required compliance departments to ensure we comply in terms of health and safety act and SASRE Act.
We have specific compliance department that ensures that health and safety measures are observed in all areas including environmental, health and safety.
We have sufficient personnel in the areas of security, health and safety.
ECG STANCE ON SANCO
Every year, after the Crossover Night Event, the Church goes into a two-week recess. The period is used by the church administration to review activities of the previous year and also make plans for the New Year. Further, the period is also used by all the branches to develop and resolve all compliance needs.
However, because of the incident that left our three congregants dead, the church extended the recess to three weeks to give the church time to mourn our beloved and console the bereaved.
It, thus, came as a shock to the church to learn, through the media, of protests outside Pretoria Showgrounds in the first week of the church’s recess.
The church, hurriedly, gathered that the protests were organized by the South African Civic Organization (SANCO) that, according to media reports, were demanding the closure of the church and the sending back of Prophet Bushiri to his home country.
However, with days, and also increased media reports, we came to learn more about the motives of the protests. We gathered that SANCO had a couple of issues of concern regarding people that sleep outside our church premises, the issues of compensation of the people that died and the need for the church to take responsibility.
It was just unfortunate that SANCO didn’t, initially, engage us in any way to raise such issues which, arguably, reflects their genuine concerns about the welfare of South African people. We may not agree with some of their methods and statements, but, as a church, we share with them their concern for ensuring the safety, health and security of every South African.
It was against this, that is why when the CRL Rights Commission summoned the Church to the mediation table with SANCO, we felt it was an opportune and civil moment for deeper engagements.
Through that meeting, SANCO and the Church agreed on several points to consider in resolving the issue at hand and we would like to appreciate both sides for staying within the agreed terms.
We are here, today, honoring CRL Commission’s summon to this hearing as part of the shared concern of a safe and secured South Africa.
However, here is our appeal to SANCO:
As a church, we feel we are also part of the community which SANCO protects. We therefore would like to call on SANCO to protect us as well.
We wish to reiterate that we want SANCO to be the first to stand for us in some of the challenges we face in our operations.
CLOSING REMARKS
The ECG International Church would like to take this opportunity to reiterate is deepest apology to the South African people for the accident that happened at its Pretoria Branch.
Despite being an accident, as a church we took, and we always do, full responsibility of the incident and we are comforted and encouraged by the level of support from different South Africans from different parts of the divide.
As a church, we will remain receptive to advice and constructive criticism at the same time working with every institution to ensure that we continue to serve the spiritual needs of our people in gatherings that are safe and secure.
Thank you. And ALLOW ME TO INVITE YOU TO OUR CHURCH SERVICE THIS COMING SUNDAY
