KZN medical students in Cuba forsake studies for church

KZN Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo departs to Cuba to engage with KZN students adversely affected by a religious sect.

MEC Dhlomo is responding to an urgent call by the South African Health Attaché in Havana who has raised concern that one of KZN medical students seems to be mentally disturbed after attending sermons by a KZN Pastor who sneaked into Cuba as a tourist.

Last year the Department was informed by the RSA Embassy in Cuba that there is a church movement that was started by the RSA students in Cuba. It has since transpired that Students spend most of their time in Church services praying during the following times:

16h00- 18h00: Bible study; 18h00-22h00: Church service; 00h00: Prayer meetings and again at 06h00 for another Prayer meeting.

During these sessions, the students stop everything to the extent that they do not even participate in studies and any other general students’ meetings as required by the medical school.

Late last year it was also ascertained that a Pastor from Pietermaritzburg Threshing Floor Bible Church visited Cuba to conduct baptism of convert students. On this occasion he preached and anointed students as Pastors, Prophets and Evangelists, doing all this in violation of the visa rules as he had entered Cuba as a tourist having not procured a Work Permit. Those anointed now go out of campuses and preach in street corners trying to convert Cubans.

Dhlomo decries the fact that students selected from poor homesteads are losing out on the golden opportunity to study medicine and are also made to pay for this disturbance.

“What is really concerning on this issue is that the students were made to contribute from their meagre stipends to buy the flight tickets and organise accommodation for this Pastor in order for him to travel to Cuba to baptize them.

All this is happening even though on the 18th of June 2015; we met with all parents of students and asked them to caution their children about folly and called for prioritisation of studies over any other activity.”

I need to emphasise that we have nothing against religious activities as we too partook on Student Christian Movement sermons whilst still training as Doctors but never forsaken our studies as is the case now,” said Dhlomo.

Subsequent to meetings with parents; the MEC further informed the Premier, Hon Senzo Mchunu; Members of the Health Portfolio Committee as well as more than 50 Religious leaders from Durban and Pietermaritzburg to get guidance on this matter.

In these meetings the MEC revealed that for the first time since KwaZulu Natal participated in the RSA / Cuban Medical Training Programme; a large number of students are showing poor academic performance.

A case in point is that 26 students failed their academic year and have to repeat their studies with a further 22 also from this Province facing exclusion due to being absent for more than 20% of class attendance days.

Acting on the advice given; the MEC departed for Cuba on Tuesday, January 5, accompanied by a Clinical Psychologist to address those students who have been adversely affected by the Pastor’s visit.

“We have pinned great hopes on this RSA / Cuban Medical Training Programme as we have set ourselves a goal of producing more than a thousand Doctors by the year 2020 to cover every corner of our Province. We just cannot allow it to be wrecked by an opportunists and cunning ‘Pastor’ who preys on young and poor students,” said Dhlomo.