JMPD admits ‘Resurrection Pastor’ Alph Lukau’s police escort was ‘wrong’

On Tuesday, allegations surfaced that the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) administration had improperly “blessed” controversial “resurrection pastor” Alph Lukau with official escort services.

Footage has been circulating that shows the pastor arriving in splendour in luxury vehicles for his sermons.

Take a look at one such clip first posted to YouTube late late last year with the pastor in a Rolls-Royce and flanked by JMPD motorcycles.

Bo Mbindwane, formerly an adviser to the then police minister, Fikile Mbalula, added to the allegations on Tuesday by tweeting that mayor Herman Mashaba was illegally favouring Lukau because of donations to the DA from the church.

However, Mashaba was quick to call Mbindwane’s tweet “misleading” and attacked Mbindwane’s personal integrity.

The Citizen reached out to the mayor’s spokesperson, Luyanda Mfeka, on Tuesday morning for further comment. He said the city was investigating the matter and would release a full statement later.

However, JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar told eNCA that the footage was authentic but had been shot during the period the previous police chief was in charge.

“It did happen. It shouldn’t have happened. It was prior to the chief who is now current, David Tembe.”

Tembe was appointed as the metro police’s chief at the start of January 2018 after being recommended to council in November 2017. The ANC was highly incensed by his appointment at the time.

Minnaar confirmed that escorting private individuals should never happen, but it could occur during funerals, and was necessary for heads of state.

The term of the previous JMPD chief, General Zwelibanzi Nyanda, expired in August 2017.

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