Alph Lukau urges his congregants to vote on Wednesday

In a rather unexpected move, controversial Prophet Alph Lukau on Sunday urged his congregants to “prove” their love for South Africa by voting in this coming Wednesday’s national elections.

Lukau told the 10,000 flag-waving members of his Alleluia Ministries International church in Sandton, Johannesburg, to express their opinions by taking part in the key activities of the country, particularly voting.

“We received a memo this week that we must bring SA flags for today’s sermon,” said one congregant.

In a packed service, attended by people of different races, Lukau urged “anyone who lives in South Africa” to recognise how fortunate they were to be part of what he termed an “amazing country”.

Lukau, who reportedly hails from the DRC, added that, in other countries, people were killed just for gathering in worship.

“We are actually very blessed to be in South Africa. There’s no civil war here. There’s love and peace. In today’s service, we are joined by people from Dubai, Canada, US and Australia and they have not been harmed. They will go back to their respective countries unharmed. That’s South Africa for you; we know how to treat people, especially visitors.”

Quoting a scripture from the book of Jeremiah, where God tells His people to find peace in whichever land they were kept in, he labelled an election “something that God wants”, and added that his church would be providing transport for people who needed it on voting day.

“A lot of people left their homes and got exiled or jailed, so we can have these opportunities as Africans. Let’s not undermine their sacrifices. We are in South Africa, and let’s love it and pray for it. Let’s find ways to find peace within. Our sanity depends on it,” he said, to loud cheers.

Spotting a scarf bearing the South African flag, Lukau urged members to vote for candidates of their choice, and to do so “intelligently”, remembering where they came from.

Lukau made headlines in February when he appeared in a video “resurrecting” a man who lay apparently dead in a coffin. This divided the country, with some calling him a fake, while others insisting that the incident had been plotted by his enemies.

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