Church probes reverend’s shocking utterances on women
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa distanced itself from Reverend Vukile Mehana's degrading views, expressed in a recorded conversation.
Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa, President of the South African Council of Churches (center) together with Reverend Frank Chikane (left) and Bishop Mpumlwana address student leaders, on their concerns regarding the problem of fees in higher education that the students are currently fighting under the #feesmustfall movement, Randburg, 19 January 2016. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa has reacted with shock to the surfacing of recording of a private conversation between Reverend Vukile Mehana and a Raymond Sibanga in which women were allegedly degraded.
In an internal statement released on Monday, the church’s presiding Bishop Zipho Siwa, said the church became aware of the offensive recording through social media platforms.
“The Methodist Church of Southern Africa would like to distance itself from the offensive and shocking utterances of our minister and state unequivocally that his views are in no way representative of the position of the church and its functional duties,” he said.
The bishop said they noted with dismay the blatant disrespect and portrayal of women who are characterised in a dismissive, humiliating and degrading manner.
“The objectifying of the anatomy of women and its link to culture and religion is not only unacceptable but also equally distasteful. We maintain that the opinions expressed are both offensive and highly intolerable particularly in our current climate in which women are dehumanised, abused and disrespected,” he said.
Siwa said in the statement that the matter was receiving immediate and urgent attention and that a full investigation was under way.
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