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Pandemonium erupted at a primary school in Ekurhuleni yesterday when a panga-wielding Pastor Paseka Mboro and his bodyguard threatened their way into the school before abducting two children.

The controversial pastor is reported to have gone to the school, accompanied by the father of the children, to take the siblings away after an alleged dispute over the children since their mother died.

The mad pastor and his assault rifle-totting bodyguard allegedly terrorised staff and some pupils, with a video of the unhinged incident going viral on social media.

“By law, if one partner dies, another must take full custody of the children, especially when they are minors,” Mboro claimed.

We’re no law experts, but breaking into a school armed with an automatic rifle and dragging two screaming children into an awaiting car sounds a lot like kidnapping, regardless of whether the father is among your posse.

Watch: controversial Pastor Paseka “Mboro” carrying dangerous weapons at one of Ekurhuleni schools. For more, on this you can follow @TheStar_news https://t.co/5VU2q78NBZ

— Ntombi Nkosi (@nntombi_nkosi) August 5, 2024

The unhinged pastor was confronted by teachers at the school but with the masked bodyguard waving his weapon around and the pastor yelling “I will fight you”, they had little choice but to watch the men drag the screaming children away.

The pastor claimed he didn’t want to involve his bodyguards, and opted to ‘go to a place he didn’t want to reveal to fetch the pangas’.

“I didn’t want my bodyguard to use his rifle. My bodyguards are always armed with rifles. I didn’t want them to fire those weapons because many, including pupils, would be injured.”

“I only intimidated them with my panga that I collected somewhere. I wanted to scare them to defend myself and the father. No one was injured. This is not a crime. We have a right to protect ourselves.

Gauteng Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Matome Chiloane condemned the incident, “where three men violently threatened the livelihoods of teachers and learners”.

“In a series of shocking videos that have gone viral on social media, a well-known South African pastor is seen wielding pangas and threatening to attack teachers on the school’s premises.”

The poor children’s mother allegedly passed away in April, and ever since then, a custody dispute over the two boys had been raging.

“On the day of the incident, the father of the children had a meeting with the principal in the morning.

“Later in the day, the maternal grandmother, who is the alleged guardian of the children, also met with the principal as well to report and inform him about a conflict that occurred during a meeting held over the past weekend at the house of [another relative].”

The statement said that, after this, the deputy principal and some staff members “refused to release the children without the grandmother’s permission. This led to the pastor arriving at the school with bodyguards and weapons”.

Gauteng police are investigating the incident and the suspects have been taken into custody, with national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe saying on Monday night that witnesses were being interviewed and the pastor and his gang were being questioned.

WATCH | GP department of education have confirmed the man wielding a panga on the Katlehong school video is a pastor, while a local ward councillor said it was the controversial pastor Mboro. He is seen here arguing with police. @SowetanLIVE

Video supplied. pic.twitter.com/fdHIxThfT9

— Koena Mashale (@Koena_xM) August 5, 2024

Mboro claims he went to the school to rescue his son who was allegedly being attacked by staff members when picking up his grandchildren. The pastor claims that he fetched his pangas to protect the children, saying “If you know that your child is locked up and is being beaten, you go fetch a panga because you don’t want your son to use a firearm because once you use a firearm there will be a pointing case. I am ready to die for my son.”

Authorities have dispatched psychosocial support to the school to help the learners and teachers who were understandably traumatised by the terrifying incident. The Gauteng education department has also released a preliminary report detailing the ‘dispute’.

The GP Department of Education’s preliminary report indicates a custody dispute between two families over a student.

This after a video of a well known South Africa pastor seen wielding pangas. This pastor confirmed by a local councillor to be Pastor Mboro. @SowetanLIVE pic.twitter.com/NMFcwmKaKU

— Koena Mashale (@Koena_xM) August 5, 2024

[source:news24&sowetan]