Pastor Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng was ordered to stop praying in court appearances as it is perceived inappropriate.
The religious leader faces charges of kidnapping his grandchildren at gunpoint from their school.
On Monday at the Palm Ridge, Magistrate Ipfi Mammburu warned him to stop praying as the pastor is fond of looking up and murmuring prayers during the hearing.
“You cannot pray while the court is in session. I am explaining the consequences for failure to appear, and you are looking up as if you are praying. That is not an appropriate way to do things,” he said.
Speaking about his case, Mboro said he’s not guilty of the charges.
“There is no case against us. How can a surviving parent kidnap his own children? The law of this country clearly states that if one parent dies, the surviving parent is given full custody of the children.”
Mboro was granted R3,000 bail, while his son and bodyguard, Clement Baloi, were released on a warning.
“Our church was burned down, we don’t even have a sound system, and over R1-million is gone. The state told us the people want to kill us and destroy our church for kidnapping our children who were born in my house,” he said.
The case moves to Palm Ridge Regional Court on 26 November.
Meanwhile, Pastor Mboro’s lawyer has quit; making it the second lawyer the quit since the case started after the hideous incident in August.
Pastor Mboro ordered to stop praying in court.. pic.twitter.com/h69rTa68uH
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) November 11, 2024