Free food and money is what appears to have been attracting worshippers to Mabuo Muslim Church, a few kilometres to the west of Serowe. When the church was introduced to the small village some years back, many thronged it, but now numbers are beginning to dwindle.
One of the church leaders, Rebaone Otimile, shared this week that the church used to have around 80 followers but in recent months, numbers dropped to below 10.
“We really do not know what is happening but from what I have picked is that people are not happy. They are complaining that in the past, church members would be given food hampers and money but that is not the case anymore,” shared Otimile.
He added that the people feel that one Mikail Mazinyane, who is one of the church leaders, could be embezzling funds and not giving people food as it should happen.
“They got used to knowing that the church assists them with food but it has been a long time with nothing coming their way. They know of the Ramadan month, which is a month of fasting. They had been used to the situation where after that fasting period, congregants would be given money depending on how much money the church would have received from the Muslim association. If lucky, one could go home with P500 or P1000,” shared Otimile, who said all those things have long stopped.
Mazinyane explained that the concerned people grew to perceive the church donations as an obligation, hence the prevailing situation. “The Muslim association prides itself with assisting the underprivileged, but it does not encourage laziness. Donations are not guaranteed, it is not like donations will come our way every month.
I act on instructions, obviously the whole village cannot be fed, the little we receive, I give it to a few and it is at that time when people get upset. It is not possible to give to all, if we have a donation of a cow with instructions that it be given to the Muslim community, we obviously look at people we go to church with first.”
One of the church leaders, Rebaone Otimile, shared this week that the church used to have around 80 followers but in recent months, numbers dropped to below 10.
“We really do not know what is happening but from what I have picked is that people are not happy. They are complaining that in the past, church members would be given food hampers and money but that is not the case anymore,” shared Otimile.
He added that the people feel that one Mikail Mazinyane, who is one of the church leaders, could be embezzling funds and not giving people food as it should happen.
“They got used to knowing that the church assists them with food but it has been a long time with nothing coming their way. They know of the Ramadan month, which is a month of fasting. They had been used to the situation where after that fasting period, congregants would be given money depending on how much money the church would have received from the Muslim association. If lucky, one could go home with P500 or P1000,” shared Otimile, who said all those things have long stopped.
Mazinyane explained that the concerned people grew to perceive the church donations as an obligation, hence the prevailing situation. “The Muslim association prides itself with assisting the underprivileged, but it does not encourage laziness. Donations are not guaranteed, it is not like donations will come our way every month.
I act on instructions, obviously the whole village cannot be fed, the little we receive, I give it to a few and it is at that time when people get upset. It is not possible to give to all, if we have a donation of a cow with instructions that it be given to the Muslim community, we obviously look at people we go to church with first.”
