South African gospel singer, Sfiso Ncwane, has come under heavy fire for giving a car valued at R1.9m (N29m) to Nigerian preacher, Reverend Francis Anosike.
The singer was reported by South African newspaper, Daily Sun, as saying he gave Anosike the car because the pastor’s prayers healed him of a heart attack he suffered while at home. Anosike, according to the singer, drove to his house and got him healed of the attack with prayers.
The car, a white AMG Mercedes-Benz GL 63 V8, was presented to Anosike and his wife at their Rock Of Victory Ministries International church in Newtown, Johannesburg.
The pastor and his wife were reported to have left for Canada after the presentation of the gift.
The gift, however, has sparked furious criticisms by fans of the gospel singer, who is popularly called by his first name. Sfiso was accused by many commenters on the Daily Sun website of gaudy advertisement of favour done, dishonesty and lack of compassion for the less privileged. Comments on the newspaper’s website were overwhelmingly condemnatory of the singer’s gesture.
Quoting Matthew 6-14, a commenter, positing with the name Mamodike, wrote : “Beware of practising your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
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Another poster, Mpho Tshabalala questioned the veracity of the healing received by Sfiso and suggested that the car was bought by the pastor and given to the singer to present it as a gift, so as not to anger the congregation.
“Believe u me, this is just a publicity stunt. The car was purchased somehow, then given to Sfiso to present. I am a Christian myself, but then i have never heard of anyone who had suffered a heart attack and decided to heal at home. To start with, who diagnosed that it is a heart attack indeed? ”
A reader posting under the name of Sangoma Makhi said the singer could have bought a cheaper car for the pastor. “Could’ve just got a 300k SUV, then the rest do something for the church. Dumbass idiot no man can give u life besides God, but I guess showing off is much better then,” she wrote.
Pheladi Mthetheleli, also a reader, introduced a different dimension by accusing the singer of betraying his South African compatriots.
“I wonder if Nigerians listen to his music”, he wrote. He was joined by Hot Lips Pheladi, whose cheeky post said: Who runs the world? Nigerians…”
A similar one by Pheladi Sikhu Guptas warned the singer to be wary of Nigerians and subtly alleged that the pastor bought the car and got the singer to present it as a gift…
“Damn Sfiso. Sooner or later, u will be bankrupt. Be careful of Nigerians. They mean business . Maybe this criminal Pastor bought it and asked Sfiso to act as if it’s a present,” he wrote.
Ramo, another poster, argued that Sfiso has many fans around Durban and Mzanzi and he should have spent the money for the car on building two-bedroom houses for the needy in his community or school uniforms for pupils as well as offer help to the physically challenged.
“There are so many people who need wheel chairs, and there are some centers where people are looking after needy children and disabled people. But if this is how the people who call themselves Christian and all they care about is wealth and show-off, it is better for people to buy pirated music,” Ramo wrote.
