‘IT IS MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT’: SOUTH AFRICA CHIEF JUSTICE DEFENDS ‘DEVIL’ VACCINE PRAYER

Sat 12 December 2020:

South Africa’s chief justice on Friday vehemently defended a prayer he made against “satanic” COVID-19 vaccines, seeming to refer to a conspiracy theory that they could “infuse 666” into people’s DNA.

Mogoeng Mogoeng, a devout Christian, came under strong criticism on social media following the prayer at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday to honor people who died from COVID-19 in Africa’s hardest-hit country.

“I lockout every demon of COVID-19, I lock out any vaccine that is not of you, if there be any vaccine that is of the devil meant to infuse 666 in the lives of people, meant to corrupt your DNA,” he said in the prayer.

Mogoeng prayed against corruption and COVID-19 vaccines, which he warned might seek to harm people.

While answering questions at the release of the judiciary annual report for 2019/2020, Mogoeng said he was praying that God would destroy any vaccine containing “666” – numbers Christians believed to be the mark of the devil.

#MogoengMogoeng The Chief Justice uses the #Judiciary annual report release platform to defend his prayer yesterday which has drawn varied reactions from the public. He says the notion that you must separate the state from religion is misplaced. TM

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) December 11, 2020

“I’m not going to be begging for permission to pray – never. In public and in private, I’m going to pray all the more. It is my Constitutional right – I am a Christian and I am not going to be hypocritical. Being a robust Christian in public and in private, I pretend, maybe so that when I deliver judgments that are in line with my Christian principals, people cannot spot it. I’m not that guy. We need to be open and we need to be transparent and that’s where I am.”

WATCH:Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng closes his address through a prayer for the country. He’s at Tembisa Hospital today. #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/lpVeRgu9xi

— Abongile Dumako (@AbongileDumako) December 10, 2020

Many in South Africa raising concerns about how the Chief Justice’s comments will impact on the public’s perception of the judiciary.

Chris Oxtoby, a senior researcher at the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit, said: “I think the position that he holds, as the head of the judiciary and as a very influential person in South Africa, it’s an important dynamic of that. I just don’t think it’s particularly wise or responsible for those kinds of remarks to be creating a kind of ambiguity about vaccines.”

The South African Council of Churches’ general secretary Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana said Mogoeng was free to speak on matters outside of the office but there should always be caution on certain matters.

“There has to be a measure of caution about public announcements that will have a bearing on our other roles as public figures.”

In June this year the judge sparked an outcry for remarks seen as pledging support for Israel.

“I cannot, as a Christian, do anything other than love and pray for Israel,” he said then.

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent