Durban - The self-proclaimed “bishop” of a Durban church has raised the ire of Aids activists and health officials by claiming his “Faith Water” - at R15 a bottle - can help cure the disease and other chronic ailments.
Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has warned that such claims are causing patients to default on treatment, placing their lives at even greater risk.
“Bishop” Hamilton Nala of Rebirth Family Centre claims the water - initially drawn from a tap which he has blessed and then bottled in plastic containers bearing his image - has the power to cure HIV.
Nala, who uses the title “Dr HQ Nala” on his bottles, despite only having completed Grade 1, said the water could also be used to treat diabetes and blood pressure, cure the deaf, help the lame to walk and improve school pass rates.
The man, who hails from Nkandla, admitted that he even he had doubted its powers, until he had seen the results in some people who had drunk it.
The “Faith Water” has proved hugely popular, generating considerable interest in social media - and income for the bishop from bottles sold at the church.
But the claims of the cleric, whose church has branches in the Durban CBD, Pinetown and Umbilo, have left Aids activists and the Health Department fuming.
Dhlomo said traditional healers had also claimed in the past that they were able to cure HIV. His department had put these claims to the test, he said.
“We took HIV positive people who were not on treatment at the time and tested them before they went on the traditional treatment and again after they had completed the treatment,” he said.
Those who had gone on such treatments had remained HIV positive, Dhlomo said.
“The department and traditional healers had taken a collective decision and agreed that even though we all give HIV-positive people things that will make them feel better, none of us can cure HIV,” he said.
Dhlomo said there was no traditional healer, doctor or pastor who could cure HIV.
“The pastor must come forward with his investigations and the labs that he used to be able to come to the conclusion that he cures HIV.”
Nala’s claims had potentially disastrous consequences if people suddenly stopped taking their medical treatment, Dhlomo said. “We will eventually have people who no longer respond to treatment if they keep defaulting.”
Dhlomo said Nala had told people they could refill the 500ml bottle with tap water and - as long as his picture was on it - the water would still have the same curative effect.
“We can’t have people defaulting on treatment because of unproven claims,” he said. “His (Nala’s) stories are changing. He told people to stop taking ARVs (antiretrovirals) and now denies it.”
But Nala insisted he had never said people should stop using ARVs. “Those who want to live with their Aids and don’t need Faith Water should not take it. But those who believe, let them have their right to come to Nala, without substituting ARVs.”
Nala told the Daily News that Aids was not the only illness his water could cure. He claimed that people who had taken it had walked after using wheelchairs and could hear again after being deaf. He even claimed stillborn babies had been bought back to life and pupils who put his bottled water in the exam room scored 94 percent in their exams.
He conceded he had initially obtained the water from the tap, but said his church now bought bottled water and put his label and branding on it.
The label reads, “Prayed for by Dr HQ Nala” and “Faith Water”. Other messages on the bottle include “Apostle/prophet mightily used by God in healing and prophecy”.
Nala said a woman who was said to be HIV positive, was now HIV negative through this water. “She has tested twice. I have people who are testifying that the Faith Water has cured them.”
He said the water was compliant with health regulations.
Nala said: “I smell jealousy. People fear that I can do things that their doctors are failing to do.”
Nala questioned why he was being crucified for helping people. “It could be that the Department of Health does not want just anyone to come up with a solution. I get threats every day from the department. I’ve never heard that people should be arrested for helping others.”
Dr Fikile Ndlovu, the general manager in the HIV/Aids co-ordination unit in the Office of the Premier, said claims such as Nala’s set back efforts to tackle HIV and Aids in a province greatly affected by the disease.
“We need to look at how we educate people on handling such claims.
“Those who think they have a cure must instead of going to the public first approach the department so that those claims are put to the test,” she said. “There is a need for a task team to deal with them. It’s a huge problem.”
Ndlovu urged people to wait until medicines or other remedies had been tested before rushing to take them.
“We need to be realistic. It is sad because people are despe-rate for a cure. When people make such claims our patients will be the first in line, not realising the potential dangers.”
The KZN co-ordinator of the Treatment Action Campaign, Mzamo Zondi, said Nala’s claims had life-and-death consequences.
He suggested the medical history of all the people Nala claimed to have cured be investigated.
“We will work with the Department of Health to conduct an investigation,” Zondi said, calling Nala “irresponsible”.
Aids activist Nomvula Shale, who has lived with HIV for 18 years, said Nala should try curing her.
“His claims are dangerous because I’ve seen people stop taking treatment because of this water.”
Shale, the founder of Siphila Ngomusa, an NGO that helps people living with HIV, said with these kinds of claims, people were going to die.
“When people default of treatment, there is a point where they can’t be treated and that is when they die. It is very irresponsible,” she said.
Dr Patrick Dheyongera of the SA Pharmacy Council warned of risks associated with taking both prescription and herbal medications, saying this could cause adverse effects.
Daily News