Who is Prophet TB Joshua?

Nigerian Faith healer Temitope Joshua. Photo: AP

Nigerian Faith healer Temitope Joshua. Photo: AP

Published Sep 17, 2014

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Cape Town - Temitope Joshua, 51, commonly referred to as Prophet TB Joshua, was born in Nigeria - apparently after a 15-month pregnancy.

Three days after his birth, he had a close brush with death after a rock fell through the roof of his home and landed “mere inches” from him.

This prompted his mother to name him Temitope, which means “what you (God) have done for me is worthy of thanks”.

He founded the Synagogue Church of all Nations in the late 1980s with eight members. The church now reportedly hosts 15 000 congregants weekly and has branches in Ghana, the UK, South Africa and Greece.

He is reportedly claimed to have powers to heal HIV/Aids, cancer and paralysis.

His church recently donated 4 000 bottles of “powerful anointing water” to help victims of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

Joshua’s estimated net worth is about R165 million.

Apart from his faith healing, Joshua has also attracted attention because of his prophecies.

When he announced early in 2012 that an ageing - but unnamed - African president would soon die, there was consternation in Zimbabwe, where the demise of Mugabe, now 90, had frequently been rumoured.

Minister of State in the President’s office Didymus Mutasa took the prophecy seriously enough to “deny” it, saying “he certainly doesn’t mean our president, because there are many African presidents who he can be referring to”.

A few days later, Malawian President Bingu Mutharika diedof a heart attack.

* The figures for dead and injured people in this disaster are still being collated. IOL will use the latest figures available to us, but be aware the numbers will fluctuate as the story is updated.

Cape Argus

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