Durban - Controversial pastor Dr HQ (Hamilton) Nala said it was fine for churches to make a profit and failing to do so would be disastrous.
Addressing a hearing of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities in Durban on Tuesday, he said it had cost him nearly R1 million a month to run his organisation, the Nala Mandate. The commission is looking into religious organisations which claim to be able to heal all sorts of ailments and who are said to have violated the public’s trust.
Nala, who is well known for his “healing water”, said some of the money the Nala Mandate made was used on projects to uplift people, including building houses for them.
The water became controversial after it was claimed that it could cure various diseases such as HIV/Aids. The organisation also sold olive oil and honey, he said. He said doctors and pastors who did not believe in the water’s healing properties were possessed by demons.
Nala, a polygamist, was questioned by the chairwoman of the commission, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, on polygamy.
He said he had three wives, and polygamy was not for everyone.
But when Mkhwanazi-Xaluva asked if polyandry (multiple marriages for women) was allowed in the church, he compared it to “looseness” and said it was not.
Daily News