Johannesburg - Pastor Mboro's followers on Thursday protested outside Gupta-linked 24-hour television news channel Afro Worldview in Midrand, where they demanded that his canned church programme be reinstated.
Followers of the televangelist of Incredible Happenings Ministries handed their memorandum of demand to the owner of Afro Worldview Mzwandile Manyi, who bought the station from the Gupta family. The television station was previously known as ANN7.
More than 100 protesters, some of them youths from COSAS - the Congress of South African Students - complained about the station's failure to air the church programme on Sunday.
Mzwandile Manyi receives the memorandum of demand from protesters. Picture: Thembelihle Mkhonza/ANA
"As an organisation we had our slot in the show that was going to be a reflection of the good work the prophet has done for both our organisation and our schools," Cosas Gauteng said in an earlier statement.
Ekurhuleni Hostels residence secretary Zwane said:“We are extremely angry and outraged at the fact that the Incredible Happenings show was not aired last Sunday as promised.”
Zwane added: “We demand answers as to why there was no show.”
Manyi said Pastor Mboro's show did not meet Afro Worldview editorial policy or Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) regulations.
Pastor Mboro's supporters march to Afro WorldView. Video: Thembelihle Mkhonza/ANA
“We tried to make the show work but it was impossible for it to continue because if we had continued with it would have meant that Multichoice must remove us from the platform with immediate effect,” explained Manyi.
Although the pastor and his followers gave Manyi a seven-day ultimatum to come and address them in their own community it was not clear what they would do next.The protesters also demanded a refund for the money paid to air the canned programme.