Pretoria – The International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC)’s Jerusalem division has rubbished reports alleging that it was at the core of new political party, the United Africans Transformation (UAT) led by Abel Tau, the former ActionSA Gauteng provincial secretary.
Tau was also a former acting mayor of the City of Tshwane.
At a joint media briefing in Tshwane, Priest Vusi Ndala, spokesperson for ‘Successor’ Michael Sandlana and Tau rubbished the reports, claiming that there was a misinformation campaign.
Ndala addressed fears that the church, which boasts of millions of followers in South Africa and neighbouring countries becomes entangled with a single political formation, as claimed in the media.
He said members would not be coerced or influenced to vote for that party, ahead of the hotly contested 2024 general elections.
He told reporters that the church has a long history of working in partnership with different political formations in community upliftment projects and “nothing would be sinister or illegal” with any co-operation with Tau’s fledgling political outfit.
“When (former president Nelson) Mandela was released, he came to church and he campaigned. His successor Thabo Mbeki came and he campaigned. Jacob Zuma came, and he campaigned. We have had a lot of leaders including from the DA.
“In actual fact, for the Zuurbekom precinct, the person who cut the ribbon was the former apartheid State president FW de Klerk,” said Ndala.
“So, our church is a broad church – excuse the pun. We have members representing all sorts of political parties.
“We do not compel members to vote for a particular political party. If Abel Tau comes and says he wants to come and pray with us, what he does after praying is up to him.
“If he campaigns, or seeks support after praying, that is up to him. That is the support we are open to, not only for him alone, but to any other political party – the ANC, the UDM, the DA, ActionSA, anyone,” said Ndala.
He said there was no official position by the IPHC to form, or back a political party.
“We wish to state categorically and unambiguously that the official Council and the Executive Committee (Exco) of the IPHC, not a faction of the IPHC, took no resolution or decision to the effect of establishing a political party.
“The reports that there is a court appointed EXCO that is supposed to take decision other than the one residing within the Jerusalem organizational structures is a blue lie,” he said.
“Those who think any decision of the IPHC must be taken by some group of people sitting at some corner purporting to be the EXCO of the IPHC are seriously hallucinating and such EXCO is a figment of their imagination.”
Coincidentally, Sandlana is affectionately referred to as “Tau” by his followers.
The former ActionSA leader in Tshwane, Tau said his weeks’ old party is already being hammered by misinformation.
“Now, first and foremost I want to state categorically that I’m the leader of the UAT and the founder of this organization.
“It is not an organization founded by the church or by any means directly because of a decision by the church one way or the other.
“Now interestingly, there are areas where there are similarities between the UAT and the church or figures of the church, which makes it easy for people to draw parallels which are infact inaccurate,” said Tau.
“One, my surname is Tau, that’s who I am, I am Abel Tau and coincidentally, His Grace MS Sandlala is also referred to as “Tau” and therefore it becomes very easy for people to use that as a means to say he is actually behind the formation of UAT. A lot of people have pointed out albeit humorously, that UAT is TAU spelt in reverse.
“I was laughing at someone who said that when you stand in front of the mirror, the party’s name reads TAU, but that’s as far as parallels drawn go,” he said.
The former ActionSA Gauteng provincial secretary, Tau, was last year accused of attempting to rape a wife of his childhood friend.
Last month, he unveiled his political party, the UAT which aims to contest the 2024 provincial and national elections.
This came after he was booted out of ActionSA following the incident and an internal inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse brought up by at least three women.
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