A Durban pastor was robbed while conducting his weekly online sermons. The robbery was caught live on Douglas Mellish's Facebook page.
Mellish, head pastor at the Pinetown Apolostolic Faith Mission, said he opted to stand outside and record his Monday night message following an electrical outage in Glenwood.
He said he had started the online sermons to reach his congregants as many were unable to attend services due to lockdown restrictions.
Mellish said he decided to go outside as his generator was too loud. He added that he could not find a quiet place nearby and stood in a lit-up spot on Rick Turner Road in Glenwood.
Mellish said he saw a car driving past while he was recording but did not think much of it. He added that he thought it was an e-hailing vehicle, which are often seen in the area.
He said he was seconds away from ending his live Facebook feed when he noticed a man approaching him.
As the man walks towards him, Mellish turns to face him and the man grabs his phone.
Mellish is heard telling the man to take the phone.
"You can have it. You can have it," Mellish tells the man.
The feed then goes dead. Mellish said the mugger produced a knife during the attack but he was not harmed.
IOL