Durban - The fate of a “miracle” pastor’s corpse will now be decided by the court, having been kept in a mortuary for almost 450 days in the hopes of him being resurrected.
Siva Moodley, who proclaimed that he could raise people from the dead, has been kept at a Johannesburg mortuary since his death on August 15 last year. Moodley, 53, the founder of The Miracle Centre in the north of Johannesburg, died after falling ill.
His body has been kept at Martin’s Funeral Home since then. Some of his family were apparently convinced that he would rise from the dead. According to the church’s website, The Miracle Centre, formally known as Logos Prophetic Ministries, is a division of Siva Moodley Ministries. “At The Miracle Centre, Miracles really are normal! Cancers Healed, Blind Eyes and Deaf Ears Opened, Legs Grown and Gold Dust are just some of the regular miracles,” reads the website.
Martin du Toit, manager of Martin's Funeral Home, said they were awaiting a court ruling to allow them to bury Moodley. “The family has completely broken any contact with us,” said Du Toit. “We have tried numerous times to reach the family by phone, SMS, email, WhatsApp, but it has gone unanswered.
We were forced to approach the Master of the High Court in Johannesburg to get an order to have him buried. We are awaiting that decision and hope to have him buried by the end of this year. “The family last came to the funeral home within three to four weeks after his death to sign paperwork to register his death at Home Affairs,” Du Toit said. He said they had also not received any payment for storing his remains.
“This is the first time we have experienced such a case. Usually funerals are finalised within five to seven working days due to health and safety hazards. We have to take into account safety measures because of staff,” said Du Toit. Pastor Prem Terry Jugdeo, of Turn to the Lord Ministry in Johannesburg, said it was ludicrous that Moodley had still not been buried. “I met him years ago when he used to preach at a church where I was part of the leadership.
“I have been following this matter since his death. It’s unfortunate what has happened, and it is totally ludicrous. They have no respect for his work and what he did, and what he stood for. His family have continued preaching,” Jugdeo said. “It’s not a religious thing, it’s a humane thing. “It’s a matter of how you respect the dead. It’s not about spirituality.
For resurrection there’s a time frame. “You are trying to push the hand of God to do something that he doesn’t want to do. If he wanted to do the resurrection, He would have done so a long time ago, not wait for months or a year. “I don’t know where they have come up with this stupid theology,” said Jugdeo. Attempts to reach the Moodley family were unsuccessful.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE