South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party on Sunday expressed condolences to the family and followers of the late Nigerian televangelist, TB Joshua, who died of unknown causes in Lagos Saturday night.
The evangelist’s preaching and “healing” powers attracted many high-profile South Africans to his Lagos church in Nigeria, including EFF leader Julius Malema, former South African Transport Minister Dipuo Peters and the late Wium Basson, a former national rugby team player.
According to the EFF, millions of people around the world would remember the dedicated preacher for his selfless commitment to the Word of God.
The world renown preacher, who ran his Church of All Nations, known as the Synagogue, died at a Lagos hospital at the aged of 57 a week before his 58th birthday, TB Joshua Ministries announced on Sunday.
The ministry did not disclose the cause of the popular televangelist’s death.
A ministries statement said: “God has taken his servant Prophet TB Joshua home, as it should be, by divine will. His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for.”
It added: “The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, and Emmanuel TV family appreciate your love, prayers and concern at this time and request a time of privacy for the family.”
Joshua was a controversial self-proclaimed prophet.
Many in this country had called for him to be held accountable after the collapse of his hotel attached to his church, Synagogue of All Nations, when more than 80 South Africans died in 2014 while being accommodated in the hotel.
In July 2015, a coroner’s inquest found the collapse was due to negligence.
Some of the families accepted cash payments in compensation, while others lodged lawsuits.
Most recently TB had his YouTube account shut down after he claimed to “cure” gay congregants of their homosexuality during one of his sermons.
Last year Joshua also courted controversy when claimed that he could “flush out” Covid-19 from Nigeria.
His worldwide followers, however, remember him as a selfless “Man of God” who tirelessly served the poor and the needy during his life as an evangelist.
NM/as/APA