Hans Swartbooi, the leader of Valley of Barach Church in Windhoek’s Damara location, has rubbished claims that he and fellow church members were burying ‘Jesus’ over the Easter weekend.
This comes after pictures of an apparent burial were circulated on sodial media, with commentators saying the church was “burying Jesus”.
Swartbooi denied these claims, saying members of the public interpreted the photographs out of context.
A small, brown, wooden coffin could be seen in the pictures, while some congregants, including Swartbooi, were observed surrounding the coffin and throwing sand on it.
Swartbooi yesterday said the false claims are being spread by former congregants who are bitter and out to ruin his image as a “man of God”.
“We understand there’s been some misunderstanding about our recent leadership training. The demonstration on hosting funerals was taken out of context.
“We were simply showcasing the intricate processes involved in honouring and respecting the departed. Rest assured, our intent was never to offend or sensationalise.
“We value transparency and are here to address any concerns directly,” he said.
Swartbooi said the church was training new leaders on how to conduct burials and baptisms, among others, over the Easter weekend.
“Those are just stories made up by some people who are trying to ruin the church’s image. It is a false story, the church members were present and they also know it is false. We conduct such training every year, and we do not see anything wrong with that.
“It is about time we start working together and not destroy others, because the spirit of fighting one another is not from God. People must repent and give their lives to Jesus,” he said.
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