Scramble for TB Joshua’s ‘anointed water’ continues

By Sandile Nkambule

SWAZILAND – The Tree of Life Ministries at Yesive building in Manzini continues to be a hive of activity as desperate worshippers scrambled to lay their hands on renowned Nigerian Prophet, TB Joshua’s so-called anointed water.

So desperate are the worshippers that they are now alleged to be rushing for numbers that would allow them to be at least in the first 50 to receive the anointed water on Sundays during the church’s services.

This normally happens when the church leader Pastor Thulani Dlamini had been to Nigeria as he usually comes back with the water from the popular prophet.

According to some worshippers, who however, preferred to remain anonymous, the demand for the ‘holy water’ is so high that some have now opted to use the hospital technique of placing numbers in a box, which are normally picked up by those who would be early birds and be first in line to get the water.

“Following a scramble witnessed last year forcing the church services to move from Yesive to Mavuso Trade Centre due to large numbers of people who wanted the ‘anointed water’, it was resolved that this system of picking numbers should apply,” said one of the worshippers.

This has been necessitated by the long lines that are formed as many people scramble for the water when time to receive it comes.

Hundreds of people last year crammed the Tree of Life Ministries after they had been informed that Pastor Dlamini, who was reported to have been in Nigeria, had come with the ‘anointed water’ from Joshua and was ready to give it out to those in need.

Upon realising that the venue was too small, the church elders unceremoniously changed it and booked the main hall at the Mavuso Trade Centre where all worshipers were told to move to.

The worshippers were involved in a mini stampede as they rushed out of the Yesive building in a bid to be the first to secure space at the Mavuso hall.

With TB Joshua’s sticker covered on it the water, which is normally contained in a 50ml transparent bottle, the water comes as manna from heaven as everyone wants to lay hands on it.

Many people want to get hold of Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN’s) ‘anointed water’, which according to the prophet has healing powers.

Immediate comment from Pastor Dlamini could not be obtained as he could not be reached on his cellphone each time he was called, at least by the time this report was compiled.

However, the SCOAN supporters often insist that it is given away free of charge, however, ex-disciple Gareth is said to have regarded this as plainly untrue.

Although SCOAN makes a point of not directly charging for the water, it is only given free of charge to foreign VIPs and people who already contribute a lot of money to the SCOAN ministry according to the church’s website.

It has been gathered that the anointed water is free and that those who sell it are actually doing it on their own according to sources as in most cases people do not value what is freely given to them and would often abuse it by collecting more than is expected often to go and sell.

Furthermore, every now and then a new version of the water is released, and everyone has to queue up to get the more powerful stuff, the sources said.

In 2013, four people were killed and 15 others sustained injuries during a stampede when thousands of people struggled for a brand new version of Prophet TB Joshua’s anointed water.

The incident occurred at Joshua’s SCOAN on the Spintex Road in Accra where thousands had converged upon hearing that there was going to be free anointing water, even as the gate of the spiritual facility was shut.

Last year, over 131 people died when a six-storey building within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, in Nigeria collapsed during one of TB Joshua’s services. Swazi Observer