By:Nomsa Maseko
BBC Africa, Johannesburg
Lethebo Rabalago calls himself a prophet and runs a charismatic church from South Africa’s Limpopo province.
He claims insect killer spray Doom has healing powers and has been spraying it on his congregants.
According to the church’s Facebook page, the self-styled prophet begins to speak to demons in order to address people’s problems and drives them out by spraying the insect repellent on various body parts including the eyes: “She went to the forth and told the Prophet that she suffers from ulcer. The Prophet sprayed doom on her and she received her healing and and deliverance.”
Mr Rabalago also maintains the pesticide cures cancer and HIV.
South African media reports about Mr Rabalago “dooming” his congregation are trending on social media.
The church’s Facebook page contains testimonies of people who claim to have been healed by Mr Rabalago.
Most of the comments ridicule the practise and point out that insect repellent is bad for people’s health: “Doom shouldn’t be inhaled, ingested or come in contact with skin… He didn’t read the precautions!!!”
However some insist that the demonstrations are effective in a different way: “Demonstrations are not of Science.. They are of Spirit.”
This comes in the wake of another pastor who drew criticism after pictures of him driving over congregants were posted on social media.
Yet another convinced congregants to eat snakes and grass and drink fuel for healing.
The government has set up a commission to investigate motives behind some of these practices. (BBC Africa)
