Johannesburg – The SAPS has a hot potato on its hands after a leaked vetting report between the SAPS and the State Security Agency on International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) Jerusalem faction leader Mike Sandlana.
According to the report, the controversial leader of Gauteng’s biggest church has two ID numbers in his name, one of 1961 and another stating his year of birth as 1966.
The report finds that Sandlana has several addresses, was charged with possession of an illegal firearm, was initially declined a firearm licence, but was strangely later legally granted a firearm.
In terms of the law, an individual once charged with possession of an illegal firearm may not be granted a firearm: a person that threatens to kill or injure themselves or another person by any means; a person who is not mentally fit to possess a firearm; a person who is inclined to violence; or a person who is found guilty of any offence relating to the possession of firearms.
Sandlana has, however, not responded to The Star’s questions in recent weeks.
Sandlana leads a splinter group of the once glorious church under the founder, Gayton Modise, who was succeeded by his son, MG Modise.
The SAPS told The Star yesterday that they would not respond at the moment as it may jeopardise the investigation into Sandlana.
No stranger to the courts, in 2021, Sandlana was charged with fraud in connection with the death certificate issued for his wife, who is still alive.
Magalane Benedicta Sandlana opened a fraud case against her husband after learning that the Department of Home Affairs had issued a death certificate for her. What sparked deeper concerns was that Sandlana was the executor of her estate.
The church’s headquarters, known as Silo, is recovering from an attack that left many dead and wounded. In a statement in 2020, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said 41 suspects allegedly linked to the attack appeared in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court, charged with murder, attempted murder, and malicious damage to property.
At least 41 men were arrested during the attack at Silo and appeared in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court charged with murder, attempted murder, and malicious damage to property. The plot is said to have been to topple the Church’s legitimate leader, Leonard Modise.
“In the early hours of Saturday, July 11, 2020, the SAPS responded to an incident of shooting wherein it was alleged that a group of men stormed into the church yard armed with rifles, shotguns, and pistols and started attacking security personnel as well as residents of the church compound,” said the National Prosecuting Authority’s Gauteng spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane.
She said police units that attended the crime scene managed to rescue the people who were held hostage, including women and children.
An attorney, a member of the SANDF, and a SAPS official are among the accused that appeared in court today.
Police arrested over 40 suspects, including six people who were taken to the hospital.
Among those arrested were members of the SAPS, SANDF, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, and Correctional Services.
More than 34 firearms, including five rifles, 16 shotguns, and 13 pistols, were seized.
The Star