A Nigerian Pastor, Peterside Idah, who once played for the Nigerian national football team, and now resides in South Africa, has been fingered in a row involving a South African lady.

Police in Gauteng, South Africa, say they have rescued a young woman from the home of the ex-Nigerian goalkeeper- turned pastor. The ‘rescue’ came after the lady’s mother, Suzan Mabelane, claimed her daughter was held against her will.

Mabelane claims that her 21-year-old daughter Pabalelo, started acting strangely since joining Peterside’s Christ Ambassador Church last December.

According to Mabelane, Peterside accused her and her mother of witchcraft, claiming they tried to introduce her daughter to witchcraft practices, an allegation which they both denied.

Sources say that Peterside went as far as deposing an affidavit at the Kempton Park police station appointing himself as the girl’s legal guardian, allegedly without the mother’s consent.

In a copy of the affidavit, Peterside wrote that he was staying with Mabelane’s daughter Pabalelo.

However, Mabelane alleged that the pastor had hypnotised her daughter and that she no longer wanted anything to do with her family.

“Imagine not knowing or seeing your daughter for five months and when you find out where she is, a pastor tells you that she is no longer your child. The worst thing was when he called me a witch because I was asking him to give me my child back.” said Mabelane.

“She asked me to give her R8 000 to pay a deposit for a flat but when I asked her how she was going to pay rent, she said God will provide. That’s when I started to get worried,” she added.

The police would have none of it and ordered Pabalelo to pack her bags.

Police spokesman Kay Makhubele confirmed that the provincial police commissioner had instructed police to intervene in the squabble between Peterside and Mabelane.

“The police successfully rescued a girl from a pastor’s house in Kempton Park …”
He said the police were now receiving conflicting stories, with the girl now claiming that she ran to the pastor’s house after her mother and her granny tried to force her to undergo traditional training to become a sangoma.

In his response, Pastor Peter side said:

“I don’t have to answer to you my friend [I am] a journalist, all I ask is do your job as a pro and do an investigation and make sure you come up with the truth ’cause you will meet me in court if you publish what is not the truth and I will keep our conversation as evidence.

If you are wise like I believe you are, call the police officer that came to my house and ask them what truth they found out, it will help you my friend. And pls, come to our church on Sunday and find out what kind of cult you think we are.

Pls, am blocking you know (sic). And am enjoying my football [in Russia]. If you need more info on what to write, my name is Idah Peterside I played for Morocca (sic) Swallows and Tembisa Classic and I played football for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, since you have been sent to tarnish the image I have built in South Africa for twenty years because of xenophobia.

Did I add that the police have called me to apologize because they found out that the woman is lying because I will open a case against them.

Is it wrong to be a foreigner in South Africa?”