Church chains 'drug addict'
“Jesus of Nazareth get these devils out of here,” a group of women screamed as they threw warm “holy” water on police using bolt cutters to free a young man from the chains church members had allegedly used to tether him to a tyre.
This bizarre scene played out in the yard of St John’s Church in Motherwell shortly after a Herald team stumbled upon the 20-year-old man in chains.
The church members claimed he had been put in chains because he was a drug addict with violent tendencies.
The man had been brought to the church by his father.
Police efforts later to free Songezo Ntiyantiya from his chains took a rather comical turn when a handful of women – some still in their church gear – pitched up with buckets of warm water, which they flung at “the devils and intruders”.
The drama unfolded after police Captain Andre Beetge and four colleagues arrived to rescue Ntiyantiya.
Beetge asked Ntiyantiya whether he would voluntarily stay at the premises if the leg irons were removed, to which he instantly responded: “No, I don’t want to stay here.”
A church official, identified only as Luyanda, then went to fetch the keys to unshackle Ntiyantiya, but a woman in the group objected, yelling out that Luyanda must not comply.
Beetge then said: “Bring the bolt cutter, please. You don’t want to feel like a prisoner.
“We are going to cut the chains right now.”
As the two locks were being cut off, a commotion erupted from a small cottage where big black drums and wood are kept.
About six women emerged with buckets of water and went wild, flinging the water towards them and shouting: “Jesus of Nazareth get these devils out of here.
“Jesus of the prophets deal with this. Speak Jesus. Drive out Satan.”
The police and journalists, some of them drenched, took shelter among the vehicles parked at the back as the women continued on their mission with the buckets of “holy” water.
Beetge and two of the policemen were among those caught in the showers, while two colleagues – who had anticipated what was coming – dashed for their police van and locked themselves inside.
One church official said: “Songezo smoked drugs. He is supposed to be at varsity.
“He is a clever guy, but when he smokes he gets violent and breaks everything in the house.
“We are trying to help him. Hopefully he will go back to school.”
Ntiyantiya, who said he had been taken to the church on Saturday by his father to be “cured”, said he no longer smoked drugs and just wanted to go back to his studies.
“The chain was brought by my father, but a man from this church chained me.
“They give me water to drink as a form of cure.
“I don’t want to be here. Please tell them to release me.”
He said he wanted to study to be a teacher and was currently improving on subjects such as maths and physics at the Qhayiya College
He was released after the police obtained legal advice.
Ntiyantiya’s father, Vuyani, who attends the church, said he had taken his son there to get help.
“He smokes drugs. He beats up people when he is on drugs,” he said.
“That is why I decided to take him to the church.
“Who’s gonna look after him at home while I am at work?”
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