Snake prophet behind bars

THE prophet who ordered his followers to eat snakes and hair braids has been arrested and is now reportedly behind bars.

This is after a Facebook storm over the prophet feeding hair braids to followers.

The police bust prophet penuel Mnguni on a charge of cruelty.

Daily Sun reported that the prophet has been making headlines with the strange things he gets his followers to do, like stripping off their clothes.

Last Wednesday, the People's Paper reported that he was getting his congregation to eat snakes and hair - and saying they tasted like chocolate!

The next day SPCA and nature conservation inspectors, backed up by Metro cops, went looking for snakes at his church and house. But he said he didn't keep reptiles there. "I catch them when I need them," he said.

Then the SPCA opened a case of cruelty to animals. After a hunt the police bust the prophet on Saturday afternoon outside his church. They mysteriously failed to catch him on Friday night while he was preaching at his church.

A churchgoer said it was weird that the police couldn't see him while he was preaching.

It's rumoured the prophet can fly and "duplicate" himself – but he didn't fly when cops came for him on Saturday!

At the End Times Disciples Ministries Church in extension 13, Soshanguve, Tshwane, church members lined up on Wednesday night to eat hair braids cut from women's heads.

They chewed and swallowed the artificial hair, saying it tasted like chocolate.Prophet Penuel preached that God had turned the braids into chocolate. Last week Facebook was abuzz with comments on pictures of the prophet with his scissors and braids. One picture shows a woman opening her mouth to show she had swallowed the hair.

Many people who live near his church worry about the prophet. One said: "We have tried several times to get help to remove this evil church. We don't know how to get rid of this church. We are happy that the leader is facing justice today," said the resident.

Warrant Officer Matthews Nkoadi said the pastor was in the Ga-Rankuwa police cells and will appear in court today. The SPCA's Inspector Meshack Matlou said the SPCA hoped the court case would teach people to treat animals with respect and not abuse them.

Meanwhile, preacher Sipho Khuzwayo of Inanda, north of Durban, has launched a campaign against the prophet.

Sipho (55) said he had a vision while sleeping on 4 July in which a voice told him Penuel wasn't a man of God. He had never heard of Penuel before the vision. "A week later I read about him in Daily Sun. I realised then my vision was real. I want to warn him that God is furious with his actions. It's a matter of time before He strikes. He needs to be stopped," said Sipho.