Nyaa, ‘motlhanka wa Jehofa’! (Stop it, ‘man of God’!): An Ubuntu Pentecostal response to gender-based violence within the Neo-prophetic Movement in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Statistics from the Pew Research Centre indicate that in sub-Saharan Africa, 796 million out of 822 m people claim the same Christian religious affiliation. Pentecostal Christians total 107 m. These figures suggest that religion shapes the worldview of many sub-Saharan inhabitants. Many are adherents of Ubuntu, which does not dichotomise lived experiences from the influence of the spiritual (the Supreme Being, spirits, and the ancestors). On the one hand, the World Health Organization has labelled South Africa as the rape capital of the world because it accounts for the highest figure of gender-based violence (GBV) globally. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner violence, characterised by rape and attempted rape, constitute a significant portion of sexual violence, which is the primary and highest category of GBV in South Africa. The second, third, and fourth categories are physical violence, socio-economic and financial violence, and psychological/emotional violence. Various South African courts have sentenced several pastors from the Neo-prophetic Movement (NPM) for non-partner violence.Objectives: The aim of this study is to reflect on non-partner violence within the NPM in South Africa and to respond to this scourge by applying Ubuntu Pentecostalism as a framework.Method: This article thus poses the question: How might South African Pentecostals address the scourge of non-partner violence within the NPM? It, thus, uses Ubuntu Pentecostalism.Results: The article shows that is that is possible to mobilise members of NPM and the surrounding community to counteract the scourge of non-partner violence among NPM in South Africa.Conclusion: The article concludes by providing a four-step strategy to curb th scourge of non-partner violence in the NPM in South Africa.Contribution: This strategy contributes to curbing the scourge of non-partner violence within the NPM in South Africa.