BELLVILLE
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Woensdag, 26 Februarie 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
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All under control Firefighters patrol an ecological burn at the Tygerberg Nature Reserve in Welgemoed on Monday. Huge plumes of smoke from the fire could be seen for many kilometres away, causing quite a few distressed calls to security teams and ournalists. FOTO: RONELL KOCH
CHURCH UNDER SCRUTINY: YOUTH RUN OFF TO ISLAND
Parents fear ‘cult’ NIELEN DE KLERK @nielendk
B
ellville has become the latest arena for an ongoing feud between a church and a group of parents. For at least 11 years, these parents, who call themselves the Concerned Parents Group (CPG) have been warning others about Church Team Ministries International (CTMI). The parents say CTMI is a cult which en-
courages young people to abandon their homes and studies to join the organisation’s head office in Mauritius. Here, they say, followers are forced into marriages, cut off from contact with their parents, and are discouraged from reading “outside” literature on the Bible. The church has many affiliates, like Grace Gospel Church in Durban. Most of the press surrounding CTMI has been centred in KwaZulu-Natal, where more churches are affiliated with the group. Most
of the members of CPG are also from the surrounding area. The longstanding battle between the two groups has been extensively covered, with the church and its allegations of being a cult being featured on Carte Blanche in 2010 and in the Mail & Guardian. The programme Openbarings also ran a segment on CTMI in 2018/2019. The spotlight recently shifted to Bellville with the church’s annual “Build” conference which took place from 18 to 21 February
at the Bellville Civic Centre. The CPG says the church is moving its activities to the Cape because of the continued exposure of their activities elsewhere. The conference in Cape Town was held in conjunction with Cape Town 4 Jesus (CT4J), an organisation which is active especially on the Cape Flats. At the Build conference Miki Hardy, one of the leaders of the CTMI, was one of the featured speakers. V To page 2