He's in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. First it was the release of a voice recording in which he was heard asking a young girl for a sexual favour.
Then it was reports of him allegedly offering money to make it go away.
Now it is the promotion of a church service that focused on forgiveness and healing.
Bishop Israel Makamu's recent troubles started with the viral voice note.
The girl, who was 17 years old when the incident happened in 2018, shared details of how the Endless Hope Bible Church leader and his wife tried to bribe her when she reported the matter to her parents.
Bishop Makamu’s wife, Hloniphile, was allegedly in on it and also tried to pay ‘damages’ to the girl who refused.
The girl spoke candidly about the incident on a YouTube Channel, Solomon’s Temple.
On Sunday, it was all about forgiving and forgetting as the bishop publicly apologised to his wife and they hugged and prayed over the issue.
But not all South Africans were impressed with the display.
The sermon was aired on his online channel, MakamuTV. He's been suspended from his role on Moja Love's Rea Tsotella.
“Maybe I don’t deserve to be called your husband,” he says during the service while begging for forgiveness.
The one that feeds you controls you??
— MsKay?? (@_MissKay22) May 17, 2021
We've been here before with the Gigabytes.
All I pray for is economic equality & emancipation for SAn women.
Securing borotho is the root-cause of all the social ills, women face in our communities#bishopmakamu pic.twitter.com/WR9HwxgLBp
Holding hands together, it's a sign of UNITY pic.twitter.com/qsczfRKTP2
— Catchvibe Moatshe (@IamCatchvibe) May 16, 2021
Out of all this the wife , I wonder how the wife must must be feeling , yes forgive and forget but what about the shame that he has put the wife through and also the wife needs to support him through this
— MaMkhonto (@MkhontoMa) May 17, 2021
The charismatic leader preached on forgiveness, sin, being laughed at for making mistakes, being attack by the devil, and God fighting for the weak.
Daddy Bathong ?? pic.twitter.com/GW8l3k6iKi
— K U L A N I (@kulanicool) May 16, 2021
The first lady is seen standing up during the service and cheering her husband on as he preached.
“With all humility, I am repeating what I said three years ago, I have done you wrong, find it in your heart to forgive me," he says.
She then stands up to go on stage crying as she hugs her husband.
The wife probably knew what was going on, that's why she won't leave
— Kefu_Seletswane (@KefuKhambi) May 17, 2021
That's what a good wife to a man of God does. Spot the devil and deal with her by sticking by your husband! Case closed!
— Voice of Reason (@OzalwauMaMnguni) May 16, 2021
