After nearly 600 days of waiting for a resurrection that never came, South African Pastor Siva Moodley was finally buried in a dignified manner at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
Moodley, who founded The Miracle Centre in the north of Johannesburg, passed away on August 15, 2021. His family and congregation, however, kept his body at a mortuary, believing he would be resurrected.
Legal Intervention
A funeral home in Gauteng was eventually forced to obtain a court order to have the controversial pastor’s body buried. Martin’s Funerals Fourways and Roodepoort approached the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg after Moodley’s immediate family failed to claim his body or provide consent for his burial or cremation.
According to court documents seen by News24, the funeral home made 28 attempts to contact Moodley’s wife and children for instructions but received no response. The funeral home explained to the family that they would face environmental health and hazard implications if the body was not disposed of.
The court papers further state that Moodley’s wife allegedly told the undertaker she had a vision that he could be resurrected.
Active Social Media Pages
Despite Moodley’s death in 2021, his social media pages remained active. Reports indicate that the church did not publicly acknowledge his passing on social media or inform the congregation of his whereabouts. Services continued as usual after his death, with his wife, Jessie, son, David, and daughter, Kathryn Jade, leading them. These services were also broadcast live on social media.
A Quiet Funeral
While Moodley was buried in a dignified manner, his wife and two adult children did not attend the funeral. Ryan Brown, a claims manager at Martin’s Funerals Roodepoort, confirmed that Moodley’s siblings and extended family were present at the funeral. Brown also noted that the funeral home had followed proper procedures to ensure a dignified burial for the pastor.
While the story of Pastor Moodley’s delayed burial and failed resurrection may be shocking, it serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of blind faith and the importance of taking proper legal and practical steps when dealing with the death of a loved one.
Cases of families and followers of clergymen believing in their resurrection are not uncommon.
In 2021, a Zambian self-proclaimed prophet died after his attempt to recreate Jesus’ resurrection backfired spectacularly. 22-year-old Pastor James Sakara died after he asked his followers to bury him alive for three days so that he could miraculously resurrect.
Sakara, a pastor at the Zion Church in the Zambian town of Chidiza, convinced his congregation that he could come back from the dead and resurrect on the third day.
Members of the church are reported to have performed a series of “spiritual exercises” to resurrect their prophet. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Prophet James Sakara was unable to emulate Jesus and rise from the dead after three days.
He was survived by a young pregnant wife.