African press review 22 August 2015

Banking in Nigeria takes a hit from endemic insecurity. Kenya's government has shut down brothels outside of a British army camp in the Mount Kenya town of Nanyuki, and South Africa's press names rotten pastors bringing the godly profession into disrepute.

South African newspapers are screaming at the top of their voices about a new crop of pastors making headlines for the wrong reasons. They are as colourful as they come, says the Independent. The newspaper compiled a list of the controversial activities pastors have engaged in over the past year to back its verdict that a few rotten apples have brought a once revered calling into disrepute.

Their exploits range from the obscene to the absurd, say the Independent, and just to give you a gist of why the publication can’t swallow the trend, the paper's article is illustrated by a photograph of God-fearing congregants at local End of Times Church, busy cutting leaves from a tree with their teeth and chewing them like goats on their pastor’s orders all in the name of religion.

Prophet Agabus Nawa, for example, rides congregants at his church like horses, jumping on their backs, walking on them and making them eat things like soap, all in the name of God. Prophet Penuel Tshepo made headlines when he ordered members of his own Church to eat live snakes and females to strip naked as part of a deliverance process.

Another pastor known as Sthembiso Zondo was secretly filmed walking around his home naked. The Independent says the video was taken by a woman who is seen sitting on the couch in his living room.

And as the Independent says shaking its head in disgust, despite such flagrant evidence of crockery, the poorest of the poor have kept swelling the ranks of these new churches and financing the lifestyles and bank accounts of these so-called men of God.

Nigeria’s Vanguard speaks out about the new rules of trade at the country’s banks due to rising insecurity. Several agencies stay closed at times until the late hours of the morning until the arrival of armoured personnel carriers in front of the bank buildings.

The publication says that both the old and young don’t mind cueing for hours at the entrance of banks to wait for the conditions to be right. As the paper reports, sometimes the banks operate for just three hours and close when the APCs leave the premises.

And in Kenya, Standard Digital takes up a decision by government officials to close down eight premises disguised as massage parlours in Nanyuki town on Friday. The paper says that residents were stunned after it emerged that some business premises near a British Army Camp were operating as brothels. The officials, led by Laikipia East sub-county administrator Alexander Mwangi, said they had received complaints from the public.