Pastor Paseka Motsoeneng, his bodyguard Clement Baloyi, and his son appeared at the Palm Ridge magistrate court on Wednesday.
South African pastor Paseka "Mboro" Motsoeneng and four others were arrested earlier this week for multiple offences, including discharge of a firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm, assault by way of threats, and malicious property damage. The pastor was arrested after Motsoeneng was filmed wielding pangas alongside a gunman at Matsediso Primary School in Katlehong on Monday.
The pastor later said he was there to rescue his son, who was being denied leave with his two grandchildren after their maternal grandmother, who works at the school, allegedly rejected his son, their father, to pick them up. This follows a custody battle between the paternal and maternal grandmother families over the children's custody since their mother's death earlier this year. Their mother was married to Motsoeneng's son.
The children's great-aunt, Kgadu Gele, said the kids' grandmother and uncle were among five arrested people. Motsoeneng, his son Vincent, and bodyguard Clement Baloyi were the first to appear in court, and their matter was postponed until August 16. The grandmother and uncle would appear separately. They are hoping the two would be released, saying they had not done anything wrong and only wanted to do the right thing by the children.
A witness who lives near the school where the chaos erupted told Sowetan that everything escalated from a family meeting held on Saturday. She said neither family reached an amicable solution, resulting in what happened on Monday. The children, aged 5 and 7, have been living with the paternal family since the passing of their mother.
The maternal grandmother of Mboro's grandchildren appeared in court on Wednesday with one of her relatives, and both are out on bail. They faced charges of intimidation and common assault in connection and were granted R1,000 bail each. Both the grandmother and the male relative can't be named to protect the identity of the children under her guardianship, as their mother is deceased.
