02 Sep 2025

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ignatius Moswaane says good deeds by the church are an important step towards nation building.

Officially opening Helekia Church annual conference in in Francistown on August 30, Mr Moswaane said the government therefore embraced and supported great strides of shaping the lives of individuals achieved by the church over the years.

“Let me assure you that we will, as a government, make sure that churches are given land so that people may freely worship,” he said, calling on Christians to hold themselves with good decorum befitting God’s children.

Not only that, Mr Moswaane said individual congregants should work hard so that the vision of the body of Christ may adequately impact society. Impactful congregants are pertinent ingredients needed to birth a God fearing, responsible community and nation. He thus challenged the leadership of the church to develop structures that would promote growth and restore hope in a torn-apart and dejected society.

Bishop Nico Kebaitse said failure by land authorities to allot churches land for worship was the primary reason churches were strewn around illegally, mostly in open spaces; something he said had become an eyesore and a spoiler to the beauty of the cities. He noted that even natural habitats for animals have not escaped encroachment by the illegal occupation.

On others, Bishop Kebaitse said the church has been shocked by the recent acts of gross indiscipline displayed by a few citizens’ assault on police officers. Such behaviour should be condemned, and those found on the wrong side of the law should face the full wrath of the law.

Bishop Adam Dzabe stated that the purpose of the Saturday conference was to identify and close existing gaps with a view to strengthening the Church, founded about 35 years ago.

He shared Assistant Minister Moswaane’s words, saying the strength and impact of Helekia Church and its impact in the kingdom of God depended on the individual member’s commitment to run with its vision.

Helekia Church  founder, Bishop Oakantse Leso, attributed the growth of the church to God and shared other speakers’ sentiments that there was a need for churches to be given land for worship as a matter of urgency to address fully some of the problems that gave the nation sleepless nights.

"We are equally concerned about the current state of our nation, and we are more than ready to join hands with the government to bring about change,” she said. ENDS