South African preacher Alpha Lukau has acknowledged that a widely shared video depicting him resurrecting a man was a staged performance. The footage showed Lukau, leader of the Alleluia Ministry, commanding a man in a casket to awaken, with the congregation celebrating as the individual appeared to revive. Lukau later admitted the man was never deceased and had not been in a mortuary, according to reports from South African news portal Timeslive.
In an interview with Power FM’s Drive host Thabiso Tema, Lukau expressed regret over the misrepresentation, stating the coffin began shaking before he entered the church premises, indicating the man was alive. "We are the house of God and I’m just a pastor serving in the house of the Lord. But I am sorry that we didn’t tell people the truth in the first place," he said.
Lukau emphasized that only divine power can resurrect the dead, rejecting claims of supernatural abilities. The video sparked global backlash, with critics challenging him to revive Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s founding president. A legal representative for Alleluia Ministries denied allegations that Brighton Moyo, the man at the center of the controversy, was compensated for the performance.
