Mogoeng: ‘I never said all COVID-19 vaccines are from the devil’

The Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has defended his controversial comments on COVID-19 vaccines, saying they were simply misunderstood.

Mogoeng, known for his Christian beliefs, caused controversy when he prayed for God to destroy any vaccine “meant to infuse the mark of the anti-christ symbol, 666 in the lives of people,” during a thanksgiving ceremony for healthcare workers in Tembisa on Thursday, 10 December 2020.

Briefing media following the release of the 2019/2020 Judiciary Annual report, the chief justice said some might have opted to take his comments out of context.

“I don’t know if people honestly misunderstood what I said or deliberately misunderstood what I said…I said if there is any vaccine that is being manufactured to advance the satanic agenda, of the mark of the beast 666, if it is manufactured for the purpose of manufacturing the DNA of people, that vaccine must be burned. It must die..,” Mogoeng said.

Video of his prayer vent viral on social media, with many expressing concern that he may reaffirm some people’s doubts on the legitimacy of a COVID-19 vaccine. Responding to that, Mogoeng said only those who support a harmful vaccine would take issue with his utterances.

Parts of the world including the UK and Russia have already started rolling out a vaccine for COVID-19.

“Anybody that supports a vaccine which infuses 666 in the bodies of people, anybody who supports a vaccine that is meant to corrupt the DNA of people, I would understand if there is alarm. That’s it,” Mogoeng further said.

Mogoeng: ‘I’m not a conformist’

The chief justice has also hit back at those who have said his utterances were unfitting given his position in the judiciary. Mogoeng essentially said he doesn’t care about what others may think and that his religious beliefs are protected by the constitution.

“I will never look back and check who is happy with what I’m saying who is not happy. I am not worried about fictional reputation [which says] this is how a chief justice is supposed to behave.  This is how a judge is supposed to behave, where is the manual for that? What are you trying to have us comply with? I’m not a conformist. Our constitution does not demand of us to be that way,” Mogoeng said.