Pastor's body spends 579 days after death waiting for resurrection

A South African pastor Siva Moodley whose body spent 579 days after his death waiting for resurrection has finally been buried.

Moodley, 53, the founder of The Miracle Centre in the north of Johannesburg, died on August 15, 2021, after falling ill.

The late pastor used to preach that “no Christian should die from sickness."

The funeral was held in Gauteng on Thursday, March 16, 2023.

According to sources, Moodley’s body had been kept at a Johannesburg mortuary since his death because his family was hoping that he would resurrect.

It was reported that after his death, family and members of the church used to visit the funeral home to pray for his resurrection.

At the time, funeral home manager Martin du Toit lodged an application with the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court to grant him permission to have Moodley buried or cremated. However, court was yet to determine the hearing.

Since Moodley's death, services at the church have been going on as normal and are conducted by his wife, Jessie, son, David, and daughter Kathryn Jade. The services are also live streamed on social media.

The church has allegedly not openly acknowledged his death on social media or informed the congregation of his whereabouts. His social media accounts, notably Facebook and Twitter, are operational and messages are posted every day as if they are from him.

Staff from Miracle Centre declined to speak to the media because it was against the church’s policy.