Did a Liberian Woman die after Pastor placed speaker on her Stomach?

Claim: "Liberian lady suffocated to death in Nimba County after pastor placed a heavy church speaker on her stomach to get pregnant."

Source: Eddy Willie Mowon (Facebook user)

Verdict: Misleading

Full Text: On May 24, 2025, Eddy Willie Mowon posted on Fries FM, a Facebook blog, claiming that a Liberian woman died by suffocation in Nimba County after a pastor placed a heavy church speaker on her stomach in an attempt to help her get pregnant.

The post gained significant traction online, generating 110 reactions and 78 comments at the time of verification.

Nimba County is one of Liberia's 15 counties, located in the north-central part of the country. Situated in Liberia's interior, it borders Guinea to the north and Côte d'Ivoire to the east. The county capital is Sanniquellie, with Ganta serving as a major commercial hub. The region has an ethnically diverse population, including various Liberian groups such as the Mano and Gio peoples.

Verification: To verify this claim, our fact-checking team conducted a thorough investigation and discovered that the story circulating about Liberia is actually a distorted version of a real incident that occurred in South Africa nearly a decade ago.

The Facebook post by Mowon contains several key inaccuracies:

Wrong Country: The incident occurred in South Africa, not Liberia
Wrong Timeline: The original incident happened in 2016, not 2025
Distorted Context: The original incident was presented as a demonstration of faith, not specifically related to pregnancy
Cause of Death: The victim died from internal bleeding, not suffocation

According to reporting by Gossip Mill Nigeria on August 13, 2016, a tragic incident did occur involving a pastor and a church speaker, but the details and location differ significantly from the viral claim:

What Actually Happened:

Location: Polokwane, South Africa (not Liberia)
Date: 2016 (not 2025)
Pastor: Lethelo Rabalango of Mount Zion General Assembly
Context: A night worship service focused on "demonstration of power."

During the service, Pastor Rabalango proclaimed that "if Jesus walked on water, then he could also do anything with faith." He then invited a member of the praise team to lie down and ordered ushers to place a large speaker on her stomach, claiming the weight would not harm her due to faith.

The pastor then climbed on top of the speaker himself, adding additional pressure for approximately five minutes.

When the speaker was removed, the woman had fainted. Church elders administered first aid, and she regained consciousness but complained of a broken rib. She was subsequently taken to the hospital

The Tragic Outcome

Ghana Wish Media reported on April 30, 2021, citing South African radio station Jacaranda FM, that the woman later died from severe internal bleeding related to the incident.

Rather than taking responsibility, the pastor reportedly blamed the victim, claiming she had "little faith" and could not withstand what he called "a very simple task."