News

Twelve Tribes leader is dead

Phophet Gad - Contributed

THE LEADER OF the Twelve Tribes of Israel Rastafari sect, Prophet Gad, died on March 22, and some may be wondering who is next in line to become the leader. Well, according to Brothers Sangie Davis and Patrick Beckford, who sit on the executive board, they don't know who that will be. "A prophet is someone who is sent (from God), so we can't say who the next one will be."

They, however, said the prophet had a second in command who will become the new leader for the tribe of Gad.

Brothers Davis and Beckford told THE STAR at the tribe's headquarters on Hope Road, St. Andrew, that the tribe "functions through an executive body consisting of 12 brothers and one sister ­ they are the ones who are running the organisation, so the Prophet Gad's shadow will take up that post next."

They said the prophet died at about 3 a.m. and was "ailing for some time from medical complications." They refused to give further details.

Brother Beckford describes the prophet as a "visionary and fighter for the African cause, as it relates to repatriation and also teaching the gospel of Christ and the restoration of the Davadic monarchy."

Sister Dinah, Prophet Gad's wife, told how the tribe got started. "He got a conversion in 1961 about the work of the Lord and started the 12 tribes in 1968." She says during this time, "he started to look the brothers to form the house of the 12 tribes, but he didn't get them so quickly. He read in the Bible that he would have three years and six months to find the 12 brothers and one sister and their shadows, but he did it in a shorter time than that."

She said the number of members started to increase and Prophet Gad started to set up houses abroad. She said there are houses set up in Trinidad, St. Vincent, London, Sweden and Germany.

When asked if any of the other houses ­ Nyabinghi or Boboshanti ­ had called to offer their condolences, she said she did not know of that.

The two mentioned houses have been at odds with the 12 tribes house throughout the years because of different beliefs. Other Rastafari faiths believe that His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie is the reincarnated Jesus, and that most of the things referred to in the Bible are merely symbolic and a distorted representation by 'the white man.'

Prophet Gad, however, taught his followers to follow the teachings of the Bible, "Read a scripture a day from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22," he said and saw H.I.M. Haile Selassie as a representative of God, but not as God himself.

Prophet Gad's body will lie in state at the headquarters today between 2-5 p.m., and tomorrow 9 a.m.-midday. The funeral service will be held after.