Alph Lukau's resurrection video has dominated headlines since Alleluia Ministries released footage of a "dead man" being brought "back to life". But now the church is backtracking on the "miracle", claiming that the man was already alive when the pastor got to the premises.

Sowetan is reporting that the church now states that Lakau "completed a miracle that God had already started".

The newspaper quotes church officials as insisting that the "dead" man, identified as Elliot, had already "come back to life" by the time the hearse reached the church.

"By the time the man of God (Lukau) got to him, he was already breathing," church pastor Rochelle Kombou told Sowetan.

The video has been widely shared on social media, with many condemning the church for "tricking" people.