Cape Town - EFF members dismantled and set alight a tent used by controversial "snake pastor" Penuel Mnguni in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, on Sunday.

The political party had wanted to force the pastor to eat rodents and snakes, like he allegedly did with some of his congregants, eNCA reported.

ANN7 captured footage of a few men holding small rodents by their tails, as well as an image of the tent burning.

Mnguni was apparently not in attendance at his End Times Ministries service on Sunday, and people in the political party's clothing were seen in video footage tearing the tent down.

Some congregants lay down on the ground in protest, while others chomped grass.

The 23-year-old pastor posted photos of some of his services, in which he made his congregants eat clothes and hair. He rode some of them like horses and made them strip naked.

He apparently also had his flock nibble on a snake, and bite off part of a rat’s tail.

Police arrested him on charges of animal cruelty after the images surfaced, but had to provisionally withdraw the case due to insufficient evidence.

EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was unavailable for comment.

Around midday on Sunday, he tweeted: "Fighters offered rats to the #RatPastor to eat, asking him to lead by example & do what he makes other people do. He ran away! #RatPastor".

On his Facebook page, Ndlozi posted the same message and explained what EFF had told the pastor: "All fighters said was Jesus ate the fish & bread he gave to people. Jesus drank the wine he turned from water to give to people. Jesus also taught that you must do to others what you would have them do to you. So, they said eat Pastor because you say this is chocolate: The Pastor, knowing that he is a liar, ran away!!!".