PAIR PLOT TED’ RIFT IN SHEMBE
Senior church leaders accused in court
A WITNESS in the court battle to determine the rightful leader of the Shembe church yesterday came out guns blazing, accusing senior evangelists at the church of causing divisions and cliques.
Church executive advisory committee chairman Mbongwa Nzama yesterday told the Durban High Court that church secretary Chancey Sibisi and Reverend Mandla Cebekhulu were instrumental in dividing the church.
He said the pair and their cabal of senior members had crafted a plan to oust the late leader Vimbeni “Uthingo ” Shembe since 2007.
At the time, Nzama told the court, they became aware of a person named Mhlongo, who wanted to take control of the church. Later it became clear that Mhlongo was in fact a name given to Vela “Imisebe Yelanga” Shembe.
“In 2007, uThingo called me to Danhausser telling me that there were certain problems posed to him by certain people in the church. He instructed me that from that moment onwards I should record everything that took place in the church,” testified Nzama.
Nzama testified that on a number of occasions Cebekhulu, in the company of a crowd, confronted Uthingo during important church gatherings telling him that his time was over and that Imisebe Yelanga was ready to take over.
He said this occurred thrice at different gatherings and subsequently led to a scuffle between the church members and those led by Cebekhulu in Gebisile near Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal.
“In 2008, Cebekhulu and a bigger crowd gate-crashed the gathering and confronted Uthingo that he must secede power and this led to a fight.
During the altercation a number of documents fell down from the crowd led by Cebekhulu. Among the documents was one nominating the leader of Thembezinhle to lead the church, which they forcefully wanted uThingo to sign,” Nzama told the court.
Advocate Rajesh Choudree, counsel for Mduduzi “Unyazi ” Shembe, requested Nzama to account for the activities of the church’s executive committee and whether there was any constitution at the church which detailed how its operations should run.
Nzama testified that there was a legal document conceived in 1935 which serves as an operational document guiding the church’s affairs. The document was to supplement the will which was prepared by the church founding father Isaiah Shembe, who died before signing it.
The document is referred to as “protocol 293”.
The trial continues today.
“Uthingo told me to record ever ything that took place