Some churches are not as ‘Godly’ as they’re meant out to be
Wife tells of inhumane conditions actor Menzi Ngubane spent in his last hours
Have you ever been struck by a tragedy so profound that you spend much time trying to figure out the nature and meaning of life?
A loss tragic that it leaves so discombobulating that you can’t help but ask God: “why?” walk with me...
A fortnight ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with Mrs Sikelelwa “Siki” Ngubane, widow to veteran actor Menzi Ngubane. Wellknown and loved for his talent in roles such as Sibusiso Dlomo in Generations, it was reported that Ngubane suffered renal failure in 2021.
My conversation with Siki was recorded on my podcast Gogo have I been Scammed? a SowetanLIVE production which is also available on all major streaming platforms. The discussion focused on “what really happened” to her husband which led to his untimely death. Siki clarified that her husband died under nearly inhumane conditions and she still have many questions.
By Siki’s account, they made the decision for Ngubane to visit a family home in KZN in December – following his stroke in June 2020. As a couple, they felt confident that he would only be gone for a couple of weeks as Siki acclimated towards returning to work post heavy Covid-19 lockdown.
At this stage, Siki had been taking care of him while encouraging him to exercise due to the left side of his body being affected by the stroke.
A few days after Christmas while Ngubane was still at his family home, he narrated a story to Siki over the phone, of a local church that claims to help people with all kinds of illness. Apparently, a member of this church had arrived earlier in the day detailing in a successful attempt at recruiting Ngubane as a potential member.
The enticing part was that they claimed to rely on the healing power of prayer and strengthening one’s relationship with God for physical healing. The church was on a homestead like compound, where they would admit patients and nurse them to heal through prayer for a few weeks.
Apprehensive at first, Siki asked if they encourage or discourage the use of western medicine.
Her concern was around her husband’s chronic medication and how his health would significantly deteriorate if they were to cease on all medicine.
She was told that the church’s modus operandi is to halt on all medicines while admitted there. This made Siki uncomfortable and she expressed it! She was assured by the Ngubanes that her husband wouldn’t go unaccompanied. In fact, whoever his companion was would ensure that Ngubane (Menzi) took his medication as prescribed.
Ngubane eventually made it to the compound and things were okay at first. Shortly after his arrival his cellphone had issues and he could only speak to his wife on “speaker” for whoever is around to hear. The element of privacy was gone. Shortly after that his phone was completely dysfunctional and he would rely on his companion’s phone to stay in communication with his wife.
Weeks turned into months, and Siki grew uncomfortable with the situation. She also felt that as a makoti, her hands were somewhat tied because she couldn’t be the “shot caller” in this situation, particularly when her husband’s brother endorsed his stay at the compound.
She could hear that as time went on her husband’s health was deteriorating and she could no longer stand by and watch him perish. Putting her foot down, she told her husband to tell the leaders of the compound that she was coming to take him home. She arranged with their local hospital in Johannesburg for him to be admitted upon arrival.
Her plan was to drive to Greytown, pick him up and drive straight back to Jo’burg where he would be received at the hospital. Unfortunately, this never happened because the following day, she received the tragic news of her husband’s passing.
Shattered, Siki couldn’t address or investigate the passing of her husband immediately as she had to honour the custom of ukuzila (mourning) for a year. Observing the custom of collecting the spirit of a loved one from the place they died at was paramount for Siki.
She honoured the rules of engagement in African custom by seeking permission (and request for a small entourage) from the local chief’s office in Greytown to perform the ritual at the church compound.
Her engagement with the chief’s secretary is one she will never forget. The secretary blatantly told Siki that “it is seldom that people come out of that place alive”, further alluding to the fact that if he had known that Ngubane was sent there, they would have intervened immediately. By the secretary’s account, there had been many complaints, communally, about the church in question but their hands are tied because the compound keeps receiving people.
Upon arrival at the church’s compound, they were received coldly and told that none of the leaders were present. To Siki’s shock, her husband was sleeping on a thin mattress on the concrete floor with old blankets to keep him warm. “It broke my heart to know how my husband was living,” said Siki with a tone of sheer heartbreak in her voice.
“I keep asking myself who sent those people to my husband’s home, and why?” asks Siki, still in disbelief at the shocking turn of events.
For more on this discussion, go onto the SowetanLIVE website and click on podcast tab to find episode 15 of my Gogo have I been scammed? podcast and many more