Let the church say Amen
Who will win the KKC congregation’s heart: good-guy Pastor Gwala or scheming Mr Mbatha?
Mr Mbatha (William Mnguni) is one of the longest-serving members of KwaMashu Kingdom Church (KKC) and he is competing against Pastor Gwala (Menzi Biyela), the energetic young man of God vying to win the heart of KKC. Mbatha has always had his heart set on being the leader of KKC, and there’s nothing he won’t do to get that. “Mbatha dreams to be like US televangelist Creflo Dollar, travelling in private jets with lots of money, power and fame,” says William. “He dreams of being called Apostle or Archbishop, or even to be likened to the Pope.” And he’s going to start by convincing church owner Nkunzi (Masoja
Msiza) to anoint him as pastor of KKC.
FROM KKC TO KFC
For a man of the cloth, Mbatha doesn’t play by the book. “He lies and cheats and he is going to steal this job,” says William, “Starting by telling Nkunzi that Pastor Gwala is planning to murder Nkunzi if he isn’t given the job. He also shows Nkunzi his vision for KKC that includes bringing famous pastors from around the globe to preach at church.” What has Nkunzi’s attention is Mbatha’s other promise: to clear Nkunzi’s name in the community by preaching about him and convincing the church that Nkunzi is a good man,” says William, whose character doesn’t tell Nkunzi that he’s also changing the church name to KFC: Kethaukuthula Family Church. Nkunzi is furious when he walks in to find Mbatha in a robe looking like the Pope with a handful of hangers on, and the congregation isn’t impressed either. “The church members see through him, that he is a user and an abuser and they give him no time,” says William.
THE SPOKEN WORD
It’s love at first sight for the community when they hear Pastor Gwala preach for the first time, offering them words of encouragement and comfort. “He leaves the crowd with a feeling of hope, which is a much stronger game than the one Mbatha has been playing,” says William.
Unlike Mbatha, Gwala was raised in a church environment. He has travelled the world with his parents, he has his own money from his businesses, and he is genuinely a good guy who seems to have better intentions for KKC than his rival. “Pastor Gwala just wants to lend a helping hand. He has a successful church in the village he comes from. He saw the problems in KwaMashu and he thought to himself that God would want him to help,” says Menzi. The question remains: will Mbatha accept defeat? And if not, what will he have up his sleeve next?