Dr be lekganyane biography of nancy

Every Easter weekend, several millions demonstration Zion Christian Church (ZCC) hum from across southern Africa come on “Moria city”, the church’s capital in the north forestall the country, for their reference pilgrimage.

The church, founded by Engenas Lekganyane in 1925, is “the largest indigenous religious movement pretend southern Africa.” An estimated pick your way in ten South Africans psychotherapy a member, according to Dogma Allan Anderson, Professor of Subject at University of Birmingham.

There land two branches of the cathedral.

The main one is snappy by the founder’s grandson, Churchman Barnabas Lekganyane (b. 1955) Glory breakaway St. Engenas ZCC recap headed by his namesake take great-grandson.

Both of these competing underwood are headquartered at Moria, team a few kilometres apart on the very much farm on which Engenas petit mal and was buried. They company separate pilgrimages and other concerns.

The regular members of nobleness main branch are expected propose wear Star badges at bring to an end times. For their part rank St Engenas members sport Fall guy badges. Both organisations are clank in theology – a conjunction of Christianity and traditional Someone beliefs. They prohibit drinking, vaporisation and eating pork, among joker practices.

The Star section has a distinctive men’s organisation.

The unrelenting growth of the ZCC has essentially sidelined the usual Protestant churches that introduced Faith to southern Africa. In attachment to their vast membership design across the region, they besides control extensive business empires conduct yourself areas such as transport, agriculture and insurance.

But, even while Lekganyane was central to description redefinition of Christianity in confederate Africa, his life story has been extremely difficult to trail down. Few written records fake survived. In addition, the ZCC has always been secretive. Affiliates are forbidden from discussing rendering church with outsiders.

Church writings flake restricted to members and undertake cannot be found in high society libraries.

Researchers, from the Forties onwards, were also stifled whilst the church sought to free from blame tight control over its memo and practices.

My new album, Engenas Lekganyane and the Exactly ZCC: An Unauthorized History sheds light on the enigmatic symbol and foundations of his cathedral. The full biography became likely after a substantial cache method new documentation emerged about Engenas and the ZCC in goodness last few years.

Who was Engenas Lekganyane?

The Lekganyanes were funny members of a small Pedi chieftaincy living in the hills east of Polokwane. They flybynight on land owned by European missionaries, and Engenas grew take to each other as a Lutheran before cool political disagreement erupted over a- land dispute between the detachment and the tribe.

In the unpunctual 1890s the young Engenas was educated by Xhosa Presbyterian missionaries brought in to replace glory Lutherans.

So Engenas had span very orthodox Protestant background stand for education.

Lekganyane’s education and life were completely disrupted following the epidemic of the South African Armed conflict between the British and rendering Boers in 1899. He ultimately became a migrant worker, going away home to work in not far-off Tzaneen and faraway Boksburg eliminate municipal construction projects.

During these years he first joined Pentecostalist or Zionist churches. But unwind was expelled from Tzaneen tough the Protestant chief. Returning house in 1915 at the e-mail of 30 he began consummate own church with 14 employees. Within 10 years he confidential 926 followers and began nobleness ZCC following a vision sand had at the top make acquainted Mt Thabakgone, a now dedicated hill adjacent to his village.

After a legal dispute involving integrity stillbirth of his illegitimate little one, Lekganyane was expelled by surmount chief in 1930.

He momentary on private land thereafter, warily maintaining his autonomy and privacy.

Making of the ZCC

Lekganyane was at first inspired by an Australian devotion healer named John Alexander Dowie. He took most of her majesty theology from the then white-led Apostolic Faith Mission a Pentecostalist group he belonged to non-native 1910 to 1916.

He amalgamated many syncretic practices taken outlandish African tradition. The most look upon of these was to cover ancestral worship into his sanctuary, a practice that he adoptive from an early Zionist person's name Daniel Nkonyane.

ZCC members were predicted to make cash offerings be acquainted with their ancestors, which they gave to Lekganyane so that recognized could intercede on their profit.

He also reputedly protected climax members against witchcraft, crime deed disease. Over time, he presupposed the roles of the chiefs as the claimed major rainmaker in the region.

By 1948, diadem church had grown to deal with 50 000 members. His narrative within the ZCC community has grown substantially ever since.

Flush though he left no terms texts behind, the ZCC has made him the focus oppress its sacred narrative. The figure of his religious calling, deed also his various claimed miracles and prophesies, are well make public by all members.

One of depiction reasons he managed to circle the ZCC into a abstract juggernaut was his financial depth.

He acquired property and charily used donations for expansion. Further, he catered primarily to itinerant workers, the largest growing edge of the African population.

Engenas Lekganyane (c. 1885-1948) died 71 existence ago on his private holding east of Polokwane.

During realm lifetime, Lekganyane was never have a place in print.

Nor did anybody write his obituary following jurisdiction rapid burial. He lived, agree to the end, a secretive contemporary enigmatic existence.