Zuma recruits new apostles

03 May 2011 - 04:25 By PHILANI NOMBEMBE
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DUMISANI Ximbi, former Western Cape UDM leader and a leader of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ, who joined the ANC at the weekend, has confirmed President Jacob Zuma's statement that members of his church will follow in his footsteps and vote for the ANC.

Ximbi, now Cape Town mayoral committee member for health, was paraded by Zuma at the Cosatu May Day celebrations at Athlone stadium, Cape Town.

He defected to the ANC with other senior leaders of the UDM and its youth movement at a Good Hope Centre church service.

After addressing more than 2 000 people at the stadium, Zuma welcomed the new members, including four councillors from the DA-Independent Democrats alliance.

Zuma said members of the Twelve Apostles Church would heed their leaders and would vote for the ANC now that their leader had joined it.

Ximbi confirmed Zuma's statement yesterday.

"That is true. Members in my church follow their leader. We believe that the leader is God so his voice is God in the church," said Ximbi.

"Not all of them will vote the ANC, but almost 90% of them. They stick to what the church decides."

Ximbi is a district apostle, the highest rank in the church in the Western Cape. He said the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ had 4.5million members in South Africa and more 50000 in the Western Cape alone.

Ximbi was until recently the UDM's deputy national organiser.

"I want to grow politically and the ANC is a big political party in this country and it will give me the space to grow," he said.

"I've tried to work with the UDM. I cannot call myself a matured politician if I'm still in the UDM.

"I'm one of the founders of UDM. In 1999 we had more MPs as an opposition party and then in 2004 our numbers dropped and in 2009 the numbers dropped even further, which means that the party is not growing," he said.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said the defections marked a turning of the political tide in Western Cape.

"These defections and other initiatives confirm the ANC's undertaking to win over the Cape Town metro.

"They also confirm the belief held by ordinary Capetonians in churches and other sectors that it is only the ANC that is capable to bring lasting change in Western Cape," said Mthembu.

Before the 2009 general election, Zuma visited the Rhema Church, in Johannesburg, and reportedly told the congregation that his party believed in the power of prayer. Church leader Ray McCauley prayed for him.

Zuma raised eyebrows recently during a rally in Mthatha when he said: "When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven.

"When you don't vote for the ANC, you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork, who cooks people.

"When you are carrying an ANC membership card, you are blessed. When you get up there, there are different cards used, but when you have an ANC card you will be let through to go to heaven."

He came in for a lot of criticism from opposition parties and religious groups.

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