IN PICS | Pray for jobs, end to violence, Shembe church leader urges followers

The charismatic leader of the eBuhleni faction of the Nazareth Baptist Church, Mduduzi “uNyazilwezulu” Shembe, has condemned the scourge of crime and violence in the country.

“Cars are bought on demand. You forcefully take someone's car which is worth well over R500,000 and then you sell it for R30,000. Some even die for their vehicle,” said Shembe.

He said the scourge was partly fuelled by disrespect.

Shembe was addressing tens of thousands of devotees who descended on Moses Mabhida Stadium on Thursday for the church's annual prayer for peace.

He said there should be harmony in the province, hitting out at the public's tendency to destroy infrastructure in protest against non-delivery of services.

“Let us be mature in our thinking. If we ask for things we should do so by organising ourselves in a proper manner,” said Shembe.

Spiralling unemployment should also be addressed as it often drives unrest.

“Government should open job opportunities so people are not idle. People without jobs are often angry. They also wield power,” said Shembe.

He said the country should pray for the upcoming elections.

The prayer pulled together senior government leaders and politicians who included premier Nomusa Dube, sports, arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa, economic development and environmental affairs minister Siboniso Duma, police minister Bheki Cele and eThekwini speaker Thabani Nyawose.

Though at the helm of the largest faction of the church, Mduduzi “UNyazilwezulu” has often lost in a succession of legal battles.

In 2021 the Constitutional Court ruled that the charismatic leader was not the rightful leader of the church, ending a battle which dated back to 2011 when then-leader Vimbeni Shembe died.

During the walk which brought the Durban central business district into a halt, devotees could be heard chanting songs in full support of the church's leaders. Women worshipers resplendent in church garb could be seen dancing and ululating.

Some described Shembe as their God.

Dube-Ncube called on the church to pray for the country and president.

She listed unemployment, poverty and the spike in teenage pregnancies as major problems.

“These are problems which often lead to youth losing their lives. We pray also for tolerance and the end of GBV,” said Dube-Ncube.

She expressed gratitude that the church had played a pivotal role in the midst of the disasters that had gripped the province.

“We are appealing to the church to pray for the president of the country,” said Dube-Ncube.

She announced that the government would unveil plans to dent unemployment as she had recently had a meeting with minister Duma.

Duma, who spoke after Dube, said they would lobby Kodwa to set in motion plans to erect a statute of church founder Prophet Isaiah Shembe.

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