One by one the blushing brides came down the aisle in their dazzling wedding gowns amid cheers as 74 couples tied the knot in a mass wedding ceremony at the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) in Zuurbekom, Gauteng on Easter Sunday.
Eden Tshilowa, 32, and Dumisani Bhuda, 33 were one of the couples that said their 'I dos'.
Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium, the gushing newly weds said their wedding was perfect.
“I saw her in the church in 2019 and I organised to meet with her priests and my parents. After that we went to her priest and family. I had not spoken to her or proposed to her, I just knew her," he said,
“We paid lobola and were supposed to get married in 2020."
But Covid-19 halted their plans.
All weddings were put on hold in the church until September last year.
Like many of the other couples, theirs was not a conventional relationship.
Despite being in a relationship for years, Tshilowa said they have not been living together.
“We don’t have a child yet. We don’t stay together. Only now will we move in together. God has brought me peace. The past week has been hectic but I am OK with everything,” said Tshilowa.
Speaking about her wedding planning, she said: “I arranged my ladies. They were so beautiful and everything went as planned. The nice thing about the church process is that they meet us halfway. A lot of the things are sorted by the church. You just need to look good and walk down the aisle."
The church hosts three mass weddings a year - over Easter and in September and December.
Members can only marry someone from the church and are not allowed to date before they marry.
Another couple, Kenneth, 42, and Kabelo, 36, said they had already sealed their marriage before Home Affairs but had looked forward to having a church ceremony.
“I have been waiting for this day. It’s a date you never forget. We met 13 years ago, I was working at the bank and he came to transact. I smiled at him and he fell for me.
“I look forward to love, health and wealth. I’m over the moon. I’ve been in the church a little over 14 years, and we both go to the same church. It makes it easier, we understand each other and understand what’s expected of us.” said Kabelo.
Abel Wessie, IPHC executive council chairperson, said the church condemns sex before marriage.
“We teach our people, especially the youth that they should go through the right channels. You go through courtship, you see someone. You engage the priests, your parents and the other party’s parents and we sit down. The girl will be interviewed to see if she’s interested. If she is, the process will unfold.
“The priests of the boy will make an appointment to go and speak with the girl’s family," he said.
The practise has not gone by without any criticism from those outside their faith.
"There’s a perception being created that the lobola money is given to the comforter [embattled church leader, Leonard Modise]. It’s a lie," he said.
“We don’t prescribe a fee. There are instances where people ask for a certain amount, but we condemn an unreasonable fee of lobola. The teachings is that we don’t sell our children and that people are not equal financially,” Wessie said.
He added that the main wedding happens at the church even though the families of the couple were part of the lobola.
“The common practise is that if you are getting married you priest will come to your house for the blessing, but our comforter cannot go to every house, we have many people,” Wessie added.
Over the years, the church has married thousands of people in this manner, many of whom remain happily married.
TimesLIVE
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