ESABELWENI – “There is no God above Shembe.”
This was the declaration made by elders of the Nazareth Baptist Church during the main Sabbath Service held in Eswabelweni at Mahlanya, Bethany, yesterday. According to the elders, Shembe is identified as the Holy Spirit that descended upon a Zulu prophet known as Isaiah, who established the church in 1910. The church believes that the Spirit, as reportedly declared by Prophet Isaiah, does not die but lives forever. They stated that the prophet declared that when his flesh rests in the grave, the Spirit within him will not perish, but will find a place in the flesh of the living from one generation to the next. They believe that the Spirit lives within the flesh of His Holiness Unyazi Lwezulu, the current leader of the church, which was founded in KwaZulu-Natal before spreading to other parts of Africa, including Eswatini and Mozambique.
Throngs of worshippers, consisting of professionals and successful business owners, were among the attendees yesterday. They travelled from outside the country, as well as the neighbouring SA and Mozambique.
During the Sabbath Service yesterday, Evangelist Luphoko from Mpumalanga in South Africa testified that he had tangible evidence supporting the belief that Shembe is the same as God. Luphoko stated that members of the church are encouraged to share testimonies to substantiate their faith in Shembe, who has appeared in many leaders, including Inyanga Yezulu. He stated that he was once healed from an undisclosed illness through Shembe’s power.
He explained that he came to learn about Shembe after Umfundisi Sithole, through Shembe’s power, healed a woman following failed diagnoses by doctors while she was hospitalised.
The evangelist described that the woman, who was married to a foreign pastor, was taken to Shembe at Hhelehhele, where she experienced wonders. He said: “The woman felt as if she was being stripped of her clothes, only to realise that her illness was leaving her body as Shembe attended to her. Shembe is the great doctor.”
Luphoko admitted that initially he was ashamed to accept Shembe as God, but eventually declared Shembe as 100 percent divine after experiencing his healing. He expressed a desire for the people of emaSwati to also accept that Shembe is God. At the conclusion of the service, Reverend Ntombela emphasised that there is no god above Shembe. He urged those who had confessed to the Shembe faith to present themselves for baptism at the Bhidlilili River at Mahlanya today.
Ntombela clarified that no one was forced to join the Shembe faith and that children born into the church are only blessed and left to decide for themselves before baptism.
Narrating another incident, the worshippers were told about how, during a robbery, thieves entered a certain shop and ransacked it. Inside the shop, there were calendars with Lunyazi’s face. When the thieves had collected their loot and were about to leave the shop, they failed to exit despite the fact that the door was open. The preacher, who also testified yesterday, stated that the thieves failed to walk beyond the calendar just because of the photo, until they were caught.
Additionally, Reverend Ntombela encouraged members to purchase the church calendar, describing it as unique and very important.
He explained that the calendar serves as a form of security because it features the picture of Unyazi Lwezulu, whom he referred to as 100 per cent God.
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