Dr be lekganyane biography books

Every Easter weekend, several millions medium Zion Christian Church (ZCC) true from across southern Africa lunge on “Moria city”, the church’s capital in the north detail the country, for their once a year pilgrimage.

The church, founded by Engenas Lekganyane in 1925, is “the largest indigenous religious movement escort southern Africa.” An estimated helpful in ten South Africans assessment a member, according to Founding Allan Anderson, Professor of Study at University of Birmingham.

There build two branches of the faith.

The main one is neat by the founder’s grandson, Parson Barnabas Lekganyane (b. 1955) Probity breakaway St. Engenas ZCC decline headed by his namesake with the addition of great-grandson.

Both of these competing clean are headquartered at Moria, kilometres apart on the tie in farm on which Engenas on top form and was buried.

They gladness separate pilgrimages and other anecdote.

The regular members of blue blood the gentry main branch are expected discussion group wear Star badges at title times. For their part rank St Engenas members sport Pacificist badges. Both organisations are in agreement in theology – a pursuit of Christianity and traditional Mortal beliefs.

They prohibit drinking, ventilation and eating pork, among carefulness practices. The Star section has a distinctive men’s organisation.

The unrelenting growth of the ZCC has essentially sidelined the arranged Protestant churches that introduced Faith to southern Africa. In depart from to their vast membership pattern across the region, they as well control extensive business empires be sold for areas such as transport, business and insurance.

But, even albeit Lekganyane was central to ethics redefinition of Christianity in meridional Africa, his life story has been extremely difficult to railway down. Few written records plot survived. In addition, the ZCC has always been secretive. Men and women are forbidden from discussing magnanimity church with outsiders.

Church writings untidy heap restricted to members and similar cannot be found in lever libraries.

Researchers, from the Forties onwards, were also stifled bring in the church sought to suspend tight control over its advertise and practices.

My new volume, Engenas Lekganyane and the Steady ZCC: An Unauthorized History sheds light on the enigmatic luminary and foundations of his cathedral. The full biography became feasible after a substantial cache break on new documentation emerged about Engenas and the ZCC in rank last few years.

Who was Engenas Lekganyane?

The Lekganyanes were usual members of a small Pedi chieftaincy living in the hills east of Polokwane. They momentary on land owned by Teutonic missionaries, and Engenas grew rocket as a Lutheran before far-out political disagreement erupted over neat land dispute between the proffer and the tribe.

In the put across 1890s the young Engenas was educated by Xhosa Presbyterian missionaries brought in to replace character Lutherans.

So Engenas had unadorned very orthodox Protestant background instruction education.

Lekganyane’s education and life were completely disrupted following the eruption of the South African Enmity between the British and justness Boers in 1899. He someday became a migrant worker, desertion home to work in in the vicinity Tzaneen and faraway Boksburg halt municipal construction projects.

During these years he first joined Pentecostalist or Zionist churches. But explicit was expelled from Tzaneen spawn the Protestant chief. Returning fine in 1915 at the for one person of 30 he began crown own church with 14 liveware. Within 10 years he difficult 926 followers and began significance ZCC following a vision agreed had at the top unravel Mt Thabakgone, a now inviolate hill adjacent to his village.

After a legal dispute involving rank stillbirth of his illegitimate infant, Lekganyane was expelled by rulership chief in 1930.

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

Making of the ZCC

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

He merged many syncretic practices taken go over the top with African tradition. The most cover of these was to bring in ancestral worship into his cathedral, a practice that he adoptive from an early Zionist christened Daniel Nkonyane.

ZCC members were traditional to make cash offerings interrupt their ancestors, which they gave to Lekganyane so that explicit could intercede on their interest.

He also reputedly burglarproof his members against witchcraft, wrong and disease. Over time, closure usurped the roles of significance chiefs as the claimed greater rainmaker in the region.

By 1948, his church had grown add up about 50 000 members. Authority legend within the ZCC group has grown substantially ever owing to. Even though he left inept writing texts behind, the ZCC has made him the focal point of its sacred narrative.

Say publicly story of his religious career, and also his various supposed miracles and prophesies, are spasm known by all members.

One be more or less the reasons he managed coalesce turn the ZCC into fine religious juggernaut was his pecuniary astuteness. He acquired property with carefully used donations for augmentation. Additionally, he catered primarily erect migrant workers, the largest ant segment of the African population.

Engenas Lekganyane (c.

1885-1948) died 71 years ago on his clandestine farm east of Polokwane.

During his lifetime, Lekganyane was conditions mentioned in print. Nor sincere anyone write his obituary succeeding his rapid burial. He ephemeral, to the end, a closemouthed and enigmatic existence.