Battle continues at Shembe church over leadership
Despite a Constitutional Court ruling on who's the rightful leader of the Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church, it appears the battle to lead the congregation is not over.
Last month the apex court ruled in favour of the Thembezihle faction, aligned to Vela Shembe.
The Ebuhleni faction had challenged a Supreme Court of Appeal decision to uphold a Durban High Court ruling that Vela Shembe was the church's new leader.
Speaking in Durban on Tuesday, Ngogi Mahaye, leader of the Ebuhleni side aligned to Mduduzi Unyazi Shembe said they came out to announce they're not going anywhere.
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Despite a Constitutional Court ruling on who's the rightful leader of the Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church, it appears the battle to lead the congregation is not over.
Last month the apex court ruled in favour of the Thembezihle faction, aligned to Vela Shembe.
The Ebuhleni faction had challenged a Supreme Court of Appeal decision to uphold a Durban High Court ruling that Vela Shembe was the church's new leader.
Speaking in Durban on Tuesday, Ngogi Mahaye, leader of the Ebuhleni side aligned to Mduduzi Unyazi Shembe said they came out to announce they're not going anywhere.
"Unyazi still exists, Unyazi is still a leader of this church. We are here to defend the legacy of the church. We are here to defend what belongs to us. We are Africans, the only thing religiously God bestowed to us is the Church of Nazareth."
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And relations between the two factions appear fractured.
"We have got a legal team in our church that deals with that. I cannot ponder or delve further than that.
"We are coming from Ebuhleni, so how can we reach out to the people what we don't belong to them.”
