Shembe Church enters political arena, seeks to ‘redefine’ spiritual leadership
New political kid on the block, Afrika Unite Congress, says it wants to redefine the role spiritual and traditional leaders can play in government.
The Nazareth Baptist Church, popularly known as Shembe Church, has launched its own party in Inanda on Sunday.
"We are saying it was an error immediately after 1994 that in the democratic dispensation, the traditional leadership was not given any defined role in the governance of the country. Those are custodians of the African values,” says AUK's president Lizwi Ncwane.
"If Afika Unite Congress can get to the governance of the country, what we will strive for is that we need per traditional authorities jurisdiction, and we need people to be trained in terms of how to work the land."
Ncwane says the independence of the NPA is another burning issue.
Members of the eBuhleni faction, who recognise Mduduzi Shembe as their rightful leader, founded the group.
This despite a Constitutional Court ruling[in 2021 that named his relative, Vela Shembe, as Vimbeni Shembe's legitimate successor.
"The fact that we, specifically myself, are from the church that does not confine us only to the church. We are calling for all Africans, and we are saying we know that Africa is very diverse.
"Our Africanness is what needs to bring us together to make a united front. So after we have done that, we want to influence the community of the country that we are a relevant organisation."
