The battle for the control of the Nazareth Baptist Church is back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. Two factions – Thembezinhle and eBuhleni – are fighting for control of the multi-million rand institution.
The eBuhleni side is appealing the Durban High Court’s decision which favoured the late Inkosi Vela Shembe as the rightful head of the church.
Shembe, as the church is popularly known, has about five million members. The bitter battle for control intensified after the death of eBuhleni leader Vimbeni Shembe in 2011.
The smaller faction insisted that their leader, Vela, had been chosen to take over from Vimbeni. However, the authenticity of Vimbeni’s signature was questioned and the matter landed up in court.
In 2016, the Durban High Court ruled that the late Vela Shembe should lead the church.
On Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Judge President Isaac Madondo told the parties that based on evidence before him, the signature was authentic. However the defence accuses the Durban High Court of ignoring evidence given by local chief and church member Mqoqi Ngcobo who announced that Vimbeni’s successor would be Mduduzi Shembe.
The church’s assets valued at over R60 million remain frozen. The case continues.
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