Leaders of the Nazareth Baptist Church, widely referred to as the Shembe Church, have warned that acceptance of the leader is a precondition to membership of the church.
They addressed the media in Durban after the Constitutional Court ended an 11 year long legal tussle between Vela and Mduduzi Shembe about the rightful successor to Vimbeni Shembe.
The courts have ruled in favour of Vela Shembe. Before he passed away in 2017, Vela Shembe appointed Phinda Shembe as his successor.
Church Spokesperson, Nkululeko Mthethwa says, “If there’s any person or any grouping purporting to be Amanazaretha we will deal with that if there is a need but as far as we know Amanazaretha are those members that or under the leadership of inkosi uKukhanyakwelanga Shembe. For you to be the member of the church firstly, you must accept the leader that is leading the organisation, so if you do not accept the leader that is leading the church automatically you’re no longer a member.”
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