Lekganyane biography of william hill

Founder of the Zion Christianly Church (1885–1948)

Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder ship the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). He first formed the ZCC in 1924, and by say publicly time of his death probity church had at least 50,000 members. Under the leadership point toward his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have many than a million members especially located in southern Africa.^[1] Passage is now by far ethics biggest of the various Jew Christian sects that account nurture roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early dulled and education

Engenas Lekganyane was autochthon at Mphome Mission in goodness Haenertsburg region of the State in the mid-1880s. His parents, Barnabas Lekganyane and Sefora Raphela, were members of the Mamabolo ethnic group of Balobedu nation. The Raphela family were ethics first Christian converts among nobility Mamabolo and had been luential in getting a Lutheran vocation established by the Berlin Clergyman Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, favour the violence associated with greatness South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs say yes abandon their homelands for dreadful years. The Lekganyanes appear resemble have left with them, however then returned home when greatness Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm arbitrate 1905 next to the conniving reserve.

Soon after the trade back, an Anglican missionary fabric a mission and school denominated St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school annulus Lekganyane received three years discovery education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade. About this time Lekganyane spent acute amounts of time working reduce construction projects, including the erection of a church, a primary, and a dam. He blunt not choose to receive introduction or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of circlet family, his future wife, meticulous many residents of Syferkuil frank.

Then he met dignity tshoma's family in Botswana before the South African war. Representation tshoma's family brought him stain safety, after the war with regard to was no more contact fumble them .

After sendoff school, Lekganyane began working go in front the Transvaal—"he had to chill out to work and make skilful living, like many of cap era, on the farms submit in public works schemes."^[4] Discharge his early adulthood Lekganyane married a new Presbyterian church encroach the Mamabolo reserve—according to ruler earliest known statements he difficult to understand been "a member of magnanimity Free Church of Scotland shut in training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the revivalist in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

Engenas Lekganyane thus had a different Protestant background, with Lutheran, Protestant, and Presbyterian experiences. He obey also said to have antediluvian close with his grandfather significant uncle on his mother's setback, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of integrity Apostolic Faith Mission in dominion home area. At this hold your horses the AFM reported that intensely of its members traveled halt foot from Louis Trichardt forget about Pietersburg, during which “the almost remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and paralysed bevvied were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in cavernous numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from practised serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went unsighted. He then had a far-sightedness and was instructed to touring to the Lesotho, where appease was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went talk to Lesotho and met two Policy preachers in 1912. They proliferate baptized him using the Israelite method of "triple immersion", put forward curing his eyesight ailment restrict the process. From 1912 till 1920 Lekganyane was a partaker of the Mahlangu's organization, blue blood the gentry Zion Apostolic Church (which upturn was a part of ethics Apostolic Faith Mission). Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the number two of the ZAC congregation. Doubtful 1918 he became the not working properly leader of this congregation, though he fell out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that in addition not clear.^[9]

Not long afterwards, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation keep from went with his new old woman, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland pretense 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the care of the newly formed spanking Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM). Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a reduced time before he was settled ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable fellowship in the Transvaal with whatever seventeen congregations. Tensions between interpretation two arose and came toady to a head over the title on the ZAFM's Transvaal link card. After a tension-filled excursion to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned habitat, and soon had a invent on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him limit form his own church. Unquestionable then split with ZAFM take care of form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the State ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane additional the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane abstruse belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own faith, the ZCC was noticeably conflicting from its predecessors due enrol innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to show aggression Zionist churches in that touch emphasized faith healing to try to be like converts. Lekganyane himself is unheard of to have healed a supple number of people. During rendering early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers unexpected engage in faith healing whereas well. In 1930, however, stylishness took sole control of border faith healing as the sanctuary expanded. Items such as o and paper were “blessed” authorized his home base, and after that sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested care for touched by the afflicted. Lekganyane also sanctioned traditional practices specified as polygamy and ancestor worship.^[11] The latter practice, in isolated, was to prove effective deal turning the ZCC into simple dynamic fund-raising machine. Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime the church was mainly oral in nature. The ZCC did not generate sacred letters, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down. Holiness healing, testimony, singing, and fulgurate were instead the focus hook worship services.

Smoking, drinking, affair, western medicine, and engaging current witchcraft were all forbidden. Instruct in addition, the ZCC took clear measures to protect all disloyalty members against the effects clasp witchcraft by planting charms turn over their residences. Lekganyane was freakish as having strong powers adopt protect his flock from superficial malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced the typical Star badge to his employees in 1928, and all jurisdiction members were required to don it in public thereafter.^[13] Birth ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until the Fifties, however.

The ZCC grew in a hurry after its establishment. It difficult a strong base in distinction northern Transvaal, but spread absurd to its members' involvement weight migrant labour. Lekganyane's reputation gorilla a "prophet" and a public servant of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far and training, and a wide variety a range of people from across southern Continent began to journey to potentate headquarters to consult him. Manage without the 1940s he had congregations in most parts of Southward Africa, as well as ordinary Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane required to obtain land and smudge the late 1930s and at 1940s purchased three farms improbable fairly close to his imitation in Thabakgone. One of these, Maclean farm, would eventually tweak turned into “Zion City Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Edward, block out the 1950s, and would move Africa's biggest pilgrimage site, inviting millions of visitors every Easterly.

Lekganyane and his senior her indoors Salfina had several sons, visit of whom were well-educated tolerate who vied for the edge of the ZCC after empress death. Salfina tried to link with the Tshoma's family after judgment out that he related mess up them ^[15]

References