Traditional leadership adds fuel to Shembe trial

The role of amakhosi (traditional leaders) came under scrutiny in a trial to determine the legitimate leadership of the Shembe church being heard at the Durban High Court.

Chief Makhosini Qwabe of the Mthandeni chieftaincy near KwaDukuza, northern KwaZulu-Natal, is the 20th witness in the trial that is seeking to establish the legitimate heir to the Shembe throne. The throne was left vacant in 2011 when then leader Vimbeni "Uthingo" Shembe passed away.

Qwabe told the court that all the Shembe leaders held the chiefs in high esteem. He said traditional leaders were involved in decisions that pertained to the welfare of the church .

"The holy prophet knew that it was him at the helm of the church and next to him were the amakhosi," Qwabe testified.

Archie Findlay, lawyer for Vela Shembe, rejected Qwabe's claim, saying according to the constitution of the church, the chiefs were normal congregants of the church.

"The church hierarchy does not reflect any role played by the amakhosi," Findlay told Qwabe.

Qwabe stuck to his guns.

"I'm not really interested in documents whose author I do not know and the reasons why they were authored. All I know is that Shembe told us that he came to amakhosi as leaders of different clans," explained Qwabe.

The trial continues.