Shembe family calls for calm before ruling

The Shembe family has appealed to the warring factions of the Nazareth Baptist Church to accept the outcome of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

A full bench of the SCA in Bloemfontein is set to hear arguments between two Shembe warring factions on Thursday. The battle for control of the church is between the Ebuhleni and the Thembezinhle factions who have been at each other's throats since the death of Vimbeni Shembe in 2011. The factions have turned to the courts to decide who its rightful leader is.

The Ebuhleni faction is led by Vimbeni's son Mduduzi Shembe, while his father's brother, the late Vela Shembe who died in 2017, headed the Thembezinhle faction. In October 2016, judge Achmat Jappie ruled in the high court in Durban that Vela was the rightful leader of the church. Last year, the high court in Pietermaritzburg also declared that Vela of the Thembezinhle faction was the rightful leader of the Nazareth Baptist Church, aka "amaNazarethe".

Family spokesperson Lwandile Shembe said the leadership crisis and infighting in the church have been raging for even a longer period - since the death of Chief Ilanga in 1970.

"As the family, we are tired of this fighting. We are appealing to both factions to accept the outcome of the court. We had to voice our concern because we have seen previously the followers of both factions fighting. We are worried that they might cause chaos," he said.

"We [as family] have no problem with different factions as long as peace and unity exists. The root of all these fights had to do with the issue of money.

"Taking the matter to court makes it clear that it is not for the benefit of each of our brothers and what they think they can get, if they are the leaders. Appealing the court decision to the case is tantamount to contempt."

Spokesperson for Ebuhleni faction, Thokozani Mncwabe, said they will accept any outcome of the court.

"We are not fighting, we just have different opinions. We cannot continue fighting each other because we are staunch believers. As amaNazarethe we want to show the world that we are true believers," he said.

Trevor Nkosi, the attorney representing Thembezinhle faction, said his clients were hopeful that they will emerge victorious once again.

"We also expect the others would accept and embrace the outcome," he said.