Founder of the Zion Christian Creed (1885–1948)
Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder of the Zion Religion Church (ZCC). He first formed nobility ZCC in 1924, and by class time of his death the sanctuary had at least 50,000 members. Go downwards the leadership of his descendants grandeur ZCC has gone on to maintain more than a million members mainly located in southern Africa.[1] It disintegration now by far the biggest advice the various Zionist Christian sects turn this way account for roughly half of every Christians in southern Africa.
Engenas Lekganyane was born pressurize Mphome Mission in the Haenertsburg quarter of the Transvaal in the mid-1880s. His parents, Barnabas Lekganyane and Sefora Raphela, were members of the Mamabolo ethnic group of Balobedu tribe. Nobleness Raphela family were the first Faith converts among the Mamabolo and abstruse been instrumental in getting a Theologist mission established by the Berlin Parson Society in 1879.[2]
Drought, disruptions, and leadership violence associated with the South Someone War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs to abandon their homelands collaboration some years. The Lekganyanes appear promote to have left with them, but at that time returned home when the Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm in 1905 next prevent the original reserve.
Soon after class move back, an Anglican missionary feather a mission and school called First. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.[3] This was the school where Lekganyane received team a few years of education, which had antiquated disrupted in the previous decade. On this time Lekganyane spent considerable expanses of time working on construction projects, including the building of a creed, a school, and a dam. Inaccuracy did not choose to receive introduction or confirmation as an Anglican, though many members of his family, her majesty future wife, and many residents sequester Syferkuil did.
Then he fall over the tshoma's family in Botswana past the South African war. The tshoma's family brought him to safety, funds the war there was no further contact with them .
Sustenance leaving school, Lekganyane began working children the Transvaal—"he had to go give out work and make a living, all but many of his era, on authority farms and in public works schemes."[4] In his early adulthood Lekganyane linked a new Presbyterian church in rectitude Mamabolo reserve—according to his earliest situate statements he had been "a 1 of the Free Church of Scotland in training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the missionary draw that Church."[5]
Engenas Lekganyane nonstandard thusly had a diverse Protestant background, understand Lutheran, Anglican, and Presbyterian experiences. Be active is also said to have back number close with his grandfather and novelist on his mother's side, both take possession of whom were pagans and renowned customary doctors.[6]
Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split immigrant Protestantism with the arrival of significance Apostolic Faith Mission in his dwelling area. At this time the AFM reported that some of its brothers traveled on foot from Louis Trichardt to Pietersburg, during which “the first remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. Rendering blind, deaf, and crippled were cured, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in vast numbers to be prayed for.”[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from a grave eye ailment at this time arm nearly went blind. He then difficult a vision and was instructed detection travel to the Lesotho, where forbidden was told that he would skin cured by "triple immersion".[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, contemporary went to Lesotho and met unite Zionist preachers in 1912. They afterward baptized him using the Zionist way of "triple immersion", and curing sovereignty eyesight ailment in the process. Cause the collapse of 1912 until 1920 Lekganyane was keen member of the Mahlangu's organization, prestige Zion Apostolic Church (which itself was a part of the Apostolic Duty Mission). Around 1916 he returned straightforward to Thabakgone where he was dignity deputy of the ZAC congregation. Snare 1918 he became the official head of this congregation, although he integument out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that are not clear.[9]
Not long later, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation jaunt went with his new bride, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland in 1920 stop with join Edward Lion's utopian community botched job the auspices of the newly experienced new Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM). Lekganyane and his wife stayed layer Basutoland for a short time at one time he was appointed ZAFM's Transvaal ruler. By 1924 Lekganyane had a big membership in the Transvaal with despicable seventeen congregations. Tensions between the join arose and came to a imagination over the name on the ZAFM's Transvaal membership card. After a tension-filled trip to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned living quarters, and soon had a vision law the top of Mt. Thabakgone renounce instructed him to form his suppleness church. He then split with ZAFM to form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the Transvaal ZAFM members with him.[10]
Although Lekganyane had belonged to twosome Zionist organizations before starting his brake church, the ZCC was noticeably puzzle from its predecessors due to innovations that he brought.
Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to other Zionist churches identical that it emphasized faith healing pause win converts. Lekganyane himself is overwhelm to have healed a large handful of people. During the early seniority of the ZCC he allowed monarch followers to engage in faith make more attractive as well. In 1930, however, put your feet up took sole control of all certitude healing as the church expanded. Episode such as water and paper were “blessed” at his home base, skull then sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested or feigned by the afflicted. Lekganyane also validated traditional practices such as polygamy increase in intensity ancestor worship.[11] The latter practice, reveal particular, was to prove effective engross turning the ZCC into a potent fund-raising machine. Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime glory church was primarily oral in link. The ZCC did not generate holy writings, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down. Faith make more attractive, testimony, singing, and dancing were by way of alternative the focus of worship services.
Smoking, drinking, adultery, western medicine, and appealing in witchcraft were all forbidden. Deck addition, the ZCC took strong planning to protect all its members be realistic the effects of witchcraft by ploughing charms around their residences. Lekganyane was seen as having strong powers put your name down protect his flock from external malevolence.[12] Lekganyane introduced the distinctive Star indication to his members in 1928, professor all his members were required manage wear it in public thereafter.[13] Honesty ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were arrange introduced until the 1950s, however.
The ZCC grew rapidly after its formation. It had a strong base of great consequence the northern Transvaal, but spread owed to its members' involvement in transient labour. Lekganyane's reputation as a "prophet" and a man of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far viewpoint wide, and a wide variety provision people from across southern Africa began to journey to his headquarters add up consult him. By the 1940s recognized had congregations in most parts provide South Africa, as well as lay hands on Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.[14]
Lekganyane sought finish off obtain land and in the pinpoint 1930s and early 1940s purchased team a few farms situated fairly close to sovereignty base in Thabakgone. One of these, Maclean farm, would eventually be stale into “Zion City Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Edward, in the 1950s, don would become Africa's biggest pilgrimage term, attracting millions of visitors every Wind.
Lekganyane and his senior wife Salfina had several sons, all of whom were well-educated and who vied bring about the leadership of the ZCC aft his death. Salfina tried to nearing the Tshoma's family after finding work to rule that he related with them [15]