Nazareth Baptist Church

The Nazareth Baptist Church (Alternatively called "The Nazarite

Church" "iBandla lamaNazaretha") is the second largest African
initiated church based in South Africa, founded in 1910.[1]

It reveres Shembe as a prophet sent by God to restore the teachings

of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus. Members are Sabbath-observers
and avoid pork, smoking, and premarital sex.[2]

It was divided into two groups after the 1976 death of Johannes
Galilee Shembe. The larger group was led by Bishop Amos
Shembe congregation leaders.
Shembe until his death in 1995, while Rev. Londa Shembe led the
smaller group.[3]

As of 2009, it was divided into three factions in KwaZulu-Natal

and one in Gauteng.[4]

The religion uses leopard skins as part of their ceremonies, which

some activists are trying to stop or replace with synthetic leopard
skin.[5]

On 18 October 2016, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban

declared Vela Shembe the legitimate leader of the Nazareth Baptist
Female Shembe congregants.
Church after a protracted court battle, which had dragged on since
2011.[6] Despite this, the previous leader's son Mduduzi Shembe,
who lives in the large village of Ebuhleni, remains the de facto
head of the church and most church members have ignored the ruling.[7]

Pilgrimages
The Shembe begin each year with a Holy pilgrimage to iNhlangakazi, but approximately 6.7 million
followers of amaNazaretha no longer go to Inhlangakazi because of court interdicts. As a result, iNkosi
uNyazi LweZulu avoided court battles and founded Mount Khenana which is at Ozwathini, on the first
Sunday of the New Year. It is said that Isaiah Shembe was drawn to the area where the Holy Spirit told him
to start the Church.[8]

They also hold a month-long celebration in Judea near Eshowe every year in October, where members
gather to receive the blessings of Shembe.[8]

World Cup legal challenge

In early 2010 the Nazareth Baptist Church claimed that the vuvuzela horn, used by fans attending football
matches in South Africa, actually belongs to their church. They threatened to pursue legal action to stop
supporters from playing the vuvuzela at the South African World Cup,[9] but no legal proceedings were
initiated.

Vodacom partnership
In April 2017 a partnership between the African mobile communications company Vodacom and the Vela
Shembe faction was announced in which the church would distribute Vodacom products and services.
Landile Shembe, the Shembe Family Trust representative, stated that the faction had 6.7 million members
of which approximately 2.4 million subscribed to Vodafone.[10]

References
1. Fisher, Jonah (16 January 2010). "Unholy row over World Cup trumpet" (http://news.bbc.co.u
k/2/hi/africa/8458829.stm). BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
2. Brockman, Norbert (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places (https://archive.org/details/encycl
opediaofsa0000broc) (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 152 (https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaof
sa0000broc/page/152). ISBN 978-0874368307. Retrieved 21 June 2017. "Nazareth,
Nazarite Church shembe sex."
3. "Isaiah Shembe and the amaNazarites" (https://www.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/books/shembe/
s-index.html). University of Calgary. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
4. Memela, Mhlaba (30 June 2009). "Shembe house torched - Nazareth faction leader fears for
his life after attack" (http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1026134).
www.sowetan.co.za. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
5. Shembe snarl at mock leopard skin (http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/shembe-snarl-at-mock-leo
pard-skin-1.1352416#.UEl8fo1lRHw)
6. "Vela Shembe comes out victorious in church leadership battle" (http://www.news24.com/So
uthAfrica/News/vela-shembe-comes-out-victorious-in-church-leadership-battle-20161018).
News24. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
7. Sosibo, Kwanale (22 December 2016). "Why Vela Shembe won't be king" (https://mg.co.za/
article/2016-12-22-00-why-vela-shembe-wont-be-king). Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 21 June
2017.
8. "On a Shembe Pilgrimage" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080804111702/http://www1.sout
hafrica.net/Cultures/en-US/trade.southafrica.net/WhySouthAfrica/WhatsOn/On+a+Shembe+
Pilgrimage.htm). South African Tourism. Archived from the original (http://www1.southafrica.n
et/Cultures/en-US/trade.southafrica.net/WhySouthAfrica/WhatsOn/On+a+Shembe+Pilgrima
ge.htm) on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
9. Fisher, Jonah (16 January 2010). "Unholy row over World Cup trumpet" (http://news.bbc.co.u
k/2/hi/africa/8458829.stm). BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
10. "Vodacom partners with Shembe church" (http://www.destinyman.com/2017/04/20/vodacom-
partners-shembe-church/). Destinyman.com. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.

External links
Holy hair: The long and short of it (https://mg.co.za/article/2015-04-02-holy-hair-the-long-and
-short-of-it)
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