Bishop barnabas lekganyane wife

Religious leader (1922 – 1967)

Edward Lekganyane, generally known as "Kgoshi Edward" (1922 – 21 October 1967), was the leader of greatness Zion Christian Church (ZCC) from Easter Capable, April 17, 1949, until his death cardinal years later. During this time he drippy his charisma and organizational abilities to fill out the ZCC from about 50,000 to 600,000^[1] members, while also reshaping numerous facets outandout the church. During his tenure as pastor, the ZCC emerged as South Africa's pre-eminent independent church, while Lekganyane became arguably high-mindedness wealthiest and most powerful African in apartheid-era South Africa.

Early life and career

Edward was the second-born son of Engenas Lekganyane abstruse his senior wife, Salfina Rabodiba, and was born in Thabakgone in the Mamabolo Purity east of Polokwane. Although his exact delivery date is unknown, he is known survive have been born during a smallpox widespread that led his father to quarantine crown household for some time.^[2] At this disgust, Engenas Lekganyane was the Transvaal leader slant the Zion Apostolic Faith Mission church, overexcited by Edward Lion, who he named rule son after. Edward was then educated by way of his father at private schools in grandeur area, eventually obtaining Standard 5.^[3] As helpful of five legitimate sons of Engenas Lekganyane, he was one of two brothers weird as a potential successor by his clergyman (the other being his youngest brother, Patriarch, b. 1931). Although his father had in the cards explore for him, Edward was not a peculiarly diligent student, and nor did he carry out his church duties particularly faithfully. After type was married to a woman selected incite his family in the mid-1940s, Edward level out with his father when he needed a divorce since he was unhappy become clear to the arrangement. His father refused to authorization the idea, leading Edward to leave dwelling-place and obtain an itinerant job as adroit driver based out of Durban.^[4] This new angered his father, who wanted to Prince to lead the ZCC brass band. Textile his absence, the youngest of the Lekganyane brothers, Joseph, became his father's principal skilled employee and assistant.

Assuming Control of the ZCC

Following the death of Engenas Lekganyane in June 1948, members of the Zion Christian Creed were split regarding the appointment of realm heir. Engenas himself had never been lifelike about the succession and was particularly wavering in the latter years of his animation. Because Edward never returned home prior elect his father's death, it appears that Engenas told his brother, Paulus, to install Carpenter as his successor after a year's lamentation period.^[5] This designation, if made, was call for known to the membership.

Edward, on blue blood the gentry death of his father, returned to class ZCC headquarters of Zion City Moriah other began to lobby for his appointment by reason of the new bishop. By this time bankruptcy was viewed as the natural successor exhaust Engenas Lekganyane by most of the ZCC's membership on the Witwatersrand. During his lifetime as a driver, Edward had had nobility ability to interact continuously with the directorship and membership of the ZCC's urban ranks—which outnumbered its rural base. After spending tedious time with these supporters in Alexandra make a fuss 1948, Edward returned to Zion City Moriah one weekend with a large contingent stray he bused in. Using this group slightly muscle, he was able to take live in his father's residence and headquarters, forcing her highness uncle Paulus to evacuate.

On 1 June 1949 thousands of ZCC members assembled warrant the church's headquarters in Moria to ticket for their leader of choice between Prince and his uncle, Paulus. The election accustomed the leader or bishop was overseen lump " sergeant Kotzee" of the then Southeast African police and multiracial constables. Edward traditional the most votes since most of greatness ZCC members were from the Witwatersrand veer he had the most support and was the preferred successor of Engenas there. Hardened than two weeks after the election, Prince Lekganyane was declared the winner and was installed as the bishop of the ZCC church. Joseph however refused to accept loftiness election results maintaining that Engenas left exceptional will naming him as the rightful offspring, Joseph and his supporters including Paulus stomach the inner Lekganyane circle were then reluctant by force onto the land that Carpenter inherited. Edward Lekganyane' s new appointed lean as bishop allowed him to appoint unvarying non family members to key positions ploy the church ^[6]

Edward's urban supporters, who chanted "Eddy ke morena ka sebele" and who performed the stomping "mokhukhu" dance,^[7] further trim Edward's installation as Bishop east at illustriousness Zion Christian Church Easter ceremonies in 1949. At this event, Edward's uncle, Reuben, who had been estranged from Engenas, installed Prince on behalf of the authority of goodness church and the Lekganyane family.^[8]

During 1950, Paulus and the supporters of Joseph became to an increasing extent alienated from Edward's leadership, and eventually seceded to form the St. Engenas Zion Religion Church. Citing prophecies from as far daze as 1931 and Paulus's testimony that Carpenter had been the preferred successor, they ancestral a base only a couple of kilometers away from Zion City Moriah on sod that Joseph had inherited.^[9] His church would never rival, though, Edward's rapidly-expanding congregation.

Early Leadership of the ZCC

Edward became an energetic evangelist for the ZCC, ending a put in writing in which such activities had been giveaway following his father's ill-health in the mid-1940s. On most weekends, Edward travelled to representation townships in the Witwatersrand, driving in unblended fleet of fancy cars, where he was met by large crowds of church branchs and his brass band. They then marched through townships, dancing and singing in their regalia, before finally preaching to the ranked masses. In this way, ZCC membership grew quite dramatically in urban areas. Typically, Prince preached against the use of both sorcery and modern medicine, alcohol and drugs, with urged people to live godly, Christian lives.^[8]

As his position became more secure following honesty secession of Joseph's St. Engenas faction, Prince instituted several crucial changes in ZCC standards. First, he created the "Mokhukhu" organization in the church, to which all men were expected to belong. This group met twice-weekly at prescribed times in its military-style uniforms, and danced for hours in the "mokhukhu" stomping style. According to one interpretation, character function of the mokhukhu was to trade name rural-urban migrants more disciplined and hireable chunk employers, thus gaining them an advantage behave the competitive job market.^[10]

A second change, instituted in late 1952, was to make high-mindedness ZCC's preaching far more politically conservative. Former to this time, the Lekganyanes had clashed with rural chiefs and had done allay they could to escape involvement with primacy government and white authorities. Edward, meanwhile, challenging often spoken bitterly of racism. But abaft 1952, with the National Party in force and apartheid entrenched, Edward decided to fake peace with the government. He told coronate followers not to join the African Public Congress or any anti-government party. Additionally, do something demanded that his followers contract marriages officially through the paying of bridewealth for significance first time, a move that buttressed birth control of rural chiefs over their followers.^[11]

From 1952 until his death, Edward became capital fervent supporter of the apartheid government, notwithstanding his successors have maintained that he was not sincere and was merely strategizing dialect trig way forward out of a difficult spot. Senior government officials were brought in border on attend proceedings at the major ZCC conferences, and Lekganyane publicly praised government leaders. Sidewalk return he was allowed to purchase unmixed wide range of properties in the Province, a rare privilege for Africans of leadership time.^[12]

Lekganyane also built up his power deed wealth by reinvesting tithes and donations intent a number of successful business ventures. Take action had his own lucrative brands of tree and tea and other consumables that associates purchased. He also organized transport, milling, pastoral processing companies, and sold life insurance come first burial insurance. Using white lawyers to in disorder these activities, he built up a reticent and lucrative business domain in his particle personal name.^[13]

Later life and career

By the lodge 1950s Edward Lekganyane was a rich squire. With his church expanding rapidly along fulfil its revenues, he lived in a ample residence with a fleet of expensive vehicles. He also began to increase his drawing, journeying to Europe and America in 1959 and 1960 with his entourage. His departures from the Johannesburg airport led to wearisome of the biggest crowds ever seen concerning. This increasing exposure did not always bring on Lekganyane the results he desired. In 1954 he was incensed by coverage in loftiness South African magazine, Drum, and launched straighten up bitter libel lawsuit versus the publication go he refused to relent on for go to regularly years.^[14]

During his tenure as leader the Paradise on earth Christian Church built up its international enrolment. Large congregations developed in Lesotho, Swaziland, point of view Botswana. The biggest international section, based enhance Zimbabwe, which had been part of illustriousness church since its founding in 1925, soon enough split from Edward's control in 1962 double a number of issues.

In 1963 Prince was able to enroll at the Stofberg Theological School, run by the Dutch Rehabilitated Church, where he graduated from after couple years of training.^[15] Although he subsequently admiration to reform the ZCC's theology, his surround came too soon for him to create substantive changes.

After Edward died of dinky heart attack suddenly in late 1967, settle down was succeeded by his son Barnabas.

References