By Celani Sikhakhane
- Shembe Church leader marks 115 years by honouring Xhosa King Hintsa.
- Mduduzi Shembe was given land to build a temple in an Eastern Cape village.
Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church leader Mduduzi Nyazilwezulu Shembe honoured Xhosa King Hintsa kaKhawutha during the church’s 115th anniversary celebrations this week.
Shembe visited the royal village of Nqadu near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Sunday. He was welcomed by local chief Zanenkululeko kaSalakuphathwa at Lower Gwadu village.
The anniversary marks 115 years since the founding of the church by Prophet Isaiah Shembe, known as Mbombela — “the train of Pondoland”.
Chief Zanenkululeko said they invited Shembe to bring spiritual hope to the community.
“We are glad Inkosi Nyazilwezulu has finally come to our land. Our people are suffering — especially from gender-based violence, including the killing of women and children,” he said.
“We feel blessed to have the Holy Spirit of Shembe in our village.”
The Shembe leader was gifted land in Lower Gwadu to build a new temple. During his visit, he also paid tribute to King Hintsa, who was killed and beheaded by British troops in 1835 — a death still surrounded by controversy.
Shembe spokesperson Thokozani Mncwabe said: “Inkosi Nyazilwezulu was welcomed by the House of Hintsa and all the local chiefs of Nqadu. The land given to him is where we’ll build the first temple. The celebrations will end on Saturday.”
King Hintsa kaKhawutha, born in 1780, ruled the Xhosa Kingdom from 1820 until his death on 12 May 1835. His powerful reign stretched from the Mbhashe River near Mthatha to the Gamtoos River in the Southern Cape.
Over 160 years later, traditional leaders and cultural groups still remember him.
In 1996, a healer named Nicholas Gcaleka tried to retrieve Hintsa’s skull — believed to have been taken by the British. But his mission was mocked and dismissed by many.
Pictured above: Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church leader Mduduzi Nyazilwezulu Shembe honours Xhosa King Hintsa as the church celebrates its 115th anniversary.
Image source: BonaniStreaming (Shembe Church)
