Jacob Zuma Looks to Shembe Church for Help With His Unending Legal Struggles, Receives Blessings

Jacob Zuma Looks to Shembe Church for Help With His Unending Legal Struggles, Receives Blessings

  • Former president Jacob Zuma received a special visit from the Shembe church at his Nkandla compound
  • Zuma received prayers and blessings from congregants amid unending legal battles, which he has branded as persecution
  • Former health minister Zweli Mkhize also visited the church for blessing ahead of the ANC national elective conference

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NKANDLA - Congregants of the Sembe church visited former president Jacob Zuma at the controversial Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal. Worshipers descended on the homestead in their thousands, dressed in white regalia to offer prayers and support to the former president.

Former president Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma kneels to receive blessings from the Shembe church. Image: @lunietoolz
Source: Twitter

This comes as Zuma has faced several legal battles, and the former president has turned to the Nazareth church for divine intervention in his struggles, reported TimesLIVE.

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An embattled Zuma said:

“I’m facing complicated issues, especially because there is no-one who has had one case that doesn’t end for over 20 years.

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According to SABC News, the church leader, Mduduzi "Unyazi LweZulu Shembe, had a private meeting while congregants danced and sang on the vast Nkanlda compound, waiting for an address from the former president.

The broadcaster also reported that the church's visit to Zuma's Nkandla homestead was not unusual, as African National Congress (ANC) leaders have routinely visited the church in search of blessings, particularly around significant events like the elective conferences.

ANC KZN provincial leadership Siboniso Duma and Nomagugu Simelane joined the former president, Khaya 959 reported.

It is reported that the embattled former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize also visited the church last week, where he, too, asked the Shembe leader for blessings.

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Mkhize's visit to the Shembe church comes as the former health minister is gearing up to go head-to-head with President Cyril Ramaphosa for the top position in the ANC at the party's 55th national elective conference in December.

South Africans react to Zuma's visit from the Shembe church

South Africans weighed in on the Shembe church's visit to former president Jacob Zuma on social media.

Below are some comments:

@sellorabs asked:

"So many escorting adults in the middle of the week? Don't they have productive things to do?"

@heritagerider1 claimed:

"The Chief Thief is going to prison"

@willdav49462260 added:

"Too late to pray after all the thievery, lying and corruption!"

@MatseTshephiso sarcastically celebrated:

"Our Msholozi is no longer terminally ill. Hallelujah."

@hello52915602 suggested:

"Maybe he must first repent his sins. Only then will his prayers be answered."

ANC KZN confident that Zuma will not return to jail, Mzansi fears disorder if he does: “Unrest is looming”

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In a related story, Briefly News reported that the African National Congress (ANC) in Kwa-Zulu Natal is confident that former president Jacob Zuma will not be sent back to jail regardless of the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling that was granted unlawfully.

There are anxieties online from South African citizens who fear the worst if Zuma is sent back to jail. Some people speculate that there will be unrest across the nation, similar to what happened in July 2021 when the former president was arrested for refusing to appear before the Zondo commission, The Conversation reported.

In light of concerns about what will happen if the former president is arrested, KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary Bheki Mtolo said the provincial leaders believe that acting national correctional services commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale would rule that the time Zuma spent on parole was time served.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lerato Mutsila avatar

Lerato Mutsila (Current affairs editor) Lerato Mutsila is a journalist with 3 years of experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Pearson Institute of Higher Education in 2020, majoring in broadcast journalism, political science and communication. Lerato joined the Briefly News current affairs desk in August 2022. Mutsila is also a fellow of the 2021/2022 Young African Journalists Acceleration programme, which trained African journalists in climate journalism. You can contact Lerato at lerato.mutsila@breifly.co.za