KZN Municipalities Contribute R8 Million to Shembe Pilgrimage to Holy Mountains, Leaving Many Outraged

• Three KwaZulu-Natal municipalities will splash about R8 million on the Nazareth Baptist Church’s three-day pilgrimage
• The eThekwini Municipality will provide numerous services including ambulances, water tanks and 20 000 plastic waste bags
• Many have expressed outrage over the move, with some saying the money could have been used to improve the city’s state

DURBAN - About R8 million will be donated by three KwaZulu-Natal municipalities for the Nazareth Baptist Church’s three-day pilgrimage to the Khenana and Nhlangakazi holy mountains.

At a joint media briefing on Tuesday, 3 January, the mayors of eThekwini metro, Ndwedwe local municipality and iLembe district said they would be supporting the religious event. However, the move has left many angered, saying the money could have been used for community betterment.

Read also

Fikile Mbalula says the ANC will deal with anarchists, Mzansi disagrees: “ANC has never shown any discipline”

The event began on Monday, 2 January and will conclude on Monday, 23 January. The devotees previously would observe the pilgrimage together but later divided due to infighting.

The eThekwini Municipality will provide numerous services including ambulances, water tanks and 20 000 plastic waste bags, according to TimesLIVE. Mobile clinics will also be available for the devotees.

Citizens express outrage over the donation:

@STEVEHAAGSPORT said:

“Think of the number of poor you can feed with R8m.”

@uya_Thandeka commented:

“They didn't contribute a cent to assisting the flood victims. There isn't a single town in KZN that is up to date on service delivery. These politicians are very quickly driving us down the rabbit hole.”

@nevins_sandra wrote:

“Priorities, please. This isn't one of them. We must not accept this. The church must have faith that funding will come from elsewhere.”

Read also

Mzansi expresses concern as local peeps board a bus to go see Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi for church service

@blackpresidante posted:

“Money laundering 101.”

@KwenzekileNgidi added:

“That R8m should've been used to fix infrastructure in KZN, boost tourism and create more job opportunities for KZN youth. The Nazareth people can fund themselves.”

Pilgrimage expected to boost tourism

Acting eThekwini metro mayor Nkosenhle Madlala said:

“We know and understand that this attracts a lot of devotees. We are estimating numbers to be between 30 to 50 000.”

According to eNCA, many tourists join the pilgrimage making it an excellent investment opportunity for the municipality.

President Cyril Ramaphosa pays a courtesy visit to Limpopo's Zionist Church ahead of Easter Weekend celebrations

Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Zion Christian Church in Limpopo on Thursday ahead of the Easter weekend.

He was accompanied by other members of the African National Congress (ANC) and provincial leaders, where they met Reverend Bishop Dr Barnabas Lekganyane and Reverend Bishop Dr Joseph Lekgayane.

Read also

Free State alleged racist incident: Azapo members vandalise racism accused's business premises

Ramaphosa praised the leaders for their efforts which saved lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The church called off its annual mass pilgrimage to Moria for the third year to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Source: Briefly News