Shembe church members make annual pilgrimage to holy mountain

Thousands of white-robed devotees of the Shembe Church in South Africa greeted the New Year last week by climbing the mountain of Nhlangakazi, sacred to them for more than a century.

Followers of the evangelist Shembe Church begin each New Year with a pilgrimage to their sacred mountain, where they camp for up to four weeks. . AFP/RAJESH JANTILAL

A devotee of the church, founded by Isaiah Shembe more than a century ago, prayed on the holy mountain on Friday . AFP/RAJESH JANTILAL

Every New Year, people mostly from Inanda township, near the coastal city of Durban, trek barefoot about 80 kilometres (50 miles) and set up camp at the foot of the peak. They believe that on its heights, itinerant preacher Isaiah Shembe received divine instructions to found the church.

Created in 1913 and also known as the Nazareth Baptist Church, the institution is one of the largest African traditionalist churches, combining Christianity with the Zulu culture. Followers revere Shembe, who died in 1935, as their prophet.

Wearing traditional dress, followers of the Nazareth Baptist Church, also known as the Shembe Church, climb the Nhlangakazi holy mountain in Ndwedwe, 85 kilometres (53 miles) north of Durban, on January 5, 2019, as part of their annual pilgrimage.. AFP/RAJESH JANTILAL

After arriving at the base of the mountain, worshippers clamber up and down twice a day, led by women followed by men carrying sticks and then children.

They also tend wayside graves, laying flowers. It takes about an hour to reach the top, where they listen to sermons dedicated to peace and unity.

The Shembe Church is the oldest independent indigenous Church in Southern Africa. AFP/RAJESH JANTILAL

Yet while the church has many millions of followers, it is plagued by divisions and court disputes over leadership and access to the mountain. A larger faction today climbs a different mountain. Due to the tensions, police have been on duty at Nhlangakazi.