Shembe started his religious career as an itinerant evangelist and faith healer in 1910. Within ten years, he had built up a large following in Natal with dozens of congregations across the …

Founded in 1910 by Isaiah Mloyiswa Mdliwamafa Shembe (Umqali Wendlel), our faith community has grown into one of Africa’s largest independent religious movements, with over 6 million …

Dec 18, 2025 · Shembe was noted for his vivid parables, dramatic healings, and uncanny insights into people’s thoughts. He wrote many moving hymns, composed music, and provided his …

Founded by Isaiah Shembe in the early twentieth century, this movement straddles the lines between mainstream Christian beliefs, traditional African spirituality, and modern African …

Feb 20, 2025 · Shembe felt that Western churches failed to address the cultural and spiritual realities of African people. Claiming to have had a series of divine revelations, Shembe left the …

This is the real story of the Shembe Church — from its mysterious origins and divine prophecies to the strict rules, wealth, and court battles that continue today.

SHEMBE, ISAIAH (c. 1870 – 1935), was the founder of the Zulu amaNazaretha church and the most outstanding figure in the independent church movement in South Africa.

Shembe started his religious career as an itinerant evangelist and faith healer in 1910. Within ten years, he had built up a large following in Natal with dozens of congregations across the …

Aug 16, 2016 · He composed music, wrote many moving hymns, and provided his followers with a rich liturgical tradition based on modified forms of traditional Zulu dancing. Critics of the …

Shembe had been going to Ndwedwe for more than a decade. He had launched a new faith from one of its mountainsides and led pilgrimages to that mountain each year, crossing through …