KWAZULU-NATAL – The heated Shembe leadership battle returns back to court after Mduduzi Shembe, son to late leader Vimbeni Shembe filed for appeal after losing to his uncle Vela Shembe in May last year.
Following the death of Vimbeni Shembe in 2011, serious arguments rose on who should take up his position as the leader of the Nazareth Baptist Church.
Vimbeni Shembe led one of the four factions of the church with more than one million followers, most of whom are Zulus.
After his death, arguments on who should take his position between his son or brother arose. With the church leadership failing to resolve the issue, the case had to be resolved in court.
The court ruled that Vela Shembe, brother to the late leader was the rightful candidate and successor to the throne.
This caused a massive internal raft as some church members were in support of Mduduzi Shembe instead.
The uproar between the church led to internal divisions with the faction supporting Mduduzi saying they will never rest until the right decision is reported in their favour.
The appeal is set for three days, starting from Monday 23 October to Wednesday 25 at at the KwaZulu Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg.
Vela Shembe’s faction say Mduduzi’s appeal is a waste of time, money and energy.
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