Pretoria – It was a glitz and fanfare extravaganza on Easter Sunday when more than 800 people took part in a mass wedding at the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) at Rabokala in the North West.
Priest Nicodemus Morabe told journalists at the festivities that the mass weddings were a traditional ritual in the church, characterised by polygamous weddings.
Morabe said there about 900 people who tied the knot in the wedding procession, as some of the grooms were marrying more than one wife.
In the church, wives of the groom also play a critical role in welcoming the bride into the family unit.
“We are having our mass wedding, a ritual in this church. Every time, during this time which people call Easter, for us we use this Sunday to have our weddings. All the weddings that are taking place are blessed via our spiritual leader, his grace, successor MG Sandlana,” said Morabe.
His said the practice of polygamy was not only an African traditional, but has its roots in the Bible.
“With regards to the International Pentecost Holiness Church, it is found on polygamy. Even if you go into scriptures, if you read about spiritual leaders, for example Abraham, he was in a polygamous marriage,” said Morabe.
“As a church, we believe the same God that Abraham was a servant to. We practise the same.
“We say marriage is a gift from God. It was founded by God. All marriages have to be conducted in principles of God, rather than coming up with our own ideas. As a church, we conduct marriages according to God’s teachings, and nothing else,” he said.
Last week, the IPHC announced that, of the hundreds of grooms in the mass procession, some were adding their sixth or seventh wives. The mass weddings have not been held for several years due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
Spokesperson of the IPJC Jerusalem, Father Vusi Ndala was also in the mass wedding procession, as he was marrying his second wife, Noko.
“The woman on my right-hand side is my first wife, and on my left is my new wife, the one I am marrying now,” Ndala spoke to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
eNCA reported that 79 couples also got married during another extravaganza at the IPHC headquarters at Zuurbekom, near Soweto, under the leadership of Leonard Modise, popularly referred to as Jakobo by his followers.
The IPHC, said to be the second-biggest church in South Africa after the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), has been engulfed in a bitter three-way conflict to succeed Bishop Glayton Modise, who died in February 2016 after leading the popular church.
Bishop Modise had inherited the leadership role of the vast church from his father and founder, Frederick Samuel Modise, in 1998.
According to media reports, Bishop Glayton Modise left a vast estate worth almost R400 million. He allegedly died without a valid will and a clear succession plan for the popular church, throwing the massive congregation and his family into a feisty legal tussle.
In an ongoing court battle, Bishop Glayton Modise’s two sons, Tshepiso and Leonard, are both claiming leadership of the vast church, squaring off against third contender Michael Sandlana, who leads the IPHC Jerusalem.
Collectively, the IPHC at its peak reportedly boasted having more than 3 million members in South Africa and different parts of southern Africa.
In February, Judge Portia Phahlane, who is presiding over the IPHC leadership wrangle, adjourned the high-stakes matter, citing death threats against her in the bitter three-way tug-of-war.
The judge was protected by at least four bodyguards when she walked into the High Court in Pretoria.
IOL