ONLY three days are left before members of Nazareth Baptist Church start their annual pilgrimage to the holy mountain to celebrate the New Year.
Mhlaliseni Hlatshwayo, spokesman for the Ebuhleni group, known as the Shembe Church, said they were ready for the big day.
He said about 100 000 members of the group, led by Mduduzi “Unyazilwezulu” Shembe, were expected to arrive at the church’s Ebuhleni headquarters at Matabetulu before going to Canaan mountain in Ozwathini, KZN on Tuesday.
“The preparations are now complete and so far everything looks perfectly fine.
“It will take us about two days to get to the mountain,” said Mhlaliseni.
He said the pilgrimage’s aim was to pray for God’s guidance and protection.
“We also have special prayers to thank God for the blessings we received this year. It’s important for us to seek His presence and guidance at all times.”
In previous years, the different groups took turns praying at Nhlangakazi mountain, a few kilometres from Canaan. Nhlangakazi was declared a sacred mountain by the church founder, Isaiah Shembe, in the early 1900s.
As a result of the fight between Mduduzi and his uncle, Vela Shembe for control of the church, Mduduzi chose to start taking his members to Canaan instead of Nhlangakazi in 2013.
Nkululeko Mthethwa, spokesman for Thembezinhle group, said the other three groups, including Ekuphakameni and Ginyezinye, would be heading to Nhlangakazi.
