JCF Church under a spell

It has been a year since the most talked about case involving Mdantsane’s Jesus Christ Family (JCF) church graced headlines on the Daily Dispatch. Tainted with scandalous allegations of infidelity and financial greed, the controversial leader of JCF, Pastor Andile Myemane has manoeuvred his way out of the newspapers and numerous court cases. His empire has been extended to students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and his personal success has multiplied over the year. Although he has not been found guilty in the court of Law, the secret recording exposed by a former JCF Pastor still poses the question of his guilt.

“In the secret recording, Myemane revealed how he plotted to leave his wife for the wife of his late brother-in-law”, says former JCF Pastor Hazel Ngcanga who secretly recorded Myemane at the time. She was approached by Myemane following Pastor Lubanga Lubanga’s dismissal of the idea. The ‘Apostle Prophet’ claimed that it was the Lord who had revealed the message to him. “I kept the recording for two years and I did nothing with it” says Pastor Ngcanga. Since Myemane is a ‘Prophet’ people believed that he had a stronger connection to God and nobody questioned his decisions. It was only when a case of Assault against him was opened did people start to question his legitimacy. The recording was released to the Daily Dispatch but during a church sermon, Myemane revealed that it was his brother on the tape and not him.

In June 2010, Myemane opened a R3 million civil suit case of defamation against former colleague, Pastor Ngcanga. She had accused Myemane for influencing her to quit her teaching job to join the parish, to donate a portion of her pension fund to the church and to hand over her family home. “I told my lawyers to send a letter back to Myemane because I was willing to see him in court but he miraculously dropped the charges against me” said the former JCF Pastor. Pastor Ngcanga resigned from her teaching job to fulfil the Vision of God and she earned peanuts for the amount of work that she put in at JCF. Although she is not the only person who quit her job under the instruction of Myemane, she is the only one that stood up against him. A former JCF member, Thulisile Mdiya, also claims that she was told to quit her job for prosperity.

Following Pastor Ngcanga’s decision to leave the church unfortunate events were orchestrated against her and her family. Her NU17 home was set alight with two of her cars. “The two men from the JCF church were caught by husband trying to escape” said Pastor Ngcanga. Although no one was injured a bullet was found in the garage with the possibility that the men where there to murder the family.

Pastor Myemane’s Sunday sermons before thousands in Mdantsane are famous for his mocking attacks on senior members who have left his church. A JCF member, Nondumiso Mtengwane, hails Myemane for his teachings. “Before I was a member of JCF, I had nothing but now I have a well-paying job and I am set to marry in December” said Miss Mtengwane. “The Pastors that left JCF envied the ‘Prophet’ adds Nondumiso. Pastor Myemane has been fired from the Christian network, TBN twice for his misinterpretation of the Word. Myemane claims that God and Jesus are two different beings and yet his church never questions him. “You become hypnotized when you are in JCF” says Pastor Ngcanga. Myemane clearly has authority over his members as seen in one of his DVD’s, people scream and cheer him on when he boasts about his luxurious home and cars. Myemane claims that he is the Apostle and Prophet although he has not obtained a Theology degree. Pastor Ngcanga believes that Myemane will ultimately parish, “He is using God’s name in vain and he has tempered with the evil spirit.”

Andile Myemane during his court cases!Picture from here


By Andisiwe Mtengwane