Women claim pastor had sexual relations with them.

AN EAST London church is struggling to recover from an embarrassing scandal after a string of women worshippers revealed they had sexual relations with the leader of the church – the charismatic Pastor Zakhele Ntiwane.

Ntiwane is a well-known preacher and a self-proclaimed prophet and leads Power of the Cross church in Amalinda, which often attracts more than 1000 worshippers. He owns one of the fastest-growing Christian radio stations in the province, Izwi Lethemba.

All his Sunday sermons are streamed live by the station.

The Saturday Dispatch, which has been investigating the allegations for three weeks, can today reveal more than a dozen women from Power of the Cross have come forward to claim they have had liaisons with Ntiwane – a married father of four.

Some of the women are married and their husbands are or were leaders in the church.

The claims by the women first emerged at the time of the Easter holidays. One even claimed to have aborted a child fathered by the pastor.

This sent shock waves through the church. Numerous attempts by leaders in the church to prevent the claims reaching the public, including holding meetings with the women individually, have failed to cover up the scandal.

The church has lost hundreds of worshippers to other local churches since the revelations emerged.

The women, some of whom are still members of the church, are receiving counselling from other pastors. A number of them have left East London and the church.

During the investigation the Dispatch was given the names of nine women. Three of them spoke openly but requested anonymity. One referred us to the church while others refused to speak.

Numerous attempts to speak to Ntiwane were unsuccessful.

A Dispatch team yesterday visited his offices in Pefferville after numerous phone calls went unanswered. Numerous voice messages and text messages were also left for him.

Late yesterday Ntiwane, who the Dispatch understands was out of town, switched off his phone. His wife had also not responded to questions at the time of going to print.

But a member of the church claimed Ntiwane confessed to everything during a church meeting held at Sinovuyo High School in Pefferville.

“After the investigation he came out and confessed. He told us that whatever we heard, big or small, was what happened, and he was sorry. People started to call other church leaders to help him,” said the man.

As the pastor of the Power of the Cross church, Ntiwane reports to Living in Divine Purposes Ministries in Hazyview, Mpumalanga.

Pastor CQ Khoza, the president of Living in Divine Purposes Ministries, who mentored Ntiwane when he was starting out as a pastor, confirmed the scandal.

Khoza was one of the leaders called upon to intervene when the allegations surfaced.

“I came down [to East London] to talk to him and he confessed to some of the allegations of sleeping with these women but he was not willing to change,” said Khoza.

“When I was there I heard of how these women will have to [undergo] abortions, and some telling of how they slept with him,” Khoza said.

His church had now cut all ties with Ntiwane. “We have stopped communicating now.

The sex scandal has also been the talk of the town among Christians. in East London. after details reportedly first emerged in April this year. Ntiwane has spent the last four months meeting with those involved or affected.

The allegations are, however, not new as last year a woman, in her mid-20s, went to report Ntiwane to the church’s leadership after he promised to make her a “special lady”.

“Pastor Ntiwane, a person who I regarded as my father, told me he will make me a special woman and we will keep this a secret.

“I went to speak to the church leaders, including his wife. But they never listened. They said I was telling lies,” said the woman.

But after she went public with this, a number of women came forward to report Ntiwane was either asking them for sexual favours or were already having sexual relations with him.

Another woman spoke this week of how she was forced to have an abortion.

“I can’t really talk about this. It’s painful. I am really scared of Ntiwane. I respected him but when he said he wanted to sleep with me, I got confused, I was vulnerable.

“I had to do the abortion as my parents would have asked what happened as they know I am a born-again person.

“I aborted, that was my first child. I have never had a man in my life,” said the woman.

She begged the Dispatch to protect her identity.

A woman, who is known for being active in the church, said she was not ready to talk.

“At this stage I have no comment, not now, I am not ready.” — bonganif@dispatch.co.za

Source: http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/church-hit-by-sex-scandal/

Preacher’s double life

Fellow churchmen worry about cult-like tendencies.

THE man at the centre of a church sex scandal, which sent shock-waves through the local Christian community lst weekend, has been using a pseudonym since moving to East London more than a decade ago.

Last week the Saturday Dispatch reported how dozens of women worshippers at the Power of the Cross Church made allegations of sexual assault against Pastor Zakhele Alex Ntiwane.

Some claimed to have aborted his children.

Ntiwane refuses to answer the allegations.

Today we can reveal shocking details as we unmask the man behind one of the biggest and fastest-growing churches in the province.

Ntiwane is not his name and lies about his birthplace.

Christian leaders this week said there were signs that the Power of the Cross was becoming a cult.

Ntiwane is a name he assumed on arrival from Mpumalanga about 16 years ago.

In Mpumalanga, where he grew up, he is known as Zakhele Morice Mhlongo.

When he travels, like when he went to Nigeria last month and when he attended the Azusa conference in America a few months ago, he also uses Mhlongo.

Members of the church, especially those close to him, have also been given new names.

The Dispatch is aware of at least 15 such cases.

Among them is well-known local recording gospel artist Ruth Nongogo and her two children.

Her real name is Ntombozuko. She was renamed Ruth by Ntiwane. Her sister Ncebakazi’s name was changed to Scelokazi.

Ruth could not be reached for comment, but a family member confirmed the name changes. A former member of the church, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she and her sister were disowned by Ntiwane when they refused to change their just allow my life [to be] private, please,” he said.

But in his biography on the Power of the Cross website, he claims he was born on “the outskirts of Swaziland”.

In his teens he moved to Mpofu village, also Swaziland, where he was brought up by his uncle. Again asked to explain this yesterday, Ntiwane responded: “I am what you say I am. Thanks.”

Sources this week told the Dispatch he was born in Mozambique. He came to South Africa in his teens after a few years in Swaziland.

“He’s a Mhlongo, not Ntiwane. Who is Ntiwane to him,” asked a close family member of his this week, who asked not to be named.

Home Affairs confirmed this week that it has no records of Zakhele Alex Ntiwane.

When searching the Home Affairs database using the same identity document that Ntiwane used to register his Scenery Park property, which he bought in 2011, the name Zakhele Morice Mhlongo comes up.

The revelations came as local pastors and theologians expressed shock at what is happening in the church – even likening it to a cult.

Women in the church are not allowed to wear trousers or jewellery, or plait their hair.

Members spoke of how Ntiwane even decides for some whom they should marry.

“Men are just given wives here and no one says no,” said another source. Sometimes the men even pay lobola to Ntiwane and not to their in-laws.

Reverend Lulama Ntshingwa said the church was exhibiting signs of a cult.

“Recently we talked about these new churches and we can’t really trace their structures and people have been robbed of money and spiritually in these churches. These are acts of a cult,” said Ntshingwa.

His words were echoed by Pastor Ndiphiwe Mcotheli of the Burning Bush Ministries.

“We hear that this has been happening for years and if you treat women differently in your church, that’s a cult.

“Such people claim to be used by God while they are used by different spirits. Sleeping with women, that’s not in line with God’s teachings,” Mcotheli said.

The Eastern Cape Council of Churches (ECCC) said the revelations came as a shock to them.

“These acts are not of a church, this is a cult of some sorts or they are acting towards being a cult.

“This is a pain and awareness is very important here,” , said the chief ecumenical officer of the ECCC, Mpumelelo Qwabaza.

SOURCE: http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/gen/preachers-double-life/