SOUTH AFRICA
Waiting For Jesus
26 minutes
September 2003
SCRIPT:
===============================
Ups Nokulunga Fipaza: Jesus is our doctor....
V/O 1:
(Visuals: cult members singing...)
This is the leader of the awaiting Christ church, Nokulunga Fipaza. She was the one who persuaded many to give up their lives and join the church. She disappeared recently… after 8 bodies were found in the church's compound.
Title: Waiting for Jesus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V/O 2:
Mandela Park is a small township in Umtata Eastern Cape. (Most of the people are poor.) In 1997 the Awaiting Christ Church group opened its doors here. Residents say this group had been chased away from several other places before coming here. They also say they were very religious… they sang day and night.
ups 1: Jonginkosi Ndzambule - Community leader
When this church arrived we liked it because we like people who are Christiansand we too are Chrictians. The constitution of South Africa says anyone has freedom of religion. But we said since they are here and are in church (are praising God) we have no right to chase them if they did not do anything that is associated with crime or braking the law. We then decided that even though they have been cahsed from other places we needed to see waht made them to be chased away. It will be like we are mistreating people of God.
V/O 3:
(visuals: The church, the community, the police, the dog snifing, cult members sitting around)
Three weeks ago the church was closed down. A family member had not seen or talked to sister for two years. So he got a court order to get the church to tell him where his sister was. She had been staying at the church for the last seven years. When the police moved in they discovered 8 bodies buried in the compound.
Ups 2: Jonginkosi
What we saw here is that they buried people in their yard. Other graves are here in the garden where they had planted small peach trees, spinach and cabbage and beans. Other graves they buried them well, they just laid grass on top of them. They even watered it so that a person passing by will not see that there are graves. The other three graves they were underneath a fence so that you can not see them you would think it's a yard with a garden.
V/O 4:
(visuals of digging, bodies taken out...)
The community was shocked by the death of these cult members. One of the cult’s claims had been that no one would get ill or die. Some in the community say that these unmarked graves point to witchcraft… graves that were less than a meter deep.
They also say they cannot believe that the church deceived them.
There was no effort to contact the families when the members were ill. Or when they were buried. They want the cult to move from Mandela Park… and have threatened to burn this compound.
V/O 5:
(Dukuza's home, family sitting in the table...)
This is the Dukuza's family. They all stayed in the compound once. Theo Dukuza left 5 years ago. He’s the one who got the court order to find his sister.
He’s the eldest… and he says he now has to care for his mother, sister and two brothers who have been in the compound for the last seven years. His siblings all stopped going to school after joining the church.
Ups 1: Ndabazoxolo Dukuza
What made us to join the church was that we people that believe Jesus is alive and He will come back. Now when there is a person that says she is a prophet and she believes that Jesus will come back at a certain time and since we had that belief from the roots it was not a problem for us to believe. She would speak and say that she left her job and she sold her house and she is educated. Because of the fact that she was educated it was easy for us to believe that she can not just leave her job and all her belongings it means she must be truthful/sure???.
V/O 6:
(Visuals of Ndabazoxolo with his sister and brothers)
The Dukuza family was one of the first to move into the compound at Mandela Park.
Ups 2: Dukuza
In 1996 were there praising the Lord/attending church. We came back in January confused, we didn't know whether to continue working or to leave work because they said in May 1997, Jesus is coming back. It was chaos. Other people sold their furniture, others burnt it. Others broke their marriages. May came and Jesus did'nt come and they said it was not a mistake, He didn't come beacsue people are not ready for Him.
V/O 7:
(visuals: memebers at the church compound....)
The Awaiting Christ Church started with more than a 100 members. Most of them came from across the Eastern Cape. They call this place the ark. Members come here to wait for the return of Jesus. Those who stay in the compound have to give up all earthly things. Some of the members stopped going to school, others even stopped working. Married couples were NOT allowed to live together.
Ups 1: (English) Nokulunga Fipaza
The heart needs to be prepared for the coming of Jesus. In needs to be holy...
Ups 3: Dukuza...
In December again we had a prophecy that every one with money in the bank must go and withdrwa it and come back with it at the compound because the time to spend it will be little. The 30th of December Jesus is coming back that means the 1st of 1998 there will be no need for money because will not be here.
We prayed until the first where where 12o'clock at night Jesus is coming back. It became 12 o'clock, 1,2,3 until 4 o'clock in the morning by then the sun was rising. We started having questioning ourselves why Jesus did not come. They said again that we are not ready.
V/O 8:
(visuals: Dukuza's mom at the stove coooking)
The unfulfilled prophecies made some of the members leave the cult. Theo and one of his brothers were among them. Yet this didn’t deter the other family members - especially Theo's mom who still waits anxiously, day by day, for Jesus to return.
(She will ask him if he has heaven???)
ups 1: Dukuza's mom
It's my religion that Jesus will come back. I was not detered when Jesus did not come. Even with all these things happening we were still waiting for the coming back of Jesus.
I took all my kids with me because I wanted them togo to heaven, I did not want them to mix with earthly things. I am very scared of hell. I wanted my kids to one thing only, to praise God and forget about earthly things.
V/O 9:
(Note: change visuals around: Dukuza's father walking out of the house...)
Mbuzeni Dukuza is 76 years old. He last saw his children and wife seven years ago. He said they all went to live at the awaiting christ Church in Mandela Park. He says he tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen. He is a pensioner now… and says he has no energy to support children who refused to go to school when they had the chance. All he waits for now is his time to die.
Ups 1: dukuza's father.
They left and I heard where they were and I went to fetch them. Then they all left one by one. Until four of them all left and one is dead now. Only three are back.
I didn't like them to live but that church had power and they liked it.
V/O 10:
(visuals of Dukuza and sister and brother arriving...)
Today Theo is bringing his brothers and sisters to see their father. It’s many years since they’ve seen him. Living in the compound, they had no contact for many years. They are fearful… they wonder whether their father will forgive them, let alone welcome them back home.
ups 2: Dukuza's father (start underneath visuals)
My wife, Madikela, I miss her. I even miss the children. But now that I have seen them. Here they are in front of me. (ups is cut short a bit....)
I forgave them I forgave them because I realised that wherether I forgive them or not it's the same. I too will be at fault with God because God says people must forgive each other.
V/O 11:
(Dukuza 's family sitting with father, brothers and sister drinking tea).
Mbuzeni Dukuza knows that one of his daughters died at the church three years ago. He says he’s angry that they never told him of his daughters illness and death. Sinoxolo's death has left the family divided. Her mother says she does not mourn her. She says for many years she saw the cult members as her family.
ups 3: Dukuza's father
I said I must console myself because when a person is dead she is dead. I said that as long as she is back here at home to be buried here. I will not worry anymore. Her body has been found. I must not worry.
Ups 2: Dukuza's mom:
Even with my daughters death I didn't feel any pain, I didn't cry because I knew that her soul went to heaven. I would have been sad if my child died from a stabbing, gun shot or AIDS. But it was not painful because Sinoxolo died holy and I am sure she is in heaven.
Ups 4: Ndabazoxolo Dukuza
The woman who was the prophet said to me, "We are guided by the spirit. If the spirit do this today we do it". So I said if you are guided by the spirit why don't you tell us the truth, even if the spirit said bury her today why did you not decide tell me the following day that she was ill, she died and we buried her.
Ups 3: Dukuza's mom
We did not kill anyone in the church. All we need was bury people. Also those people were ill with fever and so on, there is no that we killed.
V/O 12:
Two of her sons are now awaiting trial for digging the graves of the eight bodies found at the church. Their sister Sinoxolo is at last buried at home.
====================================================
PART 2:
V/O 13:
(Intro Payne township, intro Sindiswa and Nosipho)
Payne a township in Umtata is not far from Mandela Park – former ? home of the Awaiting Christ Church.
Nosipho Mpambaniso and Sindiswa Bakeni are sisters. They also stayed in the compound. Their older sister was already living there when she introduced them to the church. They’ve spent the last seven years learning how to prepare themselves for "rapture" - the return of Jesus Christ. This meant leaving school and their families. Sindiswa was only fifteen at the time… Nosipho was 12.
Sindiswa Bakeni
ups 1:
We used to wake up early and attend the five o'clock prayer. After that we would do our different chores. Others would wash dishes and others would clean. And then again at 1 pm we would worship, then we would go again to doing our chores. We then have another worship session at 4 pm and later at 6 pm.
Nosipho Mpambaniso
Ups 1:
My problem with living at home was that as people we don't have the same beliefs/religion. So I would have been disturbed in my religion and that is why I like staying at the compound.
Ups 2:
There are a lot of people here at Umtata who claim that they are born again but once it comes down to people having to do as the bible says they don't. Everyone says they are born again but they can't do according to God's words.
V/O 14:
(visuals intro Pastor Willie)
Pastor Melford Willie is the Head of Apostolic Pastoral Forum in Umtata. He says he knew the cult's leaders. They were once members of the Apostolic church. He says they were too extreme in their beliefs… and that wanted to isolate themselves from other churches.
Pastor Willie:
ups 1:
Things that are wrong are mostly very much attractive. Sometimes there are certain promises that you may not know that could have motivated people to join that thing no matter how wrong it is. For instance if someone says Jesus is coming back in the year 2000, a person who does not the bible will think I have to be purified, I will go to heaven and see Jesus.
Ups 2:
Sindiswa:
By staying in that church we were there waiting for rapture. We were waiting for Jesus to come and fetch us. Other things that happened in the church we didn't know about. (cut at besingayazi thina.)
Ups 2: Pastor Willie (English)
Once you tell people 1914 Jesus is coming as it was said and he never came. Now 2000 Jesus is coming It's misleading, it's a herasy because according to the bible no one knows the hour and the time.
V/O 15:
(visuals: the compound and the cult church, singing...)
Members of the cult cut themselves off from their families completely. The cult was now their new family. After joining many left their jobs. Those who did work had to donate their entire salary to the cause. They were all waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ…. Which would be soon.
So what caused the death of the eight cult members who were buried in the compound. It’s claimed they died of starvation and TB - amongst other reasons. ???
Nokulunga Fipaza:
ups 1:
It's a chaos that is coming and it's here. God will find us in this ark and He will hide us. There is a big thing that is coming.
I am not crazy especially after I am educated and say children should not go to school. But God said they will study and where will they work. Because the Lord is coming back.
ups 3: Pastor Willie (English)
The very concept of abondoning families and staying in the compound. Jesus said occupy until I come. We are told to preach until the owner comes back. (cut ups???)
Ups 2: Nokulunga Fipaza (English)
There is no malnourishment here there is nobody who is naked as you can see they are all in the dignity of Christ.
They are surving through faith. God is feeding them. God is doing everything for them.
(take Jesus is our doctor up in part 1)
ups 4: Pastor Willie: (English)
They said nobody will die there and nobody will die now that it happened they consilead the evidence.
V/O 16:
(visuals of nosipho's mom sitting with Nosipho and Sindiswa)
Today Florah Mpambaniso is happy. She can now spend time with her daughters, Sindiswa and Nosipho… and talk to them. She also says she can’t believe how grown up they are now.
Florah Mpambaniso (Nosipho's mom):
Ups 1:
My kids left me. That is why I say my tears could fill a dam. It was not nice but when your kids say they are going to Jesus I kept quite waht was I to do?
I asked why not wait until Jesus comes back and it was said when He comes a bell will ring. Why not wait for the bell to ring before you leave school?
Ups 3: Nosipho:
I was doing God's will. Because the word of God on Luke 14 says if you don't give up your parent, even your sister and your life you are not my child/chosen one. So my life was school so I did as the word said because I wanted to follow Jesus.
V/O 17:
(visuals of Nosipho's mom walking)
Nosipho and Sindiswa joined the cult after visiting Maria - their elder sister in the compound. Maria died there in 2001. Now their mother Florah is left to mourn - and bury her - two years later.
ups : Sindiswa
Our sister Maria left and her home whilst she was healthy to worship God, she even told her mother that she is going to worship. She told her she never coming back, she will be lifted to heaven (rapture) she won't die here on earth. But then death came. She became ill there, she was coughing and lost weight and she died.
Ups 2: Florah
They lied to me. When I asked if the kids were happy they said they were. I trusted them because they were people of the church. (cut ups shorter) I am heart broken, I don't know when I do meet them what I will do. Because they were suppose to come to me and ask for forgiveness and tell me that my child is dead, she was ill and she died. (cut at "wasishiyake.")
V/O 18:
(visuals of Nosipho packing cups)
Nosipho says she didn’t do anything wrong by not telling her mother of her sister's illness or death. After all, she no longer regarded her as family. Nosipho also doesn’t share her mother's grief. According to her religion crying for the dead is a sin.
Ups : Nosipho
I was waiting for Jesus in that place. So when Jesus comes back I knew I would meet my sister again.
V/O 19:
(Visuals of the church of christ now, abondoned...visuals of the match)
Three weeks after the exhumation of the bodies, the community and the churches in Mandela Park have joined hands. They want to cleanse the compound of its past. The churches also want to send out a strong message.
Nat ups of Pastor at the match:
You are one God. You were the God of our parents and our ancestors. You are a God that would not be crooked by people holding an unmbrella of Christianity, whilst under those umbrella's they are doing evil things. You have exposed them today God like the day when Jesus exposed himself when he left the kingdom and came to earth to punish all the evil deeds that were done.
V/O 20:
(visuals: matchers singing....)
It’s not easy for the community of Mandela Park and the families of those who died. They have to find a way to forgive… and to move on.
Some cult members still contemplating starting up the church again. They say - all they want to do is to wait for the return of Christ. Something due to happen VERY SOON.
END Credits
===
Waiting For Jesus
26 minutes
September 2003
SCRIPT:
===============================
Ups Nokulunga Fipaza: Jesus is our doctor....
V/O 1:
(Visuals: cult members singing...)
This is the leader of the awaiting Christ church, Nokulunga Fipaza. She was the one who persuaded many to give up their lives and join the church. She disappeared recently… after 8 bodies were found in the church's compound.
Title: Waiting for Jesus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V/O 2:
Mandela Park is a small township in Umtata Eastern Cape. (Most of the people are poor.) In 1997 the Awaiting Christ Church group opened its doors here. Residents say this group had been chased away from several other places before coming here. They also say they were very religious… they sang day and night.
ups 1: Jonginkosi Ndzambule - Community leader
When this church arrived we liked it because we like people who are Christiansand we too are Chrictians. The constitution of South Africa says anyone has freedom of religion. But we said since they are here and are in church (are praising God) we have no right to chase them if they did not do anything that is associated with crime or braking the law. We then decided that even though they have been cahsed from other places we needed to see waht made them to be chased away. It will be like we are mistreating people of God.
V/O 3:
(visuals: The church, the community, the police, the dog snifing, cult members sitting around)
Three weeks ago the church was closed down. A family member had not seen or talked to sister for two years. So he got a court order to get the church to tell him where his sister was. She had been staying at the church for the last seven years. When the police moved in they discovered 8 bodies buried in the compound.
Ups 2: Jonginkosi
What we saw here is that they buried people in their yard. Other graves are here in the garden where they had planted small peach trees, spinach and cabbage and beans. Other graves they buried them well, they just laid grass on top of them. They even watered it so that a person passing by will not see that there are graves. The other three graves they were underneath a fence so that you can not see them you would think it's a yard with a garden.
V/O 4:
(visuals of digging, bodies taken out...)
The community was shocked by the death of these cult members. One of the cult’s claims had been that no one would get ill or die. Some in the community say that these unmarked graves point to witchcraft… graves that were less than a meter deep.
They also say they cannot believe that the church deceived them.
There was no effort to contact the families when the members were ill. Or when they were buried. They want the cult to move from Mandela Park… and have threatened to burn this compound.
V/O 5:
(Dukuza's home, family sitting in the table...)
This is the Dukuza's family. They all stayed in the compound once. Theo Dukuza left 5 years ago. He’s the one who got the court order to find his sister.
He’s the eldest… and he says he now has to care for his mother, sister and two brothers who have been in the compound for the last seven years. His siblings all stopped going to school after joining the church.
Ups 1: Ndabazoxolo Dukuza
What made us to join the church was that we people that believe Jesus is alive and He will come back. Now when there is a person that says she is a prophet and she believes that Jesus will come back at a certain time and since we had that belief from the roots it was not a problem for us to believe. She would speak and say that she left her job and she sold her house and she is educated. Because of the fact that she was educated it was easy for us to believe that she can not just leave her job and all her belongings it means she must be truthful/sure???.
V/O 6:
(Visuals of Ndabazoxolo with his sister and brothers)
The Dukuza family was one of the first to move into the compound at Mandela Park.
Ups 2: Dukuza
In 1996 were there praising the Lord/attending church. We came back in January confused, we didn't know whether to continue working or to leave work because they said in May 1997, Jesus is coming back. It was chaos. Other people sold their furniture, others burnt it. Others broke their marriages. May came and Jesus did'nt come and they said it was not a mistake, He didn't come beacsue people are not ready for Him.
V/O 7:
(visuals: memebers at the church compound....)
The Awaiting Christ Church started with more than a 100 members. Most of them came from across the Eastern Cape. They call this place the ark. Members come here to wait for the return of Jesus. Those who stay in the compound have to give up all earthly things. Some of the members stopped going to school, others even stopped working. Married couples were NOT allowed to live together.
Ups 1: (English) Nokulunga Fipaza
The heart needs to be prepared for the coming of Jesus. In needs to be holy...
Ups 3: Dukuza...
In December again we had a prophecy that every one with money in the bank must go and withdrwa it and come back with it at the compound because the time to spend it will be little. The 30th of December Jesus is coming back that means the 1st of 1998 there will be no need for money because will not be here.
We prayed until the first where where 12o'clock at night Jesus is coming back. It became 12 o'clock, 1,2,3 until 4 o'clock in the morning by then the sun was rising. We started having questioning ourselves why Jesus did not come. They said again that we are not ready.
V/O 8:
(visuals: Dukuza's mom at the stove coooking)
The unfulfilled prophecies made some of the members leave the cult. Theo and one of his brothers were among them. Yet this didn’t deter the other family members - especially Theo's mom who still waits anxiously, day by day, for Jesus to return.
(She will ask him if he has heaven???)
ups 1: Dukuza's mom
It's my religion that Jesus will come back. I was not detered when Jesus did not come. Even with all these things happening we were still waiting for the coming back of Jesus.
I took all my kids with me because I wanted them togo to heaven, I did not want them to mix with earthly things. I am very scared of hell. I wanted my kids to one thing only, to praise God and forget about earthly things.
V/O 9:
(Note: change visuals around: Dukuza's father walking out of the house...)
Mbuzeni Dukuza is 76 years old. He last saw his children and wife seven years ago. He said they all went to live at the awaiting christ Church in Mandela Park. He says he tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen. He is a pensioner now… and says he has no energy to support children who refused to go to school when they had the chance. All he waits for now is his time to die.
Ups 1: dukuza's father.
They left and I heard where they were and I went to fetch them. Then they all left one by one. Until four of them all left and one is dead now. Only three are back.
I didn't like them to live but that church had power and they liked it.
V/O 10:
(visuals of Dukuza and sister and brother arriving...)
Today Theo is bringing his brothers and sisters to see their father. It’s many years since they’ve seen him. Living in the compound, they had no contact for many years. They are fearful… they wonder whether their father will forgive them, let alone welcome them back home.
ups 2: Dukuza's father (start underneath visuals)
My wife, Madikela, I miss her. I even miss the children. But now that I have seen them. Here they are in front of me. (ups is cut short a bit....)
I forgave them I forgave them because I realised that wherether I forgive them or not it's the same. I too will be at fault with God because God says people must forgive each other.
V/O 11:
(Dukuza 's family sitting with father, brothers and sister drinking tea).
Mbuzeni Dukuza knows that one of his daughters died at the church three years ago. He says he’s angry that they never told him of his daughters illness and death. Sinoxolo's death has left the family divided. Her mother says she does not mourn her. She says for many years she saw the cult members as her family.
ups 3: Dukuza's father
I said I must console myself because when a person is dead she is dead. I said that as long as she is back here at home to be buried here. I will not worry anymore. Her body has been found. I must not worry.
Ups 2: Dukuza's mom:
Even with my daughters death I didn't feel any pain, I didn't cry because I knew that her soul went to heaven. I would have been sad if my child died from a stabbing, gun shot or AIDS. But it was not painful because Sinoxolo died holy and I am sure she is in heaven.
Ups 4: Ndabazoxolo Dukuza
The woman who was the prophet said to me, "We are guided by the spirit. If the spirit do this today we do it". So I said if you are guided by the spirit why don't you tell us the truth, even if the spirit said bury her today why did you not decide tell me the following day that she was ill, she died and we buried her.
Ups 3: Dukuza's mom
We did not kill anyone in the church. All we need was bury people. Also those people were ill with fever and so on, there is no that we killed.
V/O 12:
Two of her sons are now awaiting trial for digging the graves of the eight bodies found at the church. Their sister Sinoxolo is at last buried at home.
====================================================
PART 2:
V/O 13:
(Intro Payne township, intro Sindiswa and Nosipho)
Payne a township in Umtata is not far from Mandela Park – former ? home of the Awaiting Christ Church.
Nosipho Mpambaniso and Sindiswa Bakeni are sisters. They also stayed in the compound. Their older sister was already living there when she introduced them to the church. They’ve spent the last seven years learning how to prepare themselves for "rapture" - the return of Jesus Christ. This meant leaving school and their families. Sindiswa was only fifteen at the time… Nosipho was 12.
Sindiswa Bakeni
ups 1:
We used to wake up early and attend the five o'clock prayer. After that we would do our different chores. Others would wash dishes and others would clean. And then again at 1 pm we would worship, then we would go again to doing our chores. We then have another worship session at 4 pm and later at 6 pm.
Nosipho Mpambaniso
Ups 1:
My problem with living at home was that as people we don't have the same beliefs/religion. So I would have been disturbed in my religion and that is why I like staying at the compound.
Ups 2:
There are a lot of people here at Umtata who claim that they are born again but once it comes down to people having to do as the bible says they don't. Everyone says they are born again but they can't do according to God's words.
V/O 14:
(visuals intro Pastor Willie)
Pastor Melford Willie is the Head of Apostolic Pastoral Forum in Umtata. He says he knew the cult's leaders. They were once members of the Apostolic church. He says they were too extreme in their beliefs… and that wanted to isolate themselves from other churches.
Pastor Willie:
ups 1:
Things that are wrong are mostly very much attractive. Sometimes there are certain promises that you may not know that could have motivated people to join that thing no matter how wrong it is. For instance if someone says Jesus is coming back in the year 2000, a person who does not the bible will think I have to be purified, I will go to heaven and see Jesus.
Ups 2:
Sindiswa:
By staying in that church we were there waiting for rapture. We were waiting for Jesus to come and fetch us. Other things that happened in the church we didn't know about. (cut at besingayazi thina.)
Ups 2: Pastor Willie (English)
Once you tell people 1914 Jesus is coming as it was said and he never came. Now 2000 Jesus is coming It's misleading, it's a herasy because according to the bible no one knows the hour and the time.
V/O 15:
(visuals: the compound and the cult church, singing...)
Members of the cult cut themselves off from their families completely. The cult was now their new family. After joining many left their jobs. Those who did work had to donate their entire salary to the cause. They were all waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ…. Which would be soon.
So what caused the death of the eight cult members who were buried in the compound. It’s claimed they died of starvation and TB - amongst other reasons. ???
Nokulunga Fipaza:
ups 1:
It's a chaos that is coming and it's here. God will find us in this ark and He will hide us. There is a big thing that is coming.
I am not crazy especially after I am educated and say children should not go to school. But God said they will study and where will they work. Because the Lord is coming back.
ups 3: Pastor Willie (English)
The very concept of abondoning families and staying in the compound. Jesus said occupy until I come. We are told to preach until the owner comes back. (cut ups???)
Ups 2: Nokulunga Fipaza (English)
There is no malnourishment here there is nobody who is naked as you can see they are all in the dignity of Christ.
They are surving through faith. God is feeding them. God is doing everything for them.
(take Jesus is our doctor up in part 1)
ups 4: Pastor Willie: (English)
They said nobody will die there and nobody will die now that it happened they consilead the evidence.
V/O 16:
(visuals of nosipho's mom sitting with Nosipho and Sindiswa)
Today Florah Mpambaniso is happy. She can now spend time with her daughters, Sindiswa and Nosipho… and talk to them. She also says she can’t believe how grown up they are now.
Florah Mpambaniso (Nosipho's mom):
Ups 1:
My kids left me. That is why I say my tears could fill a dam. It was not nice but when your kids say they are going to Jesus I kept quite waht was I to do?
I asked why not wait until Jesus comes back and it was said when He comes a bell will ring. Why not wait for the bell to ring before you leave school?
Ups 3: Nosipho:
I was doing God's will. Because the word of God on Luke 14 says if you don't give up your parent, even your sister and your life you are not my child/chosen one. So my life was school so I did as the word said because I wanted to follow Jesus.
V/O 17:
(visuals of Nosipho's mom walking)
Nosipho and Sindiswa joined the cult after visiting Maria - their elder sister in the compound. Maria died there in 2001. Now their mother Florah is left to mourn - and bury her - two years later.
ups : Sindiswa
Our sister Maria left and her home whilst she was healthy to worship God, she even told her mother that she is going to worship. She told her she never coming back, she will be lifted to heaven (rapture) she won't die here on earth. But then death came. She became ill there, she was coughing and lost weight and she died.
Ups 2: Florah
They lied to me. When I asked if the kids were happy they said they were. I trusted them because they were people of the church. (cut ups shorter) I am heart broken, I don't know when I do meet them what I will do. Because they were suppose to come to me and ask for forgiveness and tell me that my child is dead, she was ill and she died. (cut at "wasishiyake.")
V/O 18:
(visuals of Nosipho packing cups)
Nosipho says she didn’t do anything wrong by not telling her mother of her sister's illness or death. After all, she no longer regarded her as family. Nosipho also doesn’t share her mother's grief. According to her religion crying for the dead is a sin.
Ups : Nosipho
I was waiting for Jesus in that place. So when Jesus comes back I knew I would meet my sister again.
V/O 19:
(Visuals of the church of christ now, abondoned...visuals of the match)
Three weeks after the exhumation of the bodies, the community and the churches in Mandela Park have joined hands. They want to cleanse the compound of its past. The churches also want to send out a strong message.
Nat ups of Pastor at the match:
You are one God. You were the God of our parents and our ancestors. You are a God that would not be crooked by people holding an unmbrella of Christianity, whilst under those umbrella's they are doing evil things. You have exposed them today God like the day when Jesus exposed himself when he left the kingdom and came to earth to punish all the evil deeds that were done.
V/O 20:
(visuals: matchers singing....)
It’s not easy for the community of Mandela Park and the families of those who died. They have to find a way to forgive… and to move on.
Some cult members still contemplating starting up the church again. They say - all they want to do is to wait for the return of Christ. Something due to happen VERY SOON.
END Credits
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