Awaiting Christ Church, also known as Silinde u-Yesu, was a millenarian Christian church in South Africa led by Nokulunga Fiphaza. The movement was characterized by its apocalyptic predictions and its fervent belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
The church originated in the village of Corhana. In 1995, the congregants, who initially worked as hand-made furniture merchants, relocated from Empindweni to Mandela Park, an informal settlement in Umtata. By 1997, they had ceased their carpentry work to focus on preparing for the Second Coming.
Fiphaza, a former nurse and lay preacher at the Apostolic Faith Church, claimed to be a “God-ordained prophet.” Fiphaza’s teachings emphasized a life of purity and devotion, leading to distinct lifestyle choices among her followers. These included strict dietary guidelines, communal living arrangements where family members lived in separate quarters, and a cautious approach to technology, which was viewed as a distraction from spiritual devotion. The church also discouraged members from seeking medical attention, insisting that sick individuals should not be treated, as they believed no one in the cult could get sick or die.
Fiphaza made several predictions for the date of the Second Coming, including December 20, 1997, December 31, 1999, and July 31, 2000. When these predictions failed to materialize, members were informed that the delay was due to their insufficient preparedness. Members were encouraged to sell their assets, including furniture and livestock, and donate the money to the church for cleansing rituals. Those who were employed reportedly donated all their earnings to the group. In anticipation of the apocalypse, members ceased working and pulled their children from school, believing that schools were “satanic” and “teaching fornication.” The church implemented a ban on all sexual activity, even among married couples, and declared all marriages after 1990 to be invalid.
In 2003, the Awaiting Christ Church became the subject of police investigation following the discovery of eight shallow graves at their compound in Mandela Park. The bodies, including at least one child, were exhumed. This incident led to the arrest of 12 church elders on charges related to the concealment of deaths. It was speculated that the bodies were hidden to conceal the fact that members were getting sick and dying, which contradicted the cult’s teachings that no one in the group could fall ill or perish. Fiphaza herself went on the run after the bodies were discovered and the group is believed to have dissolved shortly after the arrests.
Key Sources:
Ancer, J. (2003, June 25). Umtata’s extraordinary day of death. The Star.
The Associated Press (2003, June 28). “Cult” in court over exhumed bodies.
Kumbaca, N. (2003, June 27). Member of cult church speaks out. The Daily Dispatch.
The Mail & Guardian. (2000, August 18). Jesus is coming, or maybe not.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 