Rev. Mokhekhelezi Ben Shikwambana (Autobiography)

This book is an autobiography of a Bi-vocational Pastor, who served God in the deep rural communities of North East District Church of the Nazarene in South Africa. His experiences as both the Pastor and government worker are worth sharing with the world to encourage all who have been called by God into the Ministry. Rev Shikwambana is an example of the Pastor who embraced his call as a youth right through to retirement.

1. EARLY LIFE

I was born on 09.01.1948 at Mhlava Cross. My father had two wives, my mother was the second wife. Our family endured extreme poverty because my father was unemployed. My father was born in 1906 while my mother was born in 1918. Sickness was another challenge that led to the death of my two younger brothers passing on in the hands of traditional healers. When my last born brother also became sick, I advised my parents against taking him to the traditional healers and I thank God that he survived. That has built my faith to God even though I had not committed to be a Christian by then. My mother also decided to go with me to the Church of the Nazarene. I attended school at Mhlava Primary School where I passed grade 4.

2. EMPLOYMENT AS A YOUTH

In 1966 poverty forced me out of the classroom and I went to look for a job where Mr Dou near Harmonie employed me for four years as a Foreman. From there I worked for the contractor Mr W. Malungana, I was employed by Skiepper as a painter, worked at Tzaneen Dairy for Mr Ben Jackob, employed by Vitter Frizer in Johannesburg, and then worked at Glenora Fruit juice in Germiston. I then returned home when my mother was sick, to work for a certain white man who disappeared without paying us.

3. CONVERSION AND EARLY CHRISTIAN LIFE

I attended the Church of the Nazarene from 1960 which was pastured by two sisters of Maziti Nkuna family. These two women were the first to have the vision of my calling into the ministry. It was only in 1970 during the preaching of Rev Rosina Boshielo that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. During the (Vacation Bible School) VBS she told me that God wants me to be a Pastor and that if I refuse my life will not go on well. Rev Jack Ralley called me to help him build Mhlava Cross, Nkowankowa and Giyani Churches. He also told me that God is calling me to be a Pastor, and that if I am willing to go to the Bible School, he will send me there.

4. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Before He sent me to the Bible College Rev Ralley asked me if I were married. I told him tha
t I paid part of the lobola and was staying with my wife N’wamacelele Emah from 1970. He gave me the balance to finish my lobola and sent us to the Magistrate to sign for the civil marriage. He then sent us both to the Bible College at Arthurseat in the 1973. A miracle happened on the 4 October 1973 when God blessed us with our firstborn child after a series of miscarriages for the previous three years.

3. OUR CHILDREN

God blessed us with four children. Emmanuel was born in 1973, he is married, employed as supervisor in Rustenburg. Paniel was born in 1976. He is married and is a manager at Two Mountains in Tzaneen. Patricia was born in 1979 but has met her untimely death in road accident leaving her only son. Mrs Irene Shikwambana is married.

5. TRAGEDY!!!

Our daughter who was so intelligent and highly motivated was involved in an accident and suddenly passed on. Her death shook my whole being. I never thought something like that would happen. I had just paid R10 000.00 for her to further her nursing studies in Johannesburg. It took me a long time to deal with her death. I did not know how her only son Tlangelani Nsuku Mathye would grow without her, but I praise God because he is now in grade 10 this year.

6. BIBLE COLLEGE YEARS

I will forever be grateful to the late Rev I Ntimane who paid up my bed account at Tzaneen furniture shop when I went to the Bible College. Although Bible college students were given an opportunity to preach in the church after the second year of study, I was honoured to preach from my 4 th month in the college and sent to Zimmerman Church of the Nazarene with the District Superintendent Rev A. Maenetja where I preached with him for two months.

6.1 ZIMMERMAN CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

At this Church I used to wake up early to conduct home visitation and then went to preach in the Church every Sunday. I pastured that Church for two years while I was a student. One day I entered the house of Nziyane family and to my surprise both husband and wife were already dressed up but told me that they are on a journey somewhere because of the sickness of their child. I requested to pray for them and they agreed. During the Sunday School lesson, I saw the Nziyane family entering the Church. After preaching during the worship service I conducted an altar call, my heart was filled with joy to see the Nziyana couple to be the first to respond and came to the altar. Sometime after I finished my studies at the Bible College, I received a call informing me that Mr Nziyana has gone to the Bible College!

6.2 DIEKSIE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

During my third year in the Bible college in 1975 I was sent to pasture Dicksie Church of the Nazarene at Manyeleti. The Missionary used to transport me there. I found only few members there. As I conducted home visitation I was shocked that our church members were participating in traditional healers’ activities. When they saw that I have seen them, they disappeared from the Church. When I left the church at the end of the year there were only two members: Mr Ngobeni who was a Ranger at Manyeleti Game Reserve and his wife who was a second year student at Tivumbeni College of Education.

7. PASTORAL WORK AND ORDINATION

Upon finishing my studies at Arthurseat Bible College, I returned to North East District and was assigned Dan Church of the Nazarene for one year in 1976. The following year the District sent me to Letaba Estate Church of the Nazarene in 1977.

LETABA ESTATE 1980

LETABA ESTATE: 1990

7.1 LETABA ESTATE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: 1977-1991

During my stay I was requested by Rev Van der Linde and Mrs Wolmarans to assist in preaching in their Pentecost Church. That is where I won the Sanderson and Sebola families to the Church of the Nazarene. Other members also joined the Church. The Full Gospel and Roman Catholic Churches started to accuse me of sheep stealing, but members insisted that they wanted to be Nazarenes. The Church was built in an orange farm comprising of farm workers who stayed there and work during orange farming seasons. When the farm was out of the season, the people would go home. As a result, I would remain with my wife and children as the only members in the Church. We endured extreme poverty because farm workers did not tithe from their little income. Since I got R50 subsidy from the missionaries, I depended on my relatives to finance my travel to attend District events. I praise the Lord for the families that came to Know Jesus during my ministerial work at Letaba Estate Church of the Nazarene. The members were Mr and Mrs Sanderson who are now Nkowankowa Church of the Nazarene members, Mr B.Sebola in Mhlava Cross Church of the Nazarene, Mr and Mrs Mathye now full members at Dan Church of the Nazarene, Pastors D. Marima and the late Mr F. Rikhotso who joined the I.P.C Church, Mrs Eunice Sanderson, Mr Jack Nghonyama, Mr Thomas Banda, Mr Thomas Matona, as well as Mr Thomas Manganyi and his wife Asnath. We suffered a great loss when Mr Banda met his untimely death in the road accident in 1977. When I look back and remember these families I realise that God has helped me and that my stay at Letaba Estate has yielded much fruit in the kingdom of God.

7.2 DAN CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: 1991 -2016

On my arrival in 1991 there was no church building. The permission to occupy (PTO) the site was also lost. The Africa Region sent people to start building the foundation. I then took it upon myself to re-apply for the site which through the help of the then District Superintendent, Re
v Makhubele, the tribal authority recommended the application and the demarcation board approvedit. It was then that the Africa Region continued to build the Church and it was completed in 1992. Dan Church of the Nazarene became close to my heart as I served God in it. Many members were received and their faith in God grew in the church. The church was like my second family and members did their best to sustain the church through attendance and offerings. My memories go back to several faithful members who were called to be with the Lord. We lost elderly grannies, Mrs Munene and Mrs Malavila. When Mr Shingange passed on, his wife Sharlotte (who is a faithful member of the church to this day) endured hardship from the relatives as well as to bring up her two children on her own. Ms Queeneth Shingange also passed on leaving her children who are now adults. It worries me that her children are not in the church today. Ms Mabedlhe and Mrs Khosa also lost their spouses during my work at Dan. We had hoped that Mrs Khosa’s first born son will continue to support the family, but that was not to be. He met his untimely death in a road accident this year, leaving the family devastated. Praise God for the members that are still active at the church today: Ms Mavis Nhlangwini, Ms Grace Mantshana (at Nkowankowa Church), Ms S. Mathye, Mrs L. Nkhwashu, Mrs Virginia and Florence, Ms O. Mapimele, Ms N. Nomvele, Ms Sharlotte Shingange, Ms Machimana, Granny Malabela, Ms Mabedlhe, Jack Sono, Ms Khosa, Ms Kubayi, Kokwana Masavana, Ms M. Shingange, as well as their children.

7.3 NORTH EAST DISTRICT

In 1978 I was elected to be NYI treasurer and then president in 1982. During 1983 – 1989 I was the vice president. The District awarded me a certificate for the service I rendered in the District. I was ordained in 1983 in Swaziland. In 1989 when I got government job, the R50 subsidy was withdrawn because the church did not allow me to earn 2 salaries. I then requested to be allowed to continue to preach and that was granted. I was then a Bi-vocational Pastor of Dan Church until 2016 when I retired. I thank God who helped me to do his work well. I also thank my dear wife who loves me and supported me in pastoral work. She was never like a mosquito in my life. She did not abandon me even during extreme poverty. My children too, have been my strong support structure even though as parents we never had a salary from the churches that we pastured.

8. FED BY RAVENS! (IIKings17:5-6)

During my Pastoral work I earned R50 Subsidy from the missionaries and jumble sale clothing they gave to us. Besides my family, I was also responsible for caring for my parents and my siblings with food and school fees. My children shared half loaf of bread for lunch and the other half for dinner. Letaba Estate is an orange farm, and we used to pick up low quality oranges thrown away for food. When I failed to pay my R70 account for mealie meal from one farmer he asked if I was employed and I replied that I am the Pastor for the Church of the Nazarene and that I get R50 for subsidy. He felt pity for me and gave me a bag of mealie meal. The Maluvana and Maphosa families, who were not members of our church also felt sympathy and provided food to us. Dr Mahalakwena gave me a car that enabled me to travel to church and to conduct funerals. I worked during the weekends at Mr van der Linde’s shop and my wife worked at Mrs Lombard’s kitchen. One day Mr Thomas, secretary at Minute Maid Juice factory of Letaba Estate orange farm, invited us for dinner, there we had nice meal. As we were going home, he gave us more food, diamond mash for fence, 12 corrugated iron, 4 drums and plastic drum. Then he offered to buy a bag of mealie meal every month- which he did for two years! When my wife got so sick that she became unconscious, Mrs Wolmarans helped me to take her to the hospital. In our disappointment when the hospital refused to admit her, that was the time I had to fully depend on God for her healing. Indeed God replied to my prayer and she was healed. During my ministerial work at Dan Church I was also given a car by Mr B. Sebola. May all these members be blessed by God because they encouraged me to work with all my heart for the Lord.

9. EMPLOYMENT

It was in November 1989 that the late Rev Reckson Mathebula helped me to get employed by the Department of Interior as a builder, the job that I did as
bi-vocational pastor until 2009. After that I was employed by the Department of Health to work at Mhlava clinic as a gardener. That very same year I was awarded a platinum certificate for making the clinic the best in Limpopo province in cleanliness. I worked in the clinic until my retirement in 2016.

10. COMMUNITY WORK

Besides pastoral and government works, I served in various structures as follows:

• I was elected as site steward at work from 1994 up to 2016.
• I was member of School Governing Body (SGB) for Nkakasana primary school.
• I was the SGB chairperson of Tinghitsi primary school, treasurer for Sasekani crèche, then vice chairperson of Margaret Shiluvana primary school for three years and honoured with a letter of appreciation.
• I then served as SGB member for Matlhari High School for six years where I received a certificate of appreciation.
• This is the third year that I am serving as the chairperson of the Pastors’ fraternal for Mhlava, Sasekani, Mhlava cross and Mageza villages.
• From 2009 to date I serve as chairperson of Mhlava clinic and Wisani C.B.O. and was awarded a certificate for that.
• Sasekani village also elected me to be the chairperson of the village council.
• From 2011 to date the Mhlava Royal Council appointed me to be the Headman for Sasekani village.

11. RETIREMENT AS ASSIGNED PASTOR

I retired from Dan Church of the Nazarene in December 2015 but the church requested me to continue for one more year. I therefore stayed on until December 2016 so that the Church should find my successor. During 2016 I worked so hard with the Church to get the Permission to Occupy (PTO) and I’m glad that soon we shall have a breakthrough. I thank the Lord who have been with me in the ministry. It was not easy but it was worth it. As I step down as the Pastor of Dan Church of the Nazarene, my prayer is that the church should grow. That is the church that I spent most of my life as the pastor and if it is sustained after my retirement, one of my prayers would have been answered!

12. MESSAGE FROM MRS N’WAMACELELE EMAH SHIKWAMBANA

I was born on 08.08.1957 at Gobye village under chief Mhlava. I passed grade 4 at Mhlava primary school. Seasonal jobs in the farms enticed me to leave school together with my friends. I thank God that made me to acquaint with Rev Shikwambana when he was a church goer. We accepted the Lord together in 1970 and proceeded to the Bible College together. I thank God for the love he poured in our hearts. There is peace and support in our family and nothing worries me in our relationship. How I wish that all pastors should also live in harmony, love and peace so that the world will believe in the God that we all serve. God has enabled us to conquer all the difficulties we encountered in our lives. He used Christians from various churches to help us, he used non-Christians to help us. Foreigners who were bereaved would ask Rev Shikwambana to bury their loved ones. It was a miracle for us to be given free permit to walk all over the Letaba Estate Farm as we wish. During the oranges season, we would see many people coming to the Church of the Nazarene, telling us that when they ask where is a church they can go to, they were directed to our church. We endured extreme poverty and were even mocked by a certain pastor who said he does not preach the poor gospel, that is why he change suits everyday and also drive a car. I also experienced sickness that incapacitated me to care for my one week old baby. For six months, my husband would bath and feed the baby, wash our clothes, fetch water and cook our meals. I therefore learnt from my husband what it means to love someone. I thank the late Rev Ida Ntimane and Mrs Matlebjana who encouraged us to go to the Church of the Nazarene, to work with my hands sewing clothes and sell, to travel to Johannesburg to buy articles and sell as well as to plough and plant mielies and vegetables so that we would not starve. I have told myself that the God of my husband is my God. Even though we are both afflicted with diseases, we are not afraid. We shall continue to praise our God without any doubt. When we live, we live for God, when we die we die for God!

13. CHILDREN

13.1 EMMANUEL WILLIE SHIKWAMBANA

I am the firstborn son born on 04 October 1973 and am married to Gledina Shalati Shikwambana, blessed with two sons, Glenuel and Benuel. I passed matric in 1995 at Mpumulana High School, then passed Diploma in Business Administration at Northern Training Trust in 1996. I did several other short courses and am very much involved in community work. I was brought up in the Church, as such, the responsibilities that I was engaged to do: NYI president, NMI president, Secretary of the Church Board and treasurer have developed leadership skills that have made me successful in my job today. I was raised in a very poor family where we often went to bed without food and had no pocket money when going to school. The Africa Region for the Church of the Nazarene used to send me R20 per month and Christmas toys, as son of the Pastor. My father’s Local Church could not pay him monthly salary, as a result, we were helped by non-Nazarenes like Mr and Mrs Thomas. I have seen my father helping families who had marriage problems and assisting the local Induna with village challenges. I am grateful to the departed Pastors: Rev Monyela for offering me job as a brick layer and Rev Mathebula for assisting my father to get government work. They made a very great impact in the plight of our family. To the Dan Church of the Nazarene, I am grateful for your support, because you gave my father something monthly to help support his family during his work as a pastor and always apologised to him during the months you could not pay him. Thanks for the Christmas gifts that you used to give him and also for often paying his hospital expenses. I believe this Church will grow into one of the largest Churches in the District according to my father’s dream as you work with the new pastor. Thank you for the various roles you gave me to do in the church for they built me into responsible leader in my work situation. My father, thank you for the quality time you’ve always spent with me, guiding me on how to live a holy life and supported me when I experience difficulties in life. You are a friend, coach, spiritual counsellor and motivator to me. I have learnt that when I see others receive answers to their prayers, I must be encouraged that my day is also coming. I am successful at work because I followed on your footsteps of leadership, love, commitment and dedication to all that you did.

13.2 MUDERI PANIEL SHIKWAMBANA

I was born on the 28 April 1976 at Shikwambana village, Second born of Rev and Mrs Shikwambana. I started schooling at Letaba Estate up to standard one, proceeded to Nkakasana and Mohlaba higher Primary up to Standard Five. I then went to Mpumulana high school where I passed my grade 12 in 1994. Due to poverty I didn’t go to the university but managed to equip myself with Computer literacy at Remote Computer College in Tzaneen. Then in 1998 I went to Marinkuna College of Agriculture where I received the Diploma in Agriculture. In 1999 I got a job at Ofcolaco at Mohlaba Fresh Produce under Chief Mohlaba 2. Before I work I was relying on my Father to get everything as well as money of between R60 and R110 from Church of the Nazarene at Florida, given to Pastors’ children under 21 years. That money was like nothing to my family because we were starving. I remember one day my brother and I planned a strike demanding enough food because we thought our Father was hiding some money to make us suffer. End of the month he gave us all his salary then we pay all his credits and only left with R300. It was a shock that a pastor and a government worker earned so little amount. We started to stand up by ourselves to survive and to improve the bad situation, I also joined Jesus Film Under Rev.Supe and the departed Rev. Moyo. They advised me to go to the Bible School. What came to my mind first it was the poverty from Church of the Nazarene coupled with the required District Budget. I could not understand why the Church was required to pay the District Budget and failed to pay the Pastor’s monthly salary. I therefore refused to go to Bible School but offered myself to head the branch of Mokgoloboto in 2003 just to satisfy my vision because the Church of the Nazarene is good on teaching and life lessons that will guide children, youth, adults and the aged. As I was preparing to get married in 2004, and there was no income in the church, I joined Two Mountains Company, working part-time to earn a salary. The company later employed me permanently. Working during the weekends made it very difficult to continue heading a church. I worked until they offered me a branch to manage and I managed to get Married to my Beautiful Wife Miyelani Precious Shikwambana and we are blessed with 3 kids, one girl and two boys. Now I’m a regional Manager of Two Mountians Funeral & Financial services. All the challenges I came across were very painful and disturbing but through the prayers of the members of Church of the Nazarene including my parents and God’s eyes upon me I survived till today, allow me to thank the Church of the Nazarene for showing us a living way, and I therefore declare: “ AS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”
Thank you, my parents for your unconditional love for me, protecting us from harm and guiding us to live a holy life. I appreciate your love, care and the way you raised us out of nothing. Today I am who I am because of your tender care, I don’t have enough words to say thank you, but I believe you understand what I’m saying; my actions speak louder than what I am saying now. Thank you, Papa for teaching us to stand for ourselves and to show us the way of Christ, for taking us to the Christian life and keeping us warm and healthy. Allow me to say many thanks to my Mother who kept me for 9 Months and making sure that I grew up to be the real man today, and now I am proud to say that you have a body guard that will not allow you to be harmed. Thank you! thank you and God bless both of you. Love youuuuuuuu!

13.3 IRENE SHIKWAMBANA

I am the last born raised in the Christian family under the Church of the Nazarene, I started as Sunday school child and we used to walk from Sasekani to Dan church of the Nazarene and going back without transport. I used to tell my mother that I was sick because I was so tired to walk. Then my Dad would say: It is fine my girl, but there is no child that will be left behind, all of us must go to church because immediately I start I want to see all of my kids first. I remember I was wearing school shoes to church with a hand sewn dress by my mother. During Christmas times I had to choose between school shoes or dress and when I chose a dress my Father would say: on January will you wear the dress to school? That means you must take school shoes and get a dress from my mother. Those were some challenges that I came across as a child. But I learned to be neat, honest and to be strict in my life. I also learnt to differentiate church from parties and that God is our Saviour even though we experienced poverty in life. The Book of Mathew 6 v25-34 made me strong and who I am today. Now I follow the truth, teachings and love Jesus as my personal Saviour. My Dad is a fighter even if things do not go well but he can stick to the promises of God and continue to serve the Lord in a bad situation. He ran his race well as a Pastor, and I am proud to my parents million times. I am happily Married with two beautiful girls. Thanks to everyone who contributed to my life and family as a whole.

14. FROM THE AUTHOR: Audrey Mhlongo

Having known Rev Shikwambana in the early eighties when I became the member of the Church of the Nazarene he was like all other Nazarene Pastors. On the first of January 2017 when I was assigned the Church that Rev Shikwambana pastured for 21 years, him as a retired pastor, I got to know him better. He and his wife are humble servants of the Lord with big hearts. Their actions speak louder than their words. The qualities that best describe them are: love, patience, humility, trust, industrious, perseverance, goal-oriented, determination and peace-makers (Galatians5:22). I found the Church with no quarrels, a Church where members share responsibility and care for one another. Rev Shikwambana does not complain doing the work of God. He preached the Gospel and also worked with his hands. I’m honoured by God to succeed him at Dan Church of the Nazarene. I decided to gather his life history and wrote it for the world to know him. I believe that he who began the good work in Dan Church will bring it to completion on the day of the Lord (Philippians 1:6). As he retires, I wish him well and pray that he witnesses the Church he laid a firm and solid foundation grows from strength to strength and give birth to several branches.

15. CONCLUSION

Dan Church of the Nazarene in North East District salute Rev and Mrs Shikwambana for having been good and faithful servants in the Church of the Nazarene. They counted the cost of being disciples of the Lord Jesus (Luke 14:28). They endured extreme circumstances with their children in order to be true to their calling. All the young Pastors that God is calling into the ministry should emulate their steadfastness to the end. You have fought a good fight, finished the race and kept the faith (2Tim4:7).

Rev Shikwambana’s autobiography was compiled by Audrey Mhlongo on
11.11.2017.