'I do, I do, I do' — 74 brides to walk down the aisle over Easter at IPHC church in Gauteng

A total of 74 brides will be walking down a common aisle over the Easter weekend at the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) in Zuurbekom, Gauteng.

Abel Wessie, IPHC executive council chairperson, confirmed the church will be welcoming congregants for the Passover service and that “all hands are on deck for security and crowd control”.

“We will be celebrating a wedding on Sunday as per usual. We are expecting quite a number of people, about 90,000. The service starts on Friday and will end on Monday.

“We have a full protocol and measures for the safety of the congregants. The church is expecting visits from several high-ranking politicians,” said Wessie.

The confirmation of safety measures comes as the church is embroiled in a court case over its ownership and after a failed “coup” at its headquarters.

The church has 3-million members in South Africa and neighbouring countries but has been rent by power struggles. In the early hours of July 11 2020, a group of armed men stormed the IPHC headquarters at Silo.

This was while a succession matter was being argued in the Pretoria high court. In February judge Portia Phahlane could not hand down a judgment for her recusal due to a safety threat.

Divisions at the church began after the death of IPHC leader Glayton Modise in 2016. Since Modise’s death, three factions have emerged:

• the Jerusalema faction led by Michael Sandlana;
• the Leonard Modise faction, based at the church headquarters in Zuurbekom; and
• the Tshepiso Modise faction, based on the East Rand.

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