Inside IPHC mass wedding of 3,000: Joyful man marries two wives on Easter Sunday
The wedding procession lasted for several hours as members of the International Pentecost Holiness Church streamed into the newly-constructed dome at the IPHC's Kanana City in Heidelberg on Sunday.
Local and international media crews braved the cold weather in Gauteng on Easter Sunday and attended what was billed as the biggest mass wedding in South Africa - with the popular church breaking its own record of biggest wedding processions.
Priest Vusi Ndala, national spokesperson for the church, told journalists that more than 3,000 congregants had invested considerable effort and anticipation into the grand ceremony.
'This is historical. It has never happened anywhere, and we would want to imagine it is a world record. We have invited different guests, including the media to join us in this historical mass wedding. Over 3,000 couples have entered holy matrimony, and their marriages have been blessed,' Ndala spoke to IOL at the expansive venue. The mass wedding in 2023 saw 800 members of the church taking their wedding vows at the International Pentecost Holiness Church under the leadership of Bishop Michael Sandlana.
'In April 2023, we thought we had the biggest number when 800 congregants got married on the same day, but we have now surpassed that number by over three times. This is a great achievement for us, which says members of the church see the importance of building society, building a community.
'Marriages are blessed. It is in marriages that children are born, families are build and leaders come out of families. That is why we celebrate these mass weddings. We thought we cannot leave this historic mark without much celebration, under the guidance of our leader, Comforter MG Sandlana,' he said.
He added that for decades, the IPHC has been known for these colourful and glittering mass weddings. Thousands of IPHC members packed the dome at Kanana City in Heidelberg where more than 1,500 couples tied the knot on Easter Sunday.
The long day inside the IPHC premises also saw some congregants being wedded in polygamous marriages. Some of the men were marrying more than one wife, a practice which Ndala said is 'a longstanding African tradition which has been co-opted in our church'.
On the snaking procession of newly-weds, IOL also spoke to one overjoyed congregant, Wonga Hexana who married his two sweethearts Tebogo and Vania on the same day, on Sunday. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
'I am quite ecstatic, as you can see, I am flanked by two beautiful women. I think every groom would dream about this, so I am very happy. Today I am very excited. I am getting married to them at the same time. I just wanted to show the world that it can be done,' he said.
'The essence of it is to celebrate marriage. What better way to do it by taking two women at one go.'
IPHC congregant Wonga Hexana flanked by his two wives Tebogo and Vania during the mass wedding where Hexana wedded the two women at Heidelberg.
Hexana said also polygamy is seen by many as controversial, it is being widely practiced in modern society - albeit very secretly.
'If you observe, people are already in polygamous settings, even if it is not formalised. You hear of a husband with one wife but there are other women who are hidden. Already that is a polygamous setting that has not been officially out there. There is no controversy at all, we are putting what is hidden out in the open,' he said.
While dating, he said each woman would know that he is also seeing another woman.
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Hexana's wife, Tebogo, told journalists that unlike most women, she doesn't mind having a 'sister wife'. She added that she had met Hexana in the church, and their love soon blossomed into the colourful wedding.
'No, sharing is caring. I believe that in polygamy, we should love one another. Wherever there is love, God is with us,' she said.
Vania, who was all smiles, also told journalists that she is filled with happiness.
Also on the long procession, another congregant, Tshepo Phuti was marrying a third wife, and he said he was ecstatic to be expanding his family. IPHC congregant, Tshepo Phuti married his third wife on Easter Sunday during a mass wedding ceremony hosted by the church.
'I am quite happy, I am very excited about it. I think I am not able to fully describe how I feel, suffice to say I am quite happy,' he said.
'This is a celebration of three. Our kids are also quite happy. It is quite a joyous moment.'
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