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IOL News
22-04-2025
- IOL News
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.'
The Independent
21-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
South African church marks Easter with mass weddings for a staggering 3,000 people
A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages. The International Pentecost Holiness Church says mass weddings are a part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church. Sunday's ceremonies saw some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesperson Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time. " Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard" in the church, Ndala said. The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions. The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year's event was its largest by far. Ndala said the large number of people being married this year was because of 'a large number of men marrying more than one wife at a go'. In some cases, grooms brought their current wife or wives to be with them for their new marriage. The weddings were held at the church's headquarters, a huge, dome-shaped building in the town of Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, that can seat 60,000 people. The congregants who were being married waited in long white tents set up in open fields next to the church building, where they were given bridal flowers, food packs and water. They then filed into the church building in long queues, the women wearing white bridal gowns and many of the men in matching white suits and red ties. Polygamy is legal in South Africa if the union is registered as a customary marriage.
South China Morning Post
20-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
South Africa church holds mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous
A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages. Advertisement The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church. Sunday's ceremonies would see some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesman Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time, Ndala said. 'Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard' in the church, Ndala said. The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions. Advertisement The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year's event was its largest by far.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Pentecostal church in South Africa holds mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages. The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church. Sunday's ceremonies would see some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesperson Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time, Ndala said. "Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard" in the church, Ndala said. The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions. The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year's event was its largest by far. Ndala said the large number of people being married this year was because of 'a large number of men marrying more than one wife at a go.' In some cases, grooms brought their current wife or wives to be with them for their new marriage. The weddings were held at the church's headquarters, a huge, dome-shaped building in the town of Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, that can seat 60,000 people. The congregants who were being married waited in long white tents set up in open fields next to the church building, where they were given bridal flowers, food packs and water. They then filed into the church building in long queues, the women wearing white bridal gowns and many of the men in matching white suits and red ties. Polygamy is legal in South Africa if the union is registered as a customary marriage. ___ AP Africa news: The Associated Press
The Hill
20-04-2025
- General
- The Hill
A Pentecostal church in South Africa holds mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages. The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church. Sunday's ceremonies would see some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesperson Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time, Ndala said. 'Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard' in the church, Ndala said. The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions. The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year's event was its largest by far. Ndala said the large number of people being married this year was because of 'a large number of men marrying more than one wife at a go.' In some cases, grooms brought their current wife or wives to be with them for their new marriage. The weddings were held at the church's headquarters, a huge, dome-shaped building in the town of Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, that can seat 60,000 people. The congregants who were being married waited in long white tents set up in open fields next to the church building, where they were given bridal flowers, food packs and water. They then filed into the church building in long queues, the women wearing white bridal gowns and many of the men in matching white suits and red ties. Polygamy is legal in South Africa if the union is registered as a customary marriage.
