The churches which use the Koppies are Pentecostal,
Charismatic, and consist of small groups of worshippers
bound to a single inspirational leader. About 30 groups use
the Koppies, and there are probably more than 400
worshippers, clad in traditional white, and green or blue
robes, on MK West every Sunday afternoon.
They practice a combination of African traditions with a
deep devotion to the Bible. Dancing, trance states, and
healing are common. Abstinence from alcohol and tobacco is
required. Churches like these represent a deeply significant
example of the reaction of African culture to the dour
Christianity of the early missionaries.
In 1974 the churches ventured onto the Western Koppies, and
despite police harassment in the apartheid years, have
managed to survive, and to flourish.
The MKMC has always maintained a good relationship with the
churches, a member of the Churches sits on the MKMC, and an
MKMC member attends bi-monthly Church meetings. The history
of negotiation and compromise is an example of the meeting
of two heritages - two cultures - in making MK West a
special example of a different model of conservation.
A Description of Beliefs and Practices
Contents
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Historical background to the movement
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Relationship of the MK West churches with authorities
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Reasons for the churches' presence on the MK West section
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Benefit of the relationship for Melville Koppies
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Details of the MK churches
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Possible reasons why churches worship on MK West
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Tourism and the churches
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References
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Glossary
1. Historical background to the movement.
According to Dr Allan Anderson, who has done academic
research on Pentecostalism for ten years and has been
involved with the movement in South Africa for 25 years,
"South Africa was one of the first countries on the
continent to receive Pentecostalism, in 1908. In less
than a century, between 10 - 40% of the population have
become Pentecostals, depending how 'Pentecostal' is
defined. The 10% includes 'Classical Pentecostals' of
several denominations, the largest being the Assemblies
of God, the Apostolic Faith Mission and the Full Gospel
Church of God. It also includes various new Pentecostals
and 'Charismatics'. But the other 30% of the
population consist of the almost entirely Black
'Zionist' and Apostolic churches, including the largest
denomination in Africa, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC).
There are between 4 000 and 7 000 smaller church
organisations of a similar type, many being house
churches which form meaningful groups both in rural
villages and especially in urban sprawls. Almost all of
these churches, like all the Pentecostal churches,
emphasize the power of the Spirit in the church,
especially manifested through healing, prophecy,
exorcism and speaking in tongues.
The Pentecostal movement, including the many African
churches that have emanated from it, is not a North
American imposition but collectively one of the most
significant African expressions of Christianity in South
Africa today, where at least ten million people can be
identified with a form of Pentecostalism.
The major Pentecostal denominations were mostly created
by White South Africans with a small number of foreign
missionaries; but national African leadership was not
given space to emerge, eventually resulting in
secessions of independent Zionist and Apostolic churches
and increasing distance between the Black and White
Pentecostals in the same denomination. The
secessions marked the beginning of the independent
African Pentecostal churches, which mushroomed from some
30 churches in 1913 to 3,000 by 1970, and to over 6,000
by 1990.
African Pentecostal churches of all kinds are concerned
to provide for holistic needs in many different ways. As
Martin West pointed out, Pentecostal churches "meet
many of the needs of townspeople which were formerly met
by kin groups on a smaller scale in rural areas."
Many forms of African Pentecostalism have liberated
Christianity from the foreignness of European cultural
forms. A sympathetic approach to African life and
culture, fears and uncertainties, and an engagement with
the African world of invisible forces, have been major
attractions of the churches to people orientated to a
world of both evil and good spirits. This is accentuated
in the Black townships today, where rapid urbanization
and industrialisation have thrown people into a strange,
impersonal, and insecure world where they are left
groping for a sense of belonging.
(A. Anderson, pp1 - 15)
2. Relationship of the MK West churches with authorities.
Before 1991, church groups on the Koppies faced
difficulties with the authorities. In 1991, the
Voluntary association of African Independent Churches
was set up. It cooperated with the Johannesburg Council
for Natural History (JCNH) which was set up in 1959 to
advise the Council on the management of Melville
Koppies, established as a Nature Reserve in that year.
In 1993 the council set up the Melville Koppies
Management Committee (MKMC) of volunteers as a joint
venture arrangement with the Council for the management
of Melville Koppies. The MKMC and AIC associations have
representatives on each other's committees. The MKMC is
not concerned with the faith or beliefs of the churches,
but with the preservation and conservation of the
Koppies.
After discussion with the JCNH, the churches drew up a
Code of Conduct for church members on the acceptable use
of the Koppies. The MKMC concurs with the code which was
modified in April 2007 to exclude the making of fires.
The code states that everyone will:
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Look after the animals, birds, plants, soil and rocks in this special place.
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Keep their circles clean and also the area in a 50m radius. Put rubbish in bags and put it in the litter bins by the road.
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Keep their circle and the area in a 50m radius weed free.
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Respect other people and the decisions of the Voluntary
Association Committee. If a leader believes the
committee is not acting correctly, he or she can appeal
to the MKMC
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Send at least one representative to the AIC meeting at
11 o'clock on the second Sunday of every second month
(February, April, June, August and October)
The current chairman is Cyril Maphosa with office bearers Levison Ncube 082 747 6737 and Kenneth Sannie 082 530 4651, among others
3. Reasons for the churches' presence on the MK West section
Melville Koppies is divided into three sections;
Melville Koppies Central (50ha) is a National Nature
Reserve and Heritage Site and as such has controlled
access. Churches are not permitted to worship here.
Melville Koppies East (10ha) and Melville Koppies West
(100ha) are classified generally as public open space and
are open daily from dawn to dusk.
Melville Koppies East is a long narrow strip closely
surrounded by houses. Singing and drumming would cause a
disturbance to the neighbours so churches do not meet
here. However, individuals use this section for silent
prayer.
The churches meet on Melville Koppies West on the northern slopes overlooking
West Park Cemetery. This has been encouraged to prevent the drumming from
disturbing neighbours in the suburbs of Westdene and Melville. The northern
slopes also have trees and these provide welcome shade.
4. Benefit of the relationship for Melville Koppies.
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The presence of the churches adds a measure of security for people who walk the Koppies on a Sunday afternoon.
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The churches have been made aware of conservation and assist with the upkeep of the Koppies.
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The aim of nature reserve is not to exclude indigenous people from their traditional use of the Koppies but to encourage the responsible use.
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Three church members, otherwise unemployed, are now part of the MKMC
conservation team that looks after the 160ha reserve. The members are paid from
donations raised by the MKMC for managing the Koppies. This arrangement has
benefited the Koppies enormously because the whole reserve is now looked after.
5. Details of MK West churches.
There are 23 church groups, registered with the AIC
committee, on Melville Koppies West. The names of the
groups tend to have 'apostle', 'Zion' or 'Africa' in the
names, e.g. 'Apostolic Church in Africa, 'New Gospel
Church of Zion in Africa', The Holy Apostolic Church in
Zion', Jerusalem Church of God in Zion'. Membership of
the churches range from 7 to 50 per group with a total
of over 500 members. The leaders or Bishops and the
members come from the surrounding suburbs and from other
areas such as Randburg, Vosloorus, Maraisburg and
Edenvale.
They are not part of the large Zion Christian Church (ZCC).
6. Possible reasons why people worship on MK West.
It has been a traditional place of worship long before
1991 when a census was taken of the churches
They worship on Melville Koppies because it "is close to
God", according to Nhlanhla Mdluli, a church member.
Perhaps the Koppies are a reminder of the rural areas
where many members originate from. It is a place of
peace and beauty away from the squalor of some urban
areas. It is a place of spiritual upliftment and appears
to contribute to emotional and mental health. Sunday
afternoons are a time of joyous celebration accompanied
by singing and dancing to the steady rhythm of drums.
The services are participatory. All members have a turn
in reading the scriptures and everyone dances and sings.
The church meetings are a very important part of the
social calendar and seem to take precedence over other
activities. The groups are very caring. They take
donations, all recorded in a book, and give these to
people in their circle in need of help. Their values are
uncompromising. Cigarettes and alcohol pollute the body
that God gave, therefore refrain from these activities.
"If you don't like this, go elsewhere", says Kenneth
Sannie, a church member.
7. Tourism and the churches.
The churches have agreed to tourists visiting their
circles with Deanna Kirby (083 266 9949), a Parktown and
Westcliff Heritage guide. Tourists may listen to part of
the service in the vernacular and join in the dancing
for a while. They are then taken to another circle and
the customs are explained and questions are answered by
a church member. Tourists are expected to make a
donation to the circle visited.
The aim of the visits is to promote an understanding of different cultures and their beliefs.
9. References
Anderson, Dr Allan, 'Pentecostals and Apartheid in South Africa during Ninety Years 1908-1998', University of Birmingham, Cyberjournal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research, http://www.pctii.org/cyberj/cyberj9/anderson.html
Davie, Lucille, www.joburg,org.za 16th April 2003 article
The Code of Conduct of the Voluntary association of African Independent Churches of Melville Koppies. August 18th, 1991 updated 2007
Various MKMC minutes
Informal discussions with MKMC and church members
10. Glossary
AIC, African Independent Churches
JCNH, Johannesburg Council for Natural History (now defunct)
MKMC, Melville Koppies Management Committee
MK, Melville Koppies
