800 couples walked down the aisle on Easter Sunday in one of the biggest mass wedding ceremonies in South Africa since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) blesses polygamous unions that the church says are authorised by the Bible. Mass nuptials are held on the anniversary of the church’s founding in September, at Easter, and in December.
The mass wedding was conducted by the church leader Michael Sandlana at the IPHC Jerusalem branch in Kgabalatsane, North West on Sunday.
The groom, Mpho Chwenyane, was marrying a second wife Ouma Mogojane at the mass wedding at this church that solmnises polygamous marriages in a church filled to capacity with congregants.
“We are happy to be part of this big ceremony. There are a lot of us here and we are a part of this joyous celebration. We are not just getting married, we are honouring God commands. Chwenyane.
”These celebrations only happen three times a year so these ceremonies are usually held on the Easter weekend, in September and in December. We are blessed to be part of the couples getting married this weekend and are happy to be part of the celebration,” he said.
Celebrating the anniversary was a respite from a long-standing row within the church. After Glayton Modise, the church’s leader, died in 2016, three brothers began a succession battle.
IPHC is one of South Africa’s largest congregations, with an estimated three million members.
