Zion Christian Church leader visits Botswana as infighting threatens to tear church apart

A fierce leadership battle between two factions of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) within Botswana prompted the church’s spiritual head to visit the country earlier this month.

St Engenas ZCC’s leader Bishop Dr Joseph Engenas Lekganyane and his entourage would not answer questions, despite this reporter staking out the meeting venue at the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs offices in Gaborone. Lekganyane’s bodyguards eventually ordered the reporter to leave.

But it is understood that his visit to Botswana on 14 May was in response to the heating up of a decades-old church feud, which has pitted leaders and congregants against one another. Lekganyane met President Duma Gideon Boko, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Pius Mokgware and representatives from both warring factions.

Both factions claim legitimacy as the true St Engenas ZCC in Botswana, and each controls several church branches in the country to underscore that claim.

One faction claims legitimacy because, until recently, it controlled the legally registered and recognised entity in the name of St Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Botswana. It was legally registered at the time of the church’s founding in Botswana in 1974 and is headed by veteran church leader David Matsetse.

The other, breakaway faction claims legitimacy because of its strong ties to church leaders and administrators at Moria in Limpopo, South Africa – the St Engenas ZCC’s headquarters and a holy site drawing millions of pilgrims from around southern Africa each year.

While it has not enjoyed a legally registered status – the “church” this faction registered in 2009 was soon deregistered because it sought to duplicate the existing St Engenas ZCC church in Botswana – it nonetheless controls most of the church’s 67 branches in the country. It is headed by Oreeditse Sola Molebatsi.

Legal action

Matsetse faction congregants have complained that because of Molebatsi’s close ties to the church’s administration in Limpopo, they have been barred from attending pilgrimages to Moria.

Minister Mokgware, who was appointed following elections in Botswana in 2024, has stepped in. His department houses the Registrar of Societies in Botswana, to which legally registered churches must account and comply. Due to the ongoing dispute, the Matsetse faction’s 1974 registration lapsed and was not renewed by the Registrar earlier this year.

The Matsete faction has initiated legal action against the government ministry and Registrar of Societies, and a court hearing is scheduled for 17 June. The Matsetse faction seeks to hold the ministry accountable for allowing a parallel church to operate and is demanding the rival church’s dissolution and its assets returned.

A letter from President Boko’s office to the Matsetse faction, dated 31 March 2025, reiterated the government’s position that “no faction of St. Engenas ZCC may be registered at this time … pending the judgment of the ongoing court case”.

The crux of the disagreement lies in who represents the church in Botswana, said Minister Mokgware during an interview days before he met Lekganyane.

“One group claims that the late father of Dr Joseph Engenas Lekganyane appointed the late Raphephe Matsetse as the overseer of the Botswana church. The other faction disputes this appointment,” said Mokgware. 

“They’ve all been advised to follow the church’s constitutional processes, but those internal mechanisms have failed to produce a resolution.”

He said Lekganyane had to step in to resolve the dispute.

Attempts for comment from Lekganyane after his meetings in Botswana proved fruitless. But, an insider to the discussions said, Lekganyane was, in fact, unwilling to become involved as arbitrator. He said that Lekganyane considered the fight to be one of administrative turmoil, and not of his concern as a spiritual leader.

The source, who asked not to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the bishop advised the Matsetse faction to consult the church’s constitution and pursue its complaints against the Molebatsi faction through formal channels. 

Alleged financial mismanagement

The seriousness of those complaints might further hinder any chances for resolution and reconciliation within the Botswana church. The Matsetse faction has accused the Molebatsi faction of identity theft, fraud and money laundering.

Church leaders supporting Matsetse’s claim expanded on these allegations during interviews.

The faction’s secretary, Kutlo Nage, alleged financial mismanagement tantamount to theft. 

“There’s no record of how much is collected from local members. Funds are taken to Moria in cash, no audits, no transparency since 1974,” he claimed.

Khutsafalo Kadimo, another senior church member and Matsetse supporter, alleged that Molebatsi’s group used forged documents to open a bank account at Bank Gaborone.

“We suspect money laundering,” Kadimo said, adding that the matter had been reported to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), the Botswana police and Registrar of Societies.

He further complained that the Molebatsi faction fraudulently used what was, until recently, the Matsetse faction’s legal identity in financial dealings. 

“It’s grossly unfair. If they want to operate independently, they should adopt a new identity and stop misusing ours,” he said.

Pilgrimage blocked

For its part, the Molebatsi faction has apparently used its leverage with church leadership in Moria to ensure congregants of the Matsetse-controlled branches are blocked from visiting the holy site, including during this year’s mass pilgrimage at Easter.

This has been heartbreaking for some devotees of Matsetse-controlled branches, who see the pilgrimage to Moria as an important spiritual rite.

“I haven’t been to Moria in seven years,” said longtime member Kelebogile Macheng.

“People used to sacrifice everything to go, but now many feel disconnected.”

Kadimo said that entry to Moria was tightly controlled. “Molebatsi issues a letter of permission; without it, you’re denied access,” he said.

And, Molebatsi apparently draws considerable strength and legitimacy for such action from his allegiance with church leaders in Moria.

For instance, the chief finance officer based in Moria, Piet Makhudu Lekganyane, recently fired back at critics during a church meeting in Lentswelemoriti, Botswana. 

“Those who follow church law are welcome in Moria. Molebatsi isn’t the reason people are blocked. They must stop lying,” he said.

Molebatsi has not responded substantively to repeated requests for comment. On 11 April, he acknowledged receiving questions, but said that the church’s headquarters at Moria handled public relations and that he could thus not comment. 

Follow-ups on 22 and 29 April were met with irritation. 

“I haven’t received a response from Moria,” Molebatsi said over the phone. 

“Our church has its procedures. Even my priesthood letter states that all church matters are handled by the head office.”

Regarding the Matsetse faction’s claims that financial irregularities had been reported to the authorities in Botswana, the FIA cited laws which it said prohibited it from commenting. The Botswana Police Service’s Public Relations Office confirmed that investigations were ongoing but declined to provide details, citing concerns about jeopardising the process.

Read more: St Engenas Zion Christian Church resumes first Easter mass service since Covid pandemic

Commenting on the dispute, Kekgaoditse Suping, a University of Botswana lecturer in International Relations and Diplomacy, came out in support of the Matsetse faction. 

“Only (it) is legally recognised,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs should establish a church governance council to mediate religious disputes.

“Currently, the [labour and home affairs] minister lacks the expertise and often acts from a political standpoint rather than a governance one.”

He pointed out shortcomings in the oversight of churches and their leaders in Botswana. Suping said many churches did not submit financial reports. 

“There’s a culture of avoiding transparency. Members often enable it because they believe churches are above scrutiny ... In every organisation, there should be transparency and openness, especially in decision-making, financial management, leadership structures,” he said. DM

This investigation was produced by the Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA | AJP), a project of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation funded by the European Union. The article does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.