Badges of faith
Ever wondered what the badges many of the Makutsi staff are wearing symbolize?
They are symbols of the Zion Christian Church (or ZCC), also known as Boyne. It is the largest African initiated church operating across Southern Africa.
Its members, estimated to number between 5 and 6 million in more than 4,000 parishes, live primarily in urban townships and rural communities. The church is well known by the abbreviation, ZCC, pronounced "zed-see-see."
The Zion Christian Church fuses Christian beliefs with African traditions. In South Africa, practitioners are identified by the badge they wear – a green felt square with either a metal star or a dove. The ZCC split when its founder, Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane, died and both his sons wanted to take over the leadership. Joseph leads the faction of the church with a dove as its emblem; he renamed this branch St Engenas Zion Christian Church. Edward leads the faction that uses the star as its emblem and this larger faction hosts a pilgrimage to its headquarters in Moria, Limpopo province, every year.
