Girls were ‘pure’ and private thoughts were banned – KSB survivor speaks out
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udy Wnendt and her five siblings were born into a group known as KSB or KwaSizabantu Mission. Founded in 1970 by South African evangelical and revivalist preacher Erlo Stegen, the church was based on 540 hectares of rural land. It’s one of Africa’s largest missions and now has thousands of worshippers across several countries.
Stegen (who died last year) has claimed he could heal people from AIDs and cancer.
“For the start, I think it was fame and control,” says Wnendt of Stegen’s motivation. “And then later on it was the money as well” with “rich people from Europe” tithing to the church as branches started to pop up there. Some people, she says, lost everything.
In 2020 police began investigating claims of widespread misconduct within the church, as well as allegations it was operating like a cult. South Africa’s News24 alleged that church members were responsible for human rights abuses and crimes, such as rape and beatings. The leadership has repeatedly denied the allegations.
When Wnendt moved to New Zealand a year ago, she stumbled across Gloriavale in the news, which she said was “exactly” like the KSB. Gloriavale too has denied it’s a cult amid years of allegations, instead, its leaders say they live a “fundamentalist Christian life”.
Content retrieved from: https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/19/girls-were-pure-and-private-thoughts-were-banned-ksb-survivor-speaks-out/.
