24/10/2024
On the 22nd of September 1984, I officially joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church 's ground forces in the Kwa-Nobuhle, Uitenhage branch. The branch leader was Tata Simon Plaatjie whilst the general was Lungile Nation Xhamela. I was then appointed to join the youth league and it's military wing, the Pathfinders, as assistant to Sipho Gift Goliath, the Master Guide. I quickly realized that, I need to be true to my joining ground forces as I search for a permanent relationship with Jesus, our Master Guide.
Upon leaving the branch, SGG in 1985, went to Johannesburg thus relocating his family and the church requested that I fill those big boots which I did in 1986. Unfortunately, I had to leave Uitenhage as well in 1987 to pursue education in the Transkei thus leaving Amos Thamsanqa Fetsha leading the district and many branch leaders followed.
In 1989, I joined the ground forces of the the Southern Conference under Major General ZNS Fosi and I was to lead the Mt Fletcher/Maluti branch under the curatorship of comrade EM Tshaka who then resided in UMtata. I moved from there to Mt Frere region in the remote areas of Qwidlana and worked the ground with Tata Thiya, Nyokana, comrade Ntobeko, Mthuthuzeli Mhlana, Nokhuthazile Mbedu and Ngcambi Myeki and Vukuvuku Kolweni et al.
In 1994, the year of our political freedom, I went to Cape Town, Somerset West, Helderberg remote area for training which lasted four years.
Leading these ground forces have never been easy I must say but enjoyable. The organization was forced to metamophosize since politics of the country were changing. In 2000 I was requested to assume the role of marshaling the youth wing in Cape Town, the Western Region of the then Southern Hope Conference with a clear minded to unify the ground forces using the militant youth Ministries. Leading both the senior youth AYS) , the Junior YOUTH (Pathfinders) as well as the Pre-junior youth (Adventurers) for a period of three years. After this, I went back to the ground forces. It was easy for me to leave that and rejoin ground forces since it was inculcated in my mind that, depended to that function is never an achievement nor permanent. At least you get shielded from the cruelty and nasty nature of the work as you focus on molding and conscientizing the ground forces to focus to the missio Dei our primary call. I was posted in Khayelitsha, Southern Cape, Southern Surburbs, back into Khayelitsha and now in Boland. I find a groot trek from focusing on missio Dei to politics of the church where ground forces are a field of interest where we garner votes to reach recognition even our education is used as a tool to advantage oneself. Ground forces are left in disarray no longer capable of planning the work even developing a "missional budget". This has resulted into minimal growth both, quantitatively and qualitatively. Our focus is no longer missional but power mongering.
Today, you can be led by a novice, as long as he/she is popular and can be controlled. Experience is no longer important and missional fortitude relegated to the doldrums. PAINFUL DEVELOPMENTS NATIONALLY
