Christian leaders from across the country converged on Mthatha’s Assemblies of God convention centre for the funeral of Apostle Vincent Malefane, one of the founders of the Apostolic Faith Mission Church in the Eastern Cape.
The Lesotho-born preacher and prophet left his job as a policeman to accept God’s call to establish churches across the country.
He was only 19 at the time. After completing his religious studies at the Leratong Bible College in Pretoria, he went to Mdantsane where he worked as a pastor. He was later transferred to Mthatha where he married his first wife, Gertrude.
In 1970, he returned to Mthatha after a short stint in Lesotho. He lived in Ngangelizwe and founded the AFM in the area.
One of the pastors who worked closely with him in his senior years, Pastor Mpumelelo Songxaba of Shalom Ministries (AFM) in Payne location, said Malefane had stood the test of time.
“He preached and walked as far as Lusikisiki, spreading the word of God. He contributed to the establishment of each and every AFM church in the province. He preached fervently at a time when pastors did not have salaries.”
Songxaba remembered the hard times he went through while preaching.
“In those times, they would walk long distances and when their shoes got worn-out they would tie them up with wire.
“When their shirt got dirty they would go to a stream wash it, wait for it to dry and proceed. He experienced those kinds of hard times. Because there was no electricity they would burn a stick to create light at night. They preached and people got saved,” added Songxaba.
Malefane’s journey was not only about fighting the forces of nature. People started hating him, according to Songxaba.
At one point he had to hide under someone’s skirt when people of Ngangelizwe wanted to attack him.
Pastor PM Mkhondo, who also worked closely with Malefane, said although he lived in hardship with no money, Malefane never stopped preaching.
“He had no way of sending his kids to school, but concentrated on God’s work. He was persecuted but he persevered because he walked with God. He did God’s work without compromise, he never changed. He was a prayerful man.”
Malefane is survived by his wife, five children, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Church founder Malefane laid to rest
The Lesotho-born preacher and prophet left his job as a policeman to accept God’s call to establish churches across the country.
He was only 19 at the time. After completing his religious studies at the Leratong Bible College in Pretoria, he went to Mdantsane where he worked as a pastor. He was later transferred to Mthatha where he married his first wife, Gertrude.
In 1970, he returned to Mthatha after a short stint in Lesotho. He lived in Ngangelizwe and founded the AFM in the area.
One of the pastors who worked closely with him in his senior years, Pastor Mpumelelo Songxaba of Shalom Ministries (AFM) in Payne location, said Malefane had stood the test of time.
“He preached and walked as far as Lusikisiki, spreading the word of God. He contributed to the establishment of each and every AFM church in the province. He preached fervently at a time when pastors did not have salaries.”
Songxaba remembered the hard times he went through while preaching.
“In those times, they would walk long distances and when their shoes got worn-out they would tie them up with wire.
“When their shirt got dirty they would go to a stream wash it, wait for it to dry and proceed. He experienced those kinds of hard times. Because there was no electricity they would burn a stick to create light at night. They preached and people got saved,” added Songxaba.
Malefane’s journey was not only about fighting the forces of nature. People started hating him, according to Songxaba.
At one point he had to hide under someone’s skirt when people of Ngangelizwe wanted to attack him.
Pastor PM Mkhondo, who also worked closely with Malefane, said although he lived in hardship with no money, Malefane never stopped preaching.
“He had no way of sending his kids to school, but concentrated on God’s work. He was persecuted but he persevered because he walked with God. He did God’s work without compromise, he never changed. He was a prayerful man.”
Malefane is survived by his wife, five children, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
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