Moruti wa Sekuta (The evangelist on a scooter)

Abstract

Lesley Mofokeng journeys into his past to retrace the steps of a towering and idiosyncratic figure in his lineage, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng. Mongangane gained popularity as Moruti wa Sekuta (the evangelist on a scooter) in and around the community of Gelukspan near present day Lichtenburg, North West. This is an immersive literary investigation for the writer as the N.G. Kerk evangelist is his paternal grandfather. With his ingenuity, Mongangane helped create a community of believers in the area of resettlements, Trust and traditional villages through a singular salt of the earth selflessness and organic immersion in his community’s social and spiritual circumstances. He rolled up his sleeves and took on the shovel to build several churches, a hospital and schools. In this journey of self-discovery, the grandson and journalist investigates and tells the story of his family and how Mongangane changed the trajectory of his life and consequently that of the family and descendants from when, in 1932, he walked through the gates of Moroka Missionary Institution in Thaba Nchu, Free State. What follows is a series of fortunes and misfortunes as an unskilled Black labourer navigating the tedious and politically charged climate of the Reef, leading to the dawn of apartheid and beyond as an evangelist of the ‘apartheid church’ with a curious past, a precarious balancing act. This biographical approach that will employ narrative journalism style, is achieved through interviews with family, community members, church members, leaders in the religious sector, internet searches, public records, published articles as well as site visits