Nongoloza cult
The Nongoloza cult is a South African secret society based on the legend of Mzuzephi 'Nongoloza' Mathebula, who was a founder of The Number Gang. From the beginning, Nongoloza's organizations had the religious base. They were born from poverty and have developed to a semi-cult with their own language, rituals and the roughest of justice.[1] Also the members of a cult adopted the Rastafarian religion, which they believe has helped them to deal with his violence.[2] Followers of Nongoloza’s organization have created a kind of criminal order, which was sacralized through myths and rituals, in response to what might be called "the cargo situation" of modern South Africa. David Chidester describes in his book "Wild Religion: Tracking the Sacred in South Africa" how the Nongoloza's organizations explain their criminal activity through a religion. David Chidester uses a term "wild religion" - kind of a violent religion with its own sacred history, code of ethics, and ritual observances.[3] One of the most important phases in development of the Nongoloza cult in 20th century was a cooperation with the church. Despite the many ethnic regional currents, Christianity was and remains the dominant religion in South Africa. The church always needs a power to be in safety, especially in the criminal environment that prevails in South Africa. As for the cult, they also benefited from a such cooperation. Heather Parker Lewis points out in her book, that the church often became an asylum for members of the Nongoloza cult from the persecution of the authorities.
«On the Cape Flats everyone presumes there are only two ways out of a gang: death or religion. Gangs generally respect escape routes leading to a church or mosque because their own lives are highly ritualistic and members, constantly facing death, are superstitious. For them, concerns about existence and the hereafter are close companions. They respect religion.»[4]
— Don Pinnock
In 2017, a series of bomb threats against the New Apostolis Church in Bellville, South Africa accused the church of links to the “Nongoloza cult”.[5]
Mzuzephi Mathebula[edit]
Initially, 'Nongoloza' created a set of a criminal organizations to oppose the laws of the government. He was an early Johannesburg bandit who built a quasi-military band of outlaws. The initial basis of the ideology of Mzuzephi 'Nongoloza' Mathebula was the ideology of banditry-as-anti-colonial-resistance.
«I reorganised my gang of robbers. I laid them under what has since become known as Nineveh law. I read in the Bible about the great state Nineveh which rebelled against the Lord and I selected that name for my gang as rebels against the Government's laws.»[6]
— Mzuzephi 'Nongoloza' Mathebula
The history of the life of Mzuzephi 'Nongoloza' Mathebula was studied during the 20th century by such researchers and scholars as Charles van Onselen, Jonny Steinberg, Heather Parker Lewis. The founder of The Number Gangs was surrounded by myths and legends which described various qualities and even super abilities - including the fact that the bullets of white policemen and soldiers bounced off his skin. As a result of later studies it became known that the main condition for initiation for a newcomer and becoming a full member of the Nongoloza's organization was to commit a crime using a knife that has a sacred meaning for the members of the organization.
«So I answered the question correctly, and was told that to join the gang I must stab a white warder. I was told when the knife would arrive, how I must do it, and what I must do afterwards»[7]
— Pollsmoor inmate by the name of Magadien
The knife technique ownership is an integral part of Nongoloza’s organizations. For the members of the group - this is not a commonplace interest to cold steel. For the criminal world this is a matter of life and death. The knife technique of The Number Gangs is not known so much. Piper system is one of the knife systems, developed by The Number Gangs in South African prisons and the street gangs in the impoverished urban areas of Cape Town. This knowledge was systematized by a follower of Nongoloza’s organization - Nigel February of Cape Town, South Africa and handed on to a number of Master Guardians (of which I am privileged to be one) and Guardians.[8] Piper is a simple, but incredibly violent, method of offensive knife combat.[9]
«We have to understand the difference between Nongoloza cult and The Number Gangs. 26s, 27s and 28s are the separate structures. Each of them has its own role and functions. Nongoloza cult is the religious foundation of all these organizations, in which God was replaced by Nongoloza. Their bible is the set of rules of Nongoloza in the form of manuscripts that are passed on from generation to generation. The essence of the rules is a secret which is forbidden to disclose under pain of death.»[10]
— Heather Parker Lewis
The book "Nongoloza's children" describes the ritual of dedication to the gang, which boils down to the murder of a prison supervisor. At the end of the ritual, after committing a crime, a ritual cry is performed - 'Nangampela! Die nommer is vol! '. The book "God's children" of Heather Parker Lewis is dedicated to studies history, language rituals, secrets and myths of South Africa's prison gangs. One of the key issues of the book is the search for an answer to the question - what are the prison gangs in fact? How the community that unite prisoners of the South Africa and criminals outside the prison walls is organized? Gang, brotherhood, cult or secret society? Heather Parker Lewis concludes that we are dealing with a cult.
«Members believe in The Number and follow the codes that keep it as steadfastly as adherents of a fundamentalist religion. During the initiation ritual, which follows on from The Homecoming, the member will embrace The Number as his only family. In fact there is a lot of social control going on in the gang. It is almost entirely about mind power games and members watch and monitor and report on each other at every opportunity. It happens in all cults.»[11]
— Heather Parker Lewis
Information sources[edit]
- «God’s children», Heather Parker Lewis, 2006 - ISBN 978-1-920103-11-8
- «Nongoloza's Children: Western Cape Prison Gangs During and After Apartheid», Jonny Steinberg
- Van Zyl Smit, Dirk "South African prison law and practice", Butterworths, 1992
- Durban. Haysom, N. (1981). Towards an understanding of prison gangs Institute of Criminology, University of Cape Town.
References[edit]
- ↑ The Numbers Gang – South Africa’s Biggest Gang
- ↑ Hesselink Grobler gang involvement assessment
- ↑ «Wild Religion: Tracking the Sacred in South Africa», David Chidester, ISBN 9780520273085
- ↑ «Gang Town», Don Pinnock, ISBN 978-0-624-06789-4
- ↑ Cops probe bomb threats made against church
- ↑ «Nongoloza's Children: Western Cape Prison Gangs During and After Apartheid», page 6
- ↑ «Nongoloza's Children: Western Cape Prison Gangs During and After Apartheid», page 24
- ↑ Piper system
- ↑ BLINK AND YOU WILL DIE IN THE DARK
- ↑ God’s children», Heather Parker Lewis, 2006 - ISBN 978-1-920103-11-8
- ↑ «God’s children» (page 23), Heather Parker Lewis, 2006 - ISBN 978-1-920103-11-8
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