1. EVALUATING The EXODUS FILM
ATTACKING
KWASIZABANTU MISSION

2. Re-enactments and Accusations
The documentary film, EXODUS – Uncovering a cult in KwaZulu-
Natal, produced by News 24 claims to be the result of a “seven-
month News 24 investigation into accusations of gross human
rights violations...”

3. This disturbing film makes extensive use of what they call
re-enactments, mainly of school children being beaten with plastic
pipes and other abuse.

4. The footage used for depicting the South African military
were plainly not wearing SADF uniforms,
but looked like it came from America.

5. Re-enactments are actors performing,
so that hardly constitutes authentic evidence.

6. “The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his
neighbour comes and examines him.” Proverbs 18:17

7. Trial by Media
Trial by media can be very destructive. The News 24 exclusive
documentary, EXODUS, has a small selection of disgruntled and
embittered people who used to be part of the KwaSizabantu
Mission. “A man who bears false witness against his
neighbour is like a club, a sword and a sharp arrow.”
Proverbs 25:18

8. Refuted by the Testimonies of Thousands
However, there are many hundreds who have had wonderful
experiences and openly testify of what a tremendous blessing
KwaSizabantu Mission has been for them and what a privilege it
was growing up in that protected environment.

9. Personal Perspective
It has been my privilege to know KwaSizabantu Mission for over
34 years.

10. As a regular guest speaker, I have sometimes stayed for weeks at
a time at the Mission and have many friends there.

11. I have repeatedly visited many of the KwaSizabantu Mission
bases across South Africa

12. and Europe.

13. I have seen the abiding extraordinarily good fruit of
KwaSizabantu’s ministry in countries as far afield as Mozambique
and Angola,

14. as far afield as Mozambique, Angola,

15. I have seen the abiding extraordinarily good fruit of
KwaSizabantu’s ministry in Belgium,

16. the Netherlands,

17. France,

18. Germany,

19. Romania

20. & Switzerland.

21. There is no doubt that KwaSizabantu has been the most
extraordinary successful mission station on the continent of Africa.

22. The Perspective of the King of the Zulus
No one has done more good for the people of KwaZulu than Rev.
Erlo Stegen.

23. This has been attested to
by King Goodwill Zwelithini;
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi
and many others.

24. King Goodwill Zwelithini
has publicly described
Rev. Erlo Stegen
as
“God’s Apostle to the Zulus.”

25. The Perspective of North West University
North West University has acknowledged the extraordinary
contribution of Erlo Stegen to education in KwaZulu

26. The Mission is a major educator,
employer and positive influence
throughout KwaZulu/Natal and across the world.

27. Smear Campaign
Not that you would know any of that from this extremely biased
and hostile horror film produced by News 24.

28. According to this film, KwaSizabantu is
a mission of “fear,” “horror,” “rape,” “abuse” and “bondage.”

29. “You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbour.”
Exodus 20:16

30. “From the Pit of Hell”
If you believe this film, then life at KSB is
“based on fear, intimidation and manipulation.”

31. According to David Engelbrecht, “Erlo Stegen preaches his own
brand of religion under the guise of Christianity,” his message is
“from the pit of hell!”

32. “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who
opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3

33. A Fountain of
Blessing
However, that is not how
either I, or my wife,
or my four children,
or scores of our mission
co-workers,
or hundreds of overseas
guests and thousands of
people who have continued to
flock to Youth conferences
every year and to Ministers
conferences, for decades,
have seen it.

34. To many thousands of people throughout South Africa and across
the world, KwaSizabantu Mission, under the leadership of Erlo
Stegen, has been a place of freedom, deliverance, repentance,
restoration, revival and, in many cases, healing: physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual.

35. A Spiritual Oasis Surrounded by a
Wilderness of Violence and Abuse
Far from KwaSizabantu being a place of bondage, many have
expressed what a joy it is to be in a place where you do not live
under the daily fears of crime, violence and abuse that pervades
society throughout the rest of South Africa.

36. The Wide-Angle Lens of Context
According to this News 24 EXODUS expose, several incidents of
child abuse, sexual abuse and corruption have occurred in
KwaSizabantu over the last 50 years.

37. If that is so those individuals responsible need to be prosecuted.

38. However, there is no doubt that crime, violence, sexual abuse,
rape and murder are daily realities throughout South Africa, not
only in our streets but in state schools and our government is
looting multiplied Billions of Rand of taxpayers’ money, every year.

39. Distraction from the Real Scandals
One wonders why this distraction at a time when the entire
country is being abused, victimised and stolen from by central
government?

40. Should we try to pretend that the rest of the country is living in
peace, freedom and harmony,

41. while just a few people in this Mission station in the hills of KZN
occasionally experience what, in reality, the rest of us have to deal
with on a daily basis, throughout the country?

42. The Need for Checks and Balances
Knowing the depravity of man, evil things can happen,
even in a church and at a mission.

43. The Bible teaches the depravity of man
and that is the reason why it is absolutely essential
to have checks and balances.

44. Centralisation of power, whether in a church congregation, on a
mission base, in a municipality, or in a country, is unhealthy and
unsafe.

45. Side-lining Parliament and ruling South Africa by a committee of
six, who inform us that they “consult the ancestors”, is an
unacceptable violation of the Constitution.

46. Freedom of Speech is Essential
Freedom of speech is good and necessary in a congregational
setting and it is even more important on a community and country
level.

47. Hence, government and global media platforms’ censorship of
what they term Politically Incorrect opinions, is not only an abuse
of the Bill of Rights, but a threat to freedom and constitutional law
and order on every level.

48. We are being abused by our government and all too often
censored in our opinions and restricted in our activities, especially
under this unconstitutional, unnecessary and unworkable
Lockdown.

49. Identifying the Abusers
Knowing several of the individuals involved and implicated in this
EXODUS expose, it is noteworthy that one of the people accused
of sexual abuse, Muzi Kunene, told News 24 that he had been
sent, by the ANC, to the Mission in 1979 to spy on them.

50. Later, when the ANC became the government, Muzi Kunene left
the mission and joined National Intelligence Service,

51. where he was involved in smear campaigns against political
opponents and finally convicted for a brutal murder.

52. He is currently serving a life sentence
at Leeuwkop Correctional Centre,
outside of Johannesburg.

53. “An angry man stirs up strife and a furious man abounds in
transgression.” Proverbs 29:22

54. Recognising the Accusers
A major source for many of the accusations against KwaSizabantu
come from Koos Greeff, who claims that he acted as an informant
for the Security Police, spying on KSB and those who came there.

55. “You shall not circulate a false report.
Do not put your hand with the wicked
to be an unrighteous witness.” Exodus 23:1

56. Psy-War Tactics
As I have been a Missionary to Persecuted Churches
for over 38 years, travelling in 42 countries,
involved in 8 wars and 3 revolutions,

57. it is clear to me that this smear campaign against KwaSizabantu
Mission is part of a wider Psychological Warfare operation to
discredit and displace the Mission as part of a communist land
grab.

58. Coming during a time of official ANC/EFF policy of Expropriation
Without Compensation, it would appear that KSB is being set up
as a target for disinformation, discrediting and displacement.

59. Marxist Malice
Obviously, communists would like to see such an effective
Christian Mission silenced.

60. Even more the forces of hell behind it hate this vibrant Christian
community, which has been so mightily used of God for over 5
decades.

61. “Therefore, lay aside all malice, all deceit,
hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking.”
1 Peter 2:1

62. Analysing the Accusations
Breaking down the blanket statements made by the disgruntled
ex-members of the Mission who formed the bulk of this EXODUS
film, even should one chose to accept their version of the events,
without knowing any of the context, or what those accused would
say in response, it is clear that much of the reported abuse was
done by people who are no longer part of the Mission, or who
were family members.

63. The virginity testing reported on, for example,
was done by Zulu women to Zulu children
as part of their KwaZulu community traditions and was
not the policy of the Mission.

64. “Do not go hastily to court; for what will you do in the end, when
your neighbour has put you to shame? Debate your case with
your neighbour and do not disclose the secret to another; lest he
who hears it expose your shame and your reputation be ruined.”
Proverbs 25:8-10

65. The Professor’s Perspective
In the film, Professor Dion Forster of the University of
Stellenbosch, describes elements of a cult as: “psychological
abuse,” “deprived of food, sleep and fulfilment of sexual
desires…” These he terms as abusive.

66. He mentioned: “belief in angels, demons and spiritual powers,” as
cultic and abusive. “Telling people that they may be separated
from God in eternity” and that God exacts Retribution, is to him
abuse. Those are some strange definitions of a cult.

67. However, when asked if he thought KwaSizabantu Mission was a
cult, he did not think it was, but said that: “If the allegations are
true… then there are some troubling signs of some cultic
tendencies in aspects of the Mission…”

68. What is a Cult?
According to Webster's Dictionary (1828), there are numerous
meanings attributed to the word cult, including: “A religion or sect
considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members
often living outside of conventional society.”

69. Traditionally, Christians have
identified as cults those who
have a false Christology,
denying either the Deity
or humanity of Christ,
a false Soteriology,
denying Salvation
by the grace of God alone,
based upon
the Atonement of Christ
on the Cross of Calvary,
received by Faith.

70. Cults traditionally forbid their adherents from receiving teaching
from any outside source.

71. By all these standards and definitions, KwaSizabantu, under the
leadership of Rev. Erlo Stegen, has emphatically not been a cult.

72. KwaSizabantu Mission is Protestant and Evangelical
Under the leadership of Rev. Erlo Stegen, KSB’s Christology has
been orthodox, as has their Soteriology.

73. Over the years, they have invited many famous, well respected
international Christian leaders to their pulpit and conference
programmes.

74. The radio station programmes broadcast a wide range of
respected Bible teachers.

75. There has never been any restriction on the Christian books
brought in and made available to their people.

77. KwaSizabantu members hold to the Apostles Creed,
the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed
and their Basis of Faith is in agreement with mainstream
Protestant Evangelical Christianity.

78. Prejudice and Subjective
Condemnation is Not Helpful
Unfortunately, these days, “cult” is often loosely used to refer to
any religious views that the person concerned does not like. That
kind of subjective standard makes the term more prejudicial and
pejorative than objective and helpful.

79. “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people;
nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbour:
I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart.
You shall surely rebuke your neighbour and not bear sin
because of him.” Leviticus 19:16-17

80. Research the Facts
Those who want to have a
better understanding of
what has been going on
at KwaSizabantu Mission,
need to read
Dr. Kurt Koch’s
landmark book,
God Among the Zulus,

81. or view the films, When God Comes Down and Erlo – 60 Years.

82. One should also visit the www.kwasizabantu.com website,
or contact mail@ksb.org.za
to arrange to visit this extraordinary work of God.

83. Opposition is
Inevitable
As Rev. Erlo Stegen declared:
“Whenever God is at work,
the devil is also there to do his
dirty counter work.
I am of the opinion that often,
the depth of God’s work can be
measured by the amount of
opposition encountered.”

87. www.FrontlineMissionSA.org