More than 800 couples walked down the aisle on Easter Sunday in one of the largest mass wedding celebrations in South Africa since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Pentecost Holiness Church blesses polygamous marriages, which are common in some African communities, and the church says they are biblically authorized.
Congregational weddings are held three times a year—on Easter Sunday in December and also during the 1962 commemoration of the Church’s organization in September.
“It’s a special day, I’m very happy. I really appreciate this moment to be part of the Mahluku family. It’s a very good feeling,” said Lebogile Mamatela, 38, a government official who became second wife to her son’s father on Sunday.
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Her new husband, Ruto Mahluku, 40, joined the Church in 1993 and married his first wife, Ditopa Mahluku, 16 years ago. They have three children.
The current wives wore colorful outfits for the ceremony, which took place at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in Jerusalem, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Johannesburg.
Brides for the first time wore traditional white dresses.
The celebrations marked a break in a longstanding dispute over the leadership of the church, which is one of South Africa’s largest congregations with around three million members.
The succession battle between three brothers began after the death of church leaderClayton Modise in 2016.
Tight security was in place at Sunday’s ceremony, which was overseen by armed guards, and metal detectors were used to screen the worshipers.
