Thy kingdom come

Who’d ever have thought that Nkunzi would want to play God and choose KKC’s next pastor?

- ELEANOR MAVIMBELA.

Nkunzi (left) claims to be a church-going good guy when the police raid his office.

The members of Kwamashu King-dom Church (KKC) are doing the unimaginable: asking gangster Nkunzi (Masoja Msiza) to get their church back, which has been is at the centre of a quest for power since March when pastor Qhabanga (Siyabonga Shibe) left. The building was auctioned and the congregation were left in tears, explains Masoja, whose character is keeping a secret about who owns the church now. “It was done gangster style. Gates chained shut, the members were chased away with gunshots. They were forced to hold services in the local shisanyama.” While patrons sipped their booze, the churchgoers were praying to God. “It’s a sad turn of events and the loyal members are scared of what will become of the community without their spiritual home,” adds Masoja. But help is at hand as the members, many of whom got married at KKC or have bid farewell to loved ones, turn to Nkunzi.

THE PLAN

Nkunzi is a man of many businesses – he owns a scrapyard, a shisanyama, a hair salon and he is KwaMashu’s top criminal. Why would he want to get involved in church politics, even if it’s just to get the building back and hand it over to the community? “The Umbutho crime syndicate is gone. Nkunzi’s beloved wife MaNgcobo (Dawn Thandeka King, Zinzile in new telenovela DiepCity, see p25) is also gone. Nkunzi now is focused on himself and he wants to be the Godfather of KwaMashu and restore peace and do his bit for the community and fill a void,” explains Masoja, whose character likens himself to Robin Hood, who steals and gives back to the poor.