The history of the parishes in the Diocese of Eshowe

Bhekuzulu

(1965)

The black township of Bhekuzulu, outside Vryheid, was established in the early sixties to accommodate black families and workers who were employed in Vryheid. Many of them had until then lived in mud-huts and shacks along the Besterspruit river valley east of Vryheid. Already in 1928, the Benedictines built a school-chapel at Bhanya, a hill overlooking the river valley. After it was blessed and opened on March 11, 1928, it catered for the pastoral needs of the people in the area and enabled their children to attend school. Bhanya remained a Catholic centre until a church was built nearby in the new township of Bhekuzulu. It is noteworthy that the first application for a church site in Bhekuzulu, which the Diocese of Eshowe submitted in 1963, was turned down by the Town Council of Vryheid (cf. annals of Inkamana, 28-05-63). However, in 1964, the bishop was able to acquire a church site on the eastern fringe of the township near the Besterspruit river.

Fr. Albert Herold, who was pastor of the Catholic community in Bhekuzulu at that time, worked out plans for a new church. He tried to integrate typical Zulu features in the design of the church and the courtyard which is surrounded by a high wall. The final design was made in close co-operation with an architect in Germany. The church was built by Misselhorn & Bühler Construction, Vryheid, in 1965/66. Bishop Aurelian Bilgeri blessed it on March 20, 1966. The Holy Angels Church in Bhekuzulu is a good example of a successful attempt at architectural inculturation. George Kubheka, a Catholic teacher and artist in Vryheid, decorated the church inside and outside with traditional Zulu ornamental painting. A hall, measuring 12 x 6,5 metres was built in 1983 between the church and the bell-tower. Bishop Mansuet Biyase blessed it on June 3, 1984.

The Bhekuzulu township had already about 10 000 inhabitants when the government considered a plan to close it down because it was situated in a so-called white area. However, when Dr. Gerrit Viljoen, the Minister of Education and Training and Development Aid, visited the township on March 2, 1985, it was decided to scrap the plan of moving all residents from Bhekuzulu to Mondlo. As soon as the future of Bhekuzulu was secure, new development projects were initiated in the town. Hundreds of new houses were built in the late eighties for employees of the South African Railways and various mining companies. The whole town was upgraded, roads were tarred, street lighting installed and a community hall erected. About 20 000 people lived in the town in 1993. (This is a more realistic figure than the official figure of 15 000, given in 1993).

The Catholic community of Bhekuzulu was always strongly orientated towards Inkamana. Many parishioners would attend the services at the monastery church at Inkamana on high feasts such as Christmas, Easter or Corpus Christi. However, the Holy Angels community gradually found its identity as an independent parish. Separate parish books were started for Holy Angels in January 1987. The parish had about 1000 members in 1994.

Parish Priests of Holy Angels, Bhekuzulu

1. Albert Herold OSB March 1966 ­ Sept. 1968
2. Peter Scholz OSB Sept. 1968 ­ Jan. 1969
3. Heribert Ruf OSB Feb. 1969 ­ Jan. 1974
4. Stephen Xulu Jan. 1974 ­ Sept. 1975
5. Richard Multerer OSB Sept. 1975 ­ Jan. 1980
6. Michael Mayer OSB Jan. 1980 ­ July 1982
7. Ruprecht Wolf OSB July 1982 ­ April 1983
8. Michael Mayer OSB April 1983 ­ March 1984
9. Peter Scholz OSB March 1984 ­ April 1987
10. Godfrey Sieber OSB May 1987 ­

This page was last updated on 24.10.06 17:41:25