High Court allows widow to lead church
Sibongile Dlamini will temporarily remain leader of Faith Christian Fellowship Church after a court ruling.
The High Court has temporarily allowed Sibongile Dlamini, widow of the late Apostle Jeremiah Dlamini, to continue leading the Faith Christian Fellowship Church. This decision follows an urgent application challenging earlier magistrate court rulings concerning the church's leadership. Judge Mzwandile Fakudze granted an interim order reviewing and setting aside the magistrate’s decisions from September 29 and October 27.
The applicants, the church, Sibongile Dlamini, and Senior Pastor Muzi Myeni, sought to have Sibongile remain the overall leader and overseer. This is in line with a resolution allegedly made by the church’s pastors on September 12. The court also ordered Magistrate Thamsanqa Ndlovu to transmit the record of proceedings from Manzini Magistrates Court Case 347/2026.
The dispute arose after Apostle Jeremiah Dlamini's death on July 10, 2026. The church, founded around 1983, has approximately 14 branches in Eswatini and South Africa. A meeting on September 12 reportedly resolved that Sibongile, known as Mum-Apostle, would assume leadership, a decision later challenged by congregants Nsizwa Mhlanga and Absalom Dlamini.
Why it mattersSibongile Dlamini, widow of the late church founder, will continue to lead the Faith Christian Fellowship Church while a court reviews leadership decisions.