Volume 52 Issue 5- May 2014 : Feature

Article: Baleseng Batlotleng

Photo: Phenyo Moalosi

Hunting witches and exorcising demons made Jakoba Keiphile famous. It also made his Eloyi church very popular and controversial at the same time. His reputation precedes him. Call out his name in the sleepy village of Tsetsebjwe where he comes from and anyone close by will tell you they know him. Make some attempt when visiting a neighbouring country and chances are not few people would have heard of him or seen him at work.

After being baptised in 1952, Keiphile remained in relative obscurity, until 2005 when he handed over his church`s leadership baton to his charismatic son Boitshepelo Jakoba. Jakoba Junior`s exhuberant character and daring attitude took the church to heights never known before. Everywhere, anything associated with witchcraft was mentioned, you could be sure Eloyi or Jakoba would be mentioned.  However, internal feuds forced the younger Jakoba to quit the church. He started what came to be known as Conollius Apostolic Church but almost went into obscurity.

We meet the old Jakoba at his Tsetsebjwe home by sheer coincidence. Our visit to the village was initially to do a piece about the hills of Tsetsebjwe and the origins of the village. But then as we drive into the village we come across a big billboard that declares: Tsetsebjwe Headquarters of Eloyi Christian Church. It is our recollection of the church`s exploits that stirrs up our curiosity to meet the old man. At the main gate to his three bedroomed modern house is a giant morula tree with a big red cross painted across its trunck. His living-room is adorned with pictures of a young looking prophet elegantly dressed in church regalia.

His daughter calls out to him to come out of his room to meet us and the time it takes the old man to come out suggests he is not his usual agile self.  He directs us to seat in the courtyard and declares: “mataese a setse a sule ngwanaka mme tiro e ke tlile go e dira fela go fitlhelela ke tsaa transfer…” [I am now old my child but I shall carry on with this assignment until I transfer] says the now old Jakoba. The ‘transfer` was with reference to death.  

He extends his hand to greet me and my heart skips a bit. For this is the same old man whose divine powers I have heard so much about. I take the hand, then my seat, my world spinning. My colleague, Calviniah, ever the skeptical journalist then tweets : “e le gore bolwetse mo mothong o bo bona jang?” It is a question anyone of us would have asked….and we eagerly await the response. The old man is panting, as if trying to find the answer from the recesses of his memory. But then I conclude he must already be looking into our somewhat uncertain young lives, for his followers say his body language is often a manifestation of the suffering of his patients. Depending on how greatly afflicted his patient is, he makes various gestures, some very strange and scary. He never provides the answer.

At the height of his church`s popularity, Jakoba was never present at exorcism sites. He would simply get in touch with his God and ask for the healing formula. It is the responsibility of his right hand men to put the formula to work to expel the infirmity. Jakoba does not charge for his services and detests anyone who does.  

“Ke sone se ke neng ka kgaogana le ba ke kerekileng le bone ka gore jaanong ke ne ke bona ekare batla etelelwa pele ke masula a selefatshe ka go tsaya sengwenyana mo bathong ba Modimo,” [That is why I broke away from my earlier church as I realised that my fellow church leaders wanted to be paid for what God had freely given], he says of his breakaway from St Apostle Church.

Named after the Old Testament patriarch Jacob, the old man was born and raised in Tsetsebjwe in 1928. In the same way Jacob of old depended on the Almighty, Eloyi`s Octogenarian has anchored his on God. “Botshelo jo go a tlhokafala gore batho ba ipaakanye ba santse ba tshela,”[It is important to be prepared for the afterlife while we are still alive], he says. 

Jakoba recalls the day he was baptised by one Setshephu Dikomang of Maunatlala at Oodi River back in 1952. 

“Fa e sale gone ka ngwaga oo tiro yame ya nna go phutha morafe. Tota le yone kereke e o e bonang fa pele ga jarata yame e simologile e le Koporase mme ka thata ya Modimo ba re e neela gore re biletse phuthego ya Modimo mo teng,” [From then henceforth my work entailed gathering people. The church that you see in front of my yard was initially a cooperative building but by the Lords mercy, they gave it to us], he says pointing to the massive structure in front of his home. 

His bapstism was a culmination of his search for healing after he was struck by a debilitating illness for many years.  It was Setshephu who explained to him that the swelling was due to the fact he was full of the Spirit of God. He thus got baptised and started doing God`s work – that doing exploits.

“Ke bitswa Lifeboy….le ba ba neng ba tlhobogilwe ebile go baakanyetswa gore ba phuthiwe o kgona go fitlhela motho wa teng a ntse ka marago mo setilong…” adds Jakoba. [They nicknamed me Lifeboy, for even those whose families had given up on their chances of survival have been healed], he says.

The old man, who lost his wife in 1995 has never been to a school classroom but knows verses of the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelations by heart. Quizzed about this amazing discovery, he likens himself to the Lord Jesus Christ who he believes never went to school: “Thuto e le nna hela jaaka morena Jeso ga se yame ke e filwe.” 

His nephew Oageng Moloda is currently leading the church. ENDS

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