Tucked away in the rural outskirts of KwaMaphumulo, the Ikhaya Labafundi mission — meaning “home of the disciples” — has become both a place of devotion and a focal point of national concern, drawing the attention of government authorities amid fears over the safety, rights and wellbeing of those living inside.
Cultural, Religious and Linguistic (CRL) Rights Commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva and KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Mbali Shinga visited the facility on Thursday following growing concerns about the protection of children and the general conditions at the mission.
The visit follows earlier intervention by the social development department, who removed 19 children from the mission after it was found that they were not attending school. Seven of them are the children of the leader of the institution, Vusimuzi Sibiya.
Ikhaya Labafundi is a secluded settlement in the Dabavu area, north of Durban, where about 53 people live under Sibiya’s leadership. Members have left their former lives behind, with some resigning from jobs, withdrawing from school and giving up businesses to pursue a shared spiritual path.
The community sustains itself through subsistence farming and livestock rearing, with daily life centred on communal living and religious practice.
During the visit, the CRL urged Sibiya to disband and allow members to return to their homes. He refused, saying individuals had joined voluntarily and were guided by faith, and that he could not force them to leave.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said the situation raises serious constitutional concerns.
“What is happening here is unethical. It is unethical to encourage people not to take medication, children not to go to school and not to be immunised. That is illegal,” she said.
“A day in the life of a child is like a year — you are risking children’s lives. People here, their right to life is at risk. This has given us the impetus to push even harder for regulation that will create a council for Christians. If we had that council, they would have been here a month ago and told Rev Sibiya that what he is doing is out of order.
“The right to education is non-negotiable. The right to health is non-negotiable. These are constitutional rights. We begged him to close this place. We will not stop. We are now more energised to act. If you stop taking medication, you don’t need to be a scientist to know what will happen. This is a ticking time bomb.”
Sibiya, however, defended the practice at the mission, saying his leadership is guided by faith.
“We belong to the kingdom of the living God and we are guided by its laws. We are aware of the constitution but the challenge comes when there is a clash between God’s kingdom laws and the laws of the country. That is where the problem starts. We will obey the laws of the living God,” he said.
“I am not the one who brought people here; it is God. I do not have the power to send them back. Their leaving will also be done by God. We respect the laws of the country — but when there is a clash, we stand with the law of God. We are the kingdom of God, a heavenly government.”
Authorities also raised concern that the institution is not registered with any government authority, but Sibiya said they are registered in heaven.
“We cannot register under another kingdom. Our King is Jesus Christ.”
We removed 19 children — 12 from their parents and seven belonging to Mr Sibiya. We are not dumping them; they are placed in child and youth care centres, and we are working to get them into schools
— Mbali Shinga, social development MEC
The department of social development placed the children in safe care to ensure access to education and healthcare and is working to reintegrate them into the school system.
“When I leave here, I am going straight to the Qwabe Kingdom to find out who allocated this land. There will be action,” said Shinga.
“We have about 53 congregants here. We removed 19 children — 12 from their parents and seven belonging to Mr Sibiya. We are not dumping them; they are placed in child and youth care centres, and we are working to get them into schools.
“We are also finalising the termination of Sassa grants for those who still have cards but no longer have their children with them. They cannot be double dipping.”
Congregants speak out
Several members of the community spoke openly about their decision to stop taking medical treatment.
Sibongile Mkhwanazi from Ratanda in Heidelberg, Gauteng, said she stopped taking medication after being guided by her faith.
“I am a child of God, a born-again Christian. The Holy Spirit convicted me while I was working and taking ARVs. I realised I was not fully trusting God to heal me. The word of God says I must not worry about what I will eat, drink or wear, but seek the kingdom of God. My job was taking my time away from the work of God, so I left it.
“I realised I did not have enough faith. I started leaving the pills gradually until I stopped completely. I came here because I saw believers living the same life I was longing for. I wanted to live with people who have the same revelation. I did not come here because I was sick — I came when Jesus had already healed me. If this place is closed, I will continue preaching the gospel. The Holy Spirit will guide me on where to go next.”
Thandazile Mwelase from Inanda said she had already stopped taking ARV medication before joining the mission, saying her decision was also based on faith.
“I arrived here in May 2025. When I came here there was a rumour that people come here because they expect to be healed, then thereafter they will stop taking their medication,” she said.
“One day I saw sisters from this institution talking on YouTube, and I knew this was what I needed. I wanted to know where they got what they were talking about because I received it directly from God. That’s when I was led to Ikhaya Labafundi.”
A former nurse who worked during the early 1990s, when HIV/Aids claimed many lives, said people stopped treatment out of conviction.
There are also growing concerns about young people abandoning their families and education — including opportunities to study abroad — to join the mission.
Mpho Jongani, 19, from Mahikeng in the North West, said she walked away from multiple study opportunities, including a chance to study medicine in Cuba.
“I arrived here in July last year. I heard the gospel through YouTube, where they were preaching about the kingdom of God — that there are two kingdoms on earth: the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. You cannot be in both; you must choose one, because the word of God says you cannot have two masters,“ she said.
“I looked at my life and realised I had two masters. I wanted to study because I wanted money. I was striving for success and I realised the more I did that, the more I gratified the desires of the flesh. I wanted to study medicine, nursing or physiology. I applied to different institutions, even overseas. I was called for interviews, but I rejected everything.
“I want to be a full-time disciple of Jesus Christ. When I arrived here, I told my mom I was in KZN. I told my friend I am no longer part of the things of the world. My family does not understand — they want me to go back to school, get a job and be successful. They are not saved yet.
“Here I am growing spiritually and physically. We eat healthy food and live outside the system. We work in the kitchen, the garden, and serve one another in the name of Jesus. We are living what is written in the Bible.”
TimesLIVE
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