40 years - Kwasizabantu Mission starts, 10 June 1970

As remembered by Emmanuel Khwela, one of the 6 co-workers together Rev Erlo Stegen at the beginning:
The first "soil was turned" on 10 June 1970 on the newly acquired property of "Silverstream Farm", Kranskop. Emmanuel remembers the day clearly because his first child was also born on that day. Uncle Friedel Stegen was there with some workers and Mr Stegen senior (Carl Stegen) with some helpers from their farm at Mbalane. The main task at hand was to begin removing the Wattle tree plantation.

The farm had been bought from the Maharaj brothers. Some have asked why the original site at Maphumulo, where the revival began at the end of 1966, was not kept for building on. It was not for want of trying to obtain that property. The government of the day refused. Despite ardent prayer and efforts to obtain that little piece of land for the many people who were coming every day under deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, 3 years went by and there was still no official permission. In Rev Stegen's testimony he thanks God that He turned down the prayer request of revival group.

The original Silverstream was 140 hectares in size and was full of wattle trees (now declared an "alien plant" in South Africa) and difficult to remove. The core of revival believers had encountered many obstacles before and they fully trusted the Lord to overcome and provide people and equipment to start building.

No name had been given for the mission and it was only later that the Stegens were informed that the whole area was called Kwasizabantu - "the place where people are helped". The name stuck and it was seen as a display of God's sovereign working, even before anyone knew of the new mission site.

(Some photos of the first days of Kwasizabantu will be posted here soon.) To read the story of those early days read here from revival testimony given by Rev Erlo Stegen.