Code of conduct

I was not told beforehand nor found any reference in available literature to the prohibition forbidding a woman, especially when inside the church grounds, to cross her legs when seated either in a chair or on the floor. I, however, have noticed that it is acceptable to cross your feet. The first time I sat down and wanted to cross my legs a senior woman dressed in a yellow and green uniform with a blue braid hanging around her neck appeared out of nowhere and quickly corrected my posture. She looked at me, smiled, and indicated by means of shaking her head that this was not to be done again. Throughout my visitations to the ZCC I have seen elders every now and again correcting the position of the legs of especially female visitors.

During 2002 some of my family members and friends passed away. This was naturally a considerably emotional time for me. Because Moruti Mampuru and I were in regular contact, I always informed him when someone close to me had died. He was always ready to console me with a few wise words. He also told me that if I was in physical contact with the body of a dead person or had attended a funeral I was not allowed to visit the church for seven consecutive days and should hereafter be

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thoroughly cleansed with blessed living water by one of the church officials on gate duty. He would always emphasise that I should take enough time to heal even if it took me longer than seven days and only resume my studies when I considered myself ready to do so. The seven-day period of abstention seems continuous with the regulations of the Bible’s Old Testament, specifically Numbers 19:11–1632.

Lukhaimane (1980:64) referred to this prohibition as well, specifically with regard to baruti. If baruti had been in contact with death, during their seven-day period of abstention they were not allowed to perform any religious duties. Anderson (2000:213) more specifically indicated that during the seven-day mourning period “the bereaved should stay at home, should not socialise or have sexual contact or even go to church”. He too mentioned that this period of abstention should be finished with a thorough cleansing with blessed living water. One of his research participants explained that this cleansing act removed the “darkness” from their lives.

I came upon another prohibition relating to the death of a family member when I restarted fieldwork at the Marabastad congregation during 2002. The husband of one of Martha’s friends had died earlier that year. She told me that she would have loved to accompany me to the ZCC, but because she had been widowed recently was not allowed to attend services for a year. Anderson (2000:214) also encountered a ZCC widow who was observing a one-year period of mourning during which she did not attend church activities. He explained that this prohibition coincided with traditional practices, but gave no further clarification. I found a reference in Mönnig (1983:141) where he explained that traditionally among the Pedi-speakers the relatives of a diseased person were perceived to be in a condition of darkness (sefifi) and therefore had to follow a period of abstention. The length of this period depended on the closeness of the relationship. When a chief has died all members of the tribe had

32 _{Numbers 19:11-16 in the Old Testament of the Good News Bible (1981) reads “11 Whoever} touches a corpse is ritually unclean for seven days. 12 He must purify himself with the water for purification on the third day and on the seventh day, and then will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on both the third and the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches a corpse and does not purify himself remains unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over him, He defiles the Lord’s Tent, and he will no longer be considered one of God’s people. 14 If someone dies in a tent, anyone who is in the tent at the time of death or who enters it becomes ritually unclean for seven days. 15 Every jar and pot in the tent that has no lid on it also becomes unclean. 16 If someone touches a human bone or a grave, he becomes unclean for seven days”.

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to observe a year-long mourning period, the same as when a ZCC Bishop has died (see section 2.7.2). Husbands, brothers, sisters and siblings, for example, observe a period of abstention for six months and a widow, the same as in the ZCC for a year.

I was told by female members (Personal experiences 2002–2003, 2011), who were appointed by Moruti Mampuru as my sponsors during services, and later again by my interpreters that I was not allowed to attend services or use ditaelo for seven consecutive days when I was menstruating. One of Müller’s (2011:97) research participants had told him that although menstruating women were not allowed to touch ZCC products during menstruation, they were allowed to drink the Zion City Moria tea as long as it was prepared by a man. My research participants and interpreters (1995, 2002–2003, 2011–2012) told me that if I became a baptised member, I would not be allowed to wear my uniform during these days. When I asked why this prohibition was followed many told me that it is a ZCC rule and the African way, but I was also referred to the Old Testament of the Bible, Leviticus 15:19, which states that menstruating women are perceived to be ritually impure for seven consecutive days.

Lukhaimane (1980:65) related that during Bishop Engenas Lekganyane’s time menstruating women were not allowed to greet a man by shaking his hand, prepare a man’s food or work at businesses that were owned by ZCC members. If these women did attend services they had to keep themselves separate from all the other congregants. However, during the periods I participated in services menstrual women were not allowed to attend services at all. As I was mostly accompanied by female interpreters during services, it became quite a challenge to find days during which none of us was adhering to the menstruation prohibition. It was firmly believed that if we attended services during these forbidden days the prophets would surely find us out and send us of the church grounds. This would be extremely embarrassing and absolutely not wanted by any of us.

Kriel (1992:133–134) indicated that traditionally among the Northern Sotho-speakers this same kind of prohibition is observed. Again, from the first day of menstruation until it ends a woman is perceived to be ritually impure. To protect others she is not allowed to attend social activities, partake in any kinds of brawls, have sexual

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intercourse and she should be humble and quiet and not wear new clothes or excessive jewellery. Mönnig (1983:66) explained that traditionally Pedi-speakers referred to this condition as ditšhila, which literally translates as dirt, but implies ritual impurity. He said that “the condition of ditšhila is closely connected with the critical changes of life, particularly with its beginning and its end”. Therefore, the state of pollution caused by being in contact with death is also associated with ditšhila. He also said that menstruating women are traditionally not allowed to enter the cattle- kraal, work on agricultural lands or attend any religious activities. Among the Northern Sotho-speakers, which include the Pedi-speakers, women adhere to these avoidance rules as long as they are menstruating and therefore no specific time constraints are indicated.

Mrs J (Personal communication 2003), one of the women who acted as my sponsor during a Sunday service, told me with delight on her face that she was glad to be able to attend services again. When I asked her the reason for her absence, she explained that she had recently given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Apparently, at first she and her husband were not able to conceive, but after she had started to attend services more regularly, and followed her ditaelo strictly, the prophets had predicted her pregnancy and had even indicated that she would give birth to a baby boy. This baby, therefore, was her special miracle from God. She indicated that her giving birth was the reason why she was not allowed to attend services for the past three months.

Lukhaimane (1980:64–65) did not specifically refer to the latter prohibition, but mentioned that before 1930, baruti were not allowed to lay hands on the sick if they “lived with a woman or ate the food prepared by a woman who had just given birth (baby under three months)”, which corresponded with the timespan Mrs J had specified. According to Lukhaimane (1980:64–65) the ZCC’s restrictions associated with giving birth are based on the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically the book of Leviticus 12:1–533. He said that the implication of this prohibition was that baruti

33 _{Leviticus 12:1-5 in the Old Testament of the Good News Bible (1981) reads: 1 The Lord gave} Moses the following regulations 2 for the people of Israel. For seven days after a woman gives birth to a son, she is ritually unclean as she is during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised. 4 Then it will be thirty-three more days before she is ritually clean from her loss of blood; she must not touch anything that is holy or enter the sacred Tent until the time of her

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“became polygamists for this would enable them to stay with another wife while serving the Church as well”.

During 2003 one of the baruti who delivered a homily during a Sunday service also told us that women who had just given birth were not allowed to attend services. He explained that they first had to get rid of all the blood and dirt associated with the birthing process. Again this perception of dirt seems to be closely related to the Pedi- speakers traditional concepts of ditšhila (dirt or ritual impurity). In a traditional context, the same as when a woman is menstruating, during this abstention period a woman is not allowed to enter the cattle-kraal, work on agricultural lands or attend any religious activities. The mothers’ period of seclusion is however not measured in months, but ends when the baby’s umbilical cord has fallen off (Mönnig 1983:68, 102).

Another prohibition came to my attention when I accepted an invitation to visit the Zion City Moria. Martha, the woman who had acted as my interpreter during 2003, was instructed by moruti Mampuru to confer all the correct procedures to be followed when visiting the Zion City Moria. They both accompanied me on this visit. Obviously, all the above-mentioned regulations had to be adhered to. Martha, however, also whispered into my ear that we were not allowed sexual intercourse for seven days before we entered the Holy City. During 2011, I befriended two women who, to my good fortune, had been ZCC members. This enabled me to casually converse about my research and reconfirm some of my research results. One of the women, Mrs S, used to reside at Zion City Moria. Both confirmed that they used to adhere to this rule of sexual abstinence before they entered the Holy City (Personal communication: Mrs S and Ms M 2011).

4.4 Participants during a healing service