JERICHO CHURCH FOUNDER IS IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS ZCC’S LEKGANYANE, SHEMBE, AND IPHC’S FREDERICK MODISE AND DESERVES CELEBRATION
...Melika Vilakati is not celebrated enough for founding the Jericho Church in Zion, which has grown to become one of the biggest churches in eSwatini and one of the most influential in our politics
Melika Vilakati, the man behind the founding of the Jericho Church in Zion, remains an unsung figure in the country's history. Yet his legacy places him in the same league as iconic church leaders like ZCC’s Engenas Lekganyane, Nazareth Baptist Church’s Isaiah Shembe, and IPHC’s Frederick Modise.
From humble beginnings, Vilakati’s vision gave rise to one of the Kingdom's largest congregations, a church that today wields immense social, spiritual and political influence. The monarchy, as an institution, may draw its strength from chiefly structures, but its most solid support base lies within the Zionist fold, particularly the Jericho Church.
It is this alliance with powerful Christian movements that allows the monarchy to rest assured of its longevity. At the center of this story is Vilakati, whose Jericho Church has not only expanded beyond eSwatini’s borders but has also become one of the most influential forces in national politics. Yet, despite the church’s size and its pivotal role in shaping society, little is known or celebrated about Vilakati.
Unlike Lekganyane, Shembe, or Modise — names that command recognition across Southern Africa Vilakati’s contributions remain largely overlooked. And yet, his legacy is equally profound, if not more relevant, to the Swazi nation’s political and spiritual life. In the rolling valleys beneath Mnyambe Mountain, a remarkable story unfolded in the mid-twentieth century — the story of Elias Melika “America” Vilakati and the church that would become the Jericho Christian Church in Zion (JCCZ).
To this day, his followers, the emaJericho, stand out in their striking red gowns, spears, and banners, a vivid symbol of a faith born from visions, prophecy, and an unshakable sense of divine destiny. Vilakati’s life began in extraordinary fashion. Born in 1925, he claimed that he entered the world with a full set of teeth and in the company of two doves — signs that his life would not follow an ordinary path.
As a young boy of nine or ten, he began to experience visions of Mlentengamunye, God, and these encounters marked him as different. His childhood was filled with moments that blurred the line between the natural and the supernatural. On one occasion, he is said to have caught a rhebok with his bare hands, a feat that reinforced the belief that he was chosen for a special mission.
His adult life led him to Johannesburg, where like many Swazis of his generation, he sought work as a migrant laborer. It was there that he learned to read and write, skills that would later help him articulate his divine calling. But Johannesburg was also the site of his most transformative moment. On April 15, 1948, while imprisoned, Vilakati had a vision that changed everything.
In that vision, three angels lifted him through the heavens. In the first, he saw multitudes of people. In the second, he saw Jesus, dressed in red. In the third, he encountered God the Father himself. There, he was charged with a mission: to preach to the people and lead them to healing and salvation. He emerged from this experience filled with the Holy Spirit, convinced that God had set him apart for a unique and eternal task.
This date, April 15, 1948, is still celebrated by the emaJericho as the birth of their church. After his release, Vilakati withdrew to Mnyambe Mountain, where he spent three years in solitude, surviving on nothing but soil, grass, and water. The mountain became his crucible. In its caves, he preached to a mysterious race of small people said to dwell there permanently.
He experienced visions that confirmed his prophetic role, and when he finally descended, he did so not just as Elias Vilakati the man, but as Bishop Vilakati, founder of a new spiritual movement. He established his homestead in the fertile valley below Mnyambe, naming it Jericho after a dream in which God instructed him to do so. In that same dream, he was shown chains, padlocks, and keys, symbols of his power to open and close the gates of healing. Jericho became both a home and a sanctuary.
The sick came in their numbers, seeking prayer and deliverance. Healing was not only spiritual but also physical and communal. Patients worked in Vilakati’s fields as part of their recovery, and many chose to remain long after they were healed, forming a permanent community bound by faith and fellowship. The Jericho church The emaJericho distinguished themselves from other Zionists by their red uniforms, a declaration that they were warriors against evil.
Spears, emblazoned on their garments and carried in their processions, along with toy guns, sickles, and razorblades, reinforced their identity as fighters in the spiritual realm. Though other Zionist groups and local chiefs initially rejected Vilakati, his fortunes changed when King Sobhuza II recognized him as a Christian. That royal endorsement secured the church’s legitimacy and deepened the special relationship the emaJericho still claim with the Swazi monarchy.
To his followers, Vilakati was more than a bishop; he was a prophet, a healer, and at times even a rainmaker, said to have the power to summon storms through his connection with a mythical many-headed snake. His authority, however, was not without controversy. While many revered him as God’s chosen servant, others questioned his claims. Still, his influence grew, and the Jericho Church took firm root in Eswatini and beyond.
In early 1992, Bishop Vilakati suffered a stroke and was rushed to Johannesburg for treatment. When he died a few days later, his followers were stunned. They had believed him to be immortal, destined to live forever as the embodiment of Jericho’s divine power. His death opened a painful twenty-year leadership dispute, but eventually, his two sons assumed control, preserving his teachings and ensuring that his philosophy continued to shape the life of the church.
Today, the Jericho Christian Church in Zion remains one of the most distinctive and vibrant Zionist movements in Eswatini. At its heart lies the legacy of Bishop Elias “America” Vilakati — a man whose visions, trials, and unshakable conviction gave birth to a spiritual home where thousands still find healing, prophecy, and deliverance.
NB: Article sourced as an abridged version of Sonene Nyawo's academic work titled " Zionism as “a place to feel at home”: Healing, Prophecy and Deliverance in the Eswatini Jericho Christian Church in Zion