Rev. Mpambani Jeremiah Mzimba
Mr. Mpambani Jeremiah Mzimba was the son of Ntibane Mzimba. Born at Ngqakayi, Fort Wiltshire, in 1850, and taught by his father at Sheshegu. He entered the classes at Lovedale in 1860. In May he was indentured as an apprentice to the Lovedale Printing Department. Being very religious he decided to join the ministry. Completing his apprenticeship he joined the Theological Class, and although the course prescribed for native students for the ministry in the Free Church Mission did not differ from the theological curriculum in Scotland which included a long and trying range of study in literature, philosophy, languages and divinity, he carried on diligently until he mastered the course and was ordained in December, 1875.
Before his ordination he was employed at Lovedale as telegraph operator. Mr. Mzimba’s character at school was very excellent, and this led to the Board granting him a certificate of honourable mention. As a minister the Rev. M. J. Mzimba was very successful, and so much did his work progress that towards the end of the reign of Queen Victoria, he proceeded to Scotland to raise funds for the building of churches in South Africa. On his return certain arrangements were made, but, it is said, the Rev. Lennox did not agree with him in his plans. Unfortunately a dispute arose which ended in the Supreme Court at Capetown. After this dispute Rev. Mzimba broke away from the Free Church and started on his own. He founded the African Presbyterian Church. He had a large following which encouraged him, but the Government of the day refused to recognise his organisation, and for a long time he struggled until he succeeded in gaining recognition. His work increased until he had branches all over South Africa. After his death he was succeeded by his son Livingston Mzimba as Moderator, who was educated in America. The trouble with Rev. Mzimba’s organisation, like all native religious organisations, was that he had no institution to train some of his followers for the Holy Orders, and consequently he had to ordain untrained men or send them to the institutions of other denominations for training. The result was that although he had a large number of followers, his work did not get on as smoothly as did that of churches under European supervision.