Israel Makamu

Wife

Hloniphile Makamu

Makamu and his wife Hloniphile Makamu celebrated their fifteenth year anniversary in 2020. Makamu and his wife married in 2005. He and Hloniphile met in Katlehong in 2003. At the time she was 19 and studying nursing at Ann Latsky Nursing College in Joburg. Bishop Makamu says he was nervous as he had never approached a woman before.^[1]

Children

Makamu and his wife have three children together namely; Niwanano, Ntokozo, and Ntsumi.

Education

Israel Makamu graduated with a diploma in theology from the Christian Family Church International (CFCI) Bible College.^[1]

House

Bishop Makamu has a grey double-storey mansion in a secured upmarket estate in the south of Johannesburg.^[1]

Social Media & Contacts

• Facebook: Bishop Makamu

• Instagram: bishop_makamu

Endless Hope Bible Church

In 2019, Bishop Makamu had 14 churches across South Africa and 84 employees in total. Makamu said he started preaching in secondary school and his peers started calling him Bishop in high school.^[1]

TV Shows

I Am Bishop I Mokamu

The 13-part reality show started airing on Moja Love on 2 July 2019. In it, Bishop Makamu viewers through his life as a family man and looks at the politics of the church, among other things. Makamu said Moja Love approached him to do the show because they wanted someone who was a prominent speaker.^[1]

Covid-19 Battle

In 2020, Bishop Makamu tested positive for Covid-19 a few days after his mother did. He did not think he could get Covid-19 as he believed his prayers were enough to protect him from the virus. He did not wear a mask. He said:

"I was hot one minute and cold the next, but it didn’t cross my mind that I would get the virus. I believed that my prayers were enough to save me. So, I did not wear a mask."

After a few days, Bishop Makamu was released from hospital and spent the rest of his recovery at home. His children and wife also quarantined at home as they had minor symptoms.^[2]

Leaked Audio

Makamu stepped down as the host of Rea Tsotella pending an internal investigation into a recording in which he is heard allegedly asking for sex from a woman who was part of his congregation.

According to Moja Love, Makamu voluntarily took a decision to step down to allow the internal investigation to take place.

Makamu said the lady in the recording worked for him and their conversation was not sexual in any manner and it was altered to extort money from him. He says he thought the matter had been resolved back then but it suddenly emerged again three weeks ago. Bishop Makamu suspects his character is being assassinated.^[3]

Moja Love did not announce who would step in, however, well-renowned media personality Moshe Ndiki also hosts the show and would shoot more episodes in Bishop Makamu's place.^[4]

In the leaked audio, Makamu can be heard asking for something from a woman he refers to as “ngwanaka” [my child].

He told her he had just dropped off someone and was coming to her, further asking if anyone would see him if he went to her. He asks the woman if she is alone and when she confirmed she had no company, the bishop asked her: “Otlo mpha [will you give me]?”

The woman says no and stands firm in her response to Makamu, who begs for her to change her mind. She tells him she will give him on Sunday. “Wa bhora, ngwanaka [you are boring, my child],” he told her. Makamu said the leaked audio was from 2017.^[5]

References