VGR - RSA-Durban

Voice Of God Recordings

RSA-Durban

Contact Information

Office Contact:

Keith Herne

Office Address:

159 Che Guevara road Berea
Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal 4001
REP OF SOUTH AFRICA

Business: 27-31-301-1717
Email: durban@vgroffice.org

Country Demographics

Capital:
Pretoria (administrative capital)

Population:
43,786,115

Languages:
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%

Religion:
Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1%

Life Expectancy:
42.37 years

GDP per-capita:
$9,800

Of Interest:
South Africa's coast stretches more than 2,500 kilometres (1,550 mi) across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. South Africa is one of only 17 countries worldwide considered Megadiverse. It has more than 20,000 different plants, about 10% of all the known species of plants on Earth. VGR has more offices in South Africa than in any other country in the world.

Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Office Staff

Keith Herne

Office Manager

Manager History:

I was approached in 1989 to work for Voice of God in South Africa. I began by sending out orders of books and cassettes. As the request for material grew, so did my responsibilities. I was given the task to start the recording studio for the different South African languages beginning with the Zulu and the Afrikaans. Next were the Xhosa and the South Sotho.

The need for the gapped messages spilled over to the neighboring states and the Bemba language from Zambia, Chichewa from Malawi, Swahili from Kenya and Shona from Zimbabwe were also included on the South African recording schedule. Even South Korea was added at one stage.

Since the studios were recently opened in Malawi and Zimbabwe, all the across border languages are done there. The recently added languages in South Africa that were added is Tsonga, Venda and North Sotho. I was sent to Durban to open the library with Brother Ronnie Pillay in 1991.

Material for Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe had to be sent by road from Cape Town as the material arrived from Jeffersonville. The need to go on trips and make personal contact with the believers was a necessity and I was sent to accomplish this task.

As I was operating the office in Cape Town alone, it was obvious that I needed help and Sister Gaylene was employed in 1997. This gave more freedom to go on more missionary trips and see what the needs of the people were.

In 2000, another library was opened in Johannesburg and today it is operating efficiently by Brother Solly Reneke. In 2001, I was sent to Namibia to open a library for the people across the border. It is currently manned by Brother Marius and Brother Archie. In 2003, I was entrusted with the task of opening a library in Kimberley and Brother Timmy is still at the helm of that office.

The demand for me to go on more trips increased and I needed more hands on deck. In 2009 Brother Steven was brought on board and he was trained to take the responsibility of the recording studio. Sister Melissa was approached in 2012 to assist with the subtitling and the orders.

Brother Steven is the manager of the Voice of God office in Durban. He is also operating a recording studio in Durban and this has also eased the recording load from the Cape Town studio. Brother Steven had to be replaced in the studio and Brother Laurence filled that gap in 2013. As technology advanced, Brother Seth stepped up to the mark in 2014.

The course that the Cape Town office has come through was an exciting experience. It has stood as a shining beacon to guide many souls to Jesus Christ by way of the Message of the hour that was delivered by Brother Branham. It has served as a Victorious vessel for the Lord and we’ll work till Jesus come.

Brother Larry Moodley - Durban office assistant

I was born into a Hindu family and practiced the religion until, by the grace of the Lord, I married my wife who was of the Christian faith. The first generation of converts to the Christian faith had to endure great trails and tribulation from family members and were in most instances totally cut off. However, by the time I had married, the community had become more accommodating to hindu-christain marriages and thus I avoided the persecution that those before me had to suffer.

For several years after our marriage we fellowshipped in a few denominational churches and did not know that there were differences in doctrines, thinking all the time that every church was the same. Even when we visited a Message church, it still did not occur to me that there were any differences until one night, alone in prayer, something miraculous happened within. My life had changed in an instant and that was the start of my journey in this Message. The difference had since become very clear.

For many many years after that, during my lunch breaks, I would visit the Voice of God library which was, at the time, situated in a city building in the heart of Durban. I recall, on my very first visit to the Library, the late Bro Ronnie Pillay was on his knees sorting out the many Message cassettes that had just arrived and I immediately lent an helping hand. That started a long and joyous association with Bro Ronnie and the Voice of God Recordings.

I was subsequently, officially employed with VGR: Durban Office in August 2003, just after the first Open House that was held in Durban.

Since the passing away of Bro Ronnie, I’ve been joined by Bro Steven Young (Office Manager) and together with Bro Mahlon and Bro Ellie, we are privileged to be of service to the Bride of Jesus Christ in this area of the vineyard. My main role at the office at present is as Studio technician, responsible for recording the Messages in the different local languages, namely Zulu, Tshivenda and South Sotho. I am naturally privileged and honored for the opportunity to be associated with a work that is ordained of the Lord. I draw my inspiration in life from the following quote:

57-0821 HEBREWS CHAPTER ONE JEFFERSONVILLE IN

7 And now I come home just for a little rest. I lost twenty pounds, in this last meeting. And Brother Mercier and Brother Goad was up, a while ago, and said, "Brother Branham, I notice what you do. You put your whole heart into it."

8 I said, "That's the only way you can do a right kind of a job for the Lord, is put everything you got right to the forefront for Christ; all your strength, all your soul, all your heart, all your mind, everything that you got." When you're doing anything, do it right or don't do it at all, see, just leave it alone. You're going to be a Christian, put everything that you've got to Christ, that's, your time, your talent, your everything.

Brother Elijah Ewanzi

I grew up in a Christian home, and my dad was a chorus leader in the Lutheran church. In the 1994 I heard about Brother Branham for the first time, from my brother in-law, who was a believer, but we were not very close and he did not explain too much about the message.

Early in 1998, my cousin Justin Bokani paid our family a visit in Kinshasa. He came from the Limpoko village in the Equator Provence, where the Message of the Hour is prominent.

When he came, he introduced me to the brochures (message books) of the prophet. I was curious to find out more about these brochures, especially those between 1963 & 1965, because when my cousin visited us, he brought mainly books that were preached in those years.

I thank God that my cousin also prophesied that one day, I will also believe this Message! Later on in my life, I was seeking the Lord and attended different churches, among them Jehovah’s Witness, God is good and Mama Olangi – (a woman preacher from DRC).

None of this had satisfied the feeling that was in my heart, but God knew the desire of my heart all along.

Many years later, my cousin became a Deacon and arranged a public outreach campaign in our area for three days in 2007.

When they first started the meetings I didn’t go, but I felt in my heart that I need to be there, Because the place they had chosen to have their meeting was only 30meters from our house. The following day, the third day of their campaign, I was sitting in my home and I heard the believers singing.

The song they were singing was : “My friend don’t fear, God is here calling you to come” When I heard this song, I was touched in my heart and obeyed the call; It was that song that drew me to the campaign.

After the minister had finished preaching, he asked the audience how many people want to give their life to Jesus. I raised up my hand, and I was one of 189 people who accepted the Lord on that day.

After that they invited us to the congregation on Sunday, to be introduced to the church… We were only 5 people that Sunday!

And the pastor was very emotional; he said only 5 people out of 189?

I thank God that I was chosen by God, before the foundation of the world to believe this Message. A few months later, I was baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May god bless you richly

Office History

The Library was initially opened in 1989 in a little 9 sq meter room in one of the city blocks (Salisbury Center) in Central Durban. Over the many years, the work steadily grew, which required moving into bigger offices. During a period of 16 years, we moved 6 times within the same building. However, there had to be one more move to complete the process. In 2005, Brother Joseph decided that it was time to purchase a building that would accommodate the ever-increasing workload and that would best serve the Bride of Jesus Christ in part of the world. Ironically, the building that we bought was owned by a company called “Junk Mail.” However, the Lord wanted the “Right Mail” to go from this place.

Since the initial opening of the VGR office in Durban, over 2500 people of all races and different denominations have been baptized. In the early days, many of them were either taken to the beach, the harbor, or the public pools to be baptized, until a pool was constructed within the office at Salisbury Center. From this center, the entire KwaZulu Natal region is being serviced. In spite of the extent of the area that needs to be catered to, there has never been a shortage of material. Within this region, there are close to 100 churches. The work here in Durban is all the more significant in light of the Glorious Meetings conducted in here in 1951 at the Greyville racecourse. We appreciate the continued commitment by VGR to the spiritual upliftment of the believers in this area and around the world.