Umlindelo wamaKholwa explores the spiritual identity of those involved in two Zionist Churches in Johannesburg and Driefontein. The 20th Century Protestant faith healing movement, Zionism (unrelated to the Jewish Zionism) is South Africa’s largest popular religious movement. Mlangeni, himself, is part of the Zionist Church and has spent many years in its congregation. As with most of his series, his respectful place within the community lifts the photographic boundaries of observer and subject, allowing him to capture authentic moments.

Within this body of work, Mlangeni focuses on the individuals and their relationships to belief; an experience of waiting is present. The title refers to a night-prayer vigil, where the community comes together to pray and stand in solidarity for awaiting spirits. In this time, friends are made and beliefs are supported: conveying how community is “forged through the experience of waiting together,” as the artist puts it, “In a way [that’s] parallel to the South African landscape: looking at what’s happening in this environment as a community of peoples.”