We trained 100 leaders that weekend in KwaZulu-Natal. It was November of 2011.

The vision was clear. The training was solid. The hunger seemed real. But by the end, only one person leaned in.
Just one man said he would try it.
His name was DZ Mkhwanazi.

He wasn’t loud or flashy, but he listened. DZ is an impressive man. His massive hands bear testimony to years of hard work and sacrifice. And when everyone else walked away, he stayed.

That was the beginning.
Not impressive or explosive.
But real.

While it looked like everyone else had moved on, God was quietly moving across the nation. Raising up leaders I hadn’t met yet. Phillip in Mpumalanga, Loyiso in the Eastern Cape, Lovings in Johannesburg. God was doing something bigger than any of us.

What started with one became a handful. What felt like failure became a seed.
And that seed is now becoming something we call KASI Leaders. KASI is a slang term for the Townships of South Africa. Slowly but steadily, God is growing an indigenous network of disciple-makers across South Africa’s townships.

The townships carry the scars of our nation’s story. Born out of apartheid’s spatial injustice, they are marked by poverty, overcrowding, broken systems, and shattered dreams. For years, people believed the empty promises of politicians. But the promises never delivered. Now the disillusionment runs deep.

Many have lost faith in leadership. And tragically, many have also lost faith in the church. They see a religion that feels powerless. One unable to change their lives or bring any hope. Preachers chasing prosperity while their communities burn. Christianity that speaks of hope but refuses to walk with the hurting.

So they turned away.

But here’s what no one expected from the next generation.
Desperation is turning into hunger.
And hunger is preparing the soil for something new.
Jesus is moving in the KASI’s of South Africa.

In the very places people have stopped looking for hope, there is a new hope arising.

But not in the ways we might expect. Not through big crusades, events or programs. It’s not happening through celebrity preachers, flashy branding or big buildings. Those no longer work. Perhaps they never did.

Instead, God is moving through neighbours and friends. Through prayer. Through open Bibles on kitchen tables. He’s moving through young leaders who are finding a better King than the politicians. A better story than the one they were sold. A better way to live, love, and lead change.

The Kingdom is on the move.

This is the beginning of a grassroots, bottom-up, Spirit-led movement of Jesus across the townships. Through the ordinary. The poorest of the poor. The destitute and neglected. It is being led by KASI Leaders.

These are men and women who aren’t waiting for permission. Who don’t need stages or titles. They’re already going. Already gathering. Already making disciples in the everyday places that others ignore. Places where daily rape and murder is the norm. Where crime and drugs have integrated into the culture. Places where law and order are ancient history and hope for change is all but forgotten.

This new breed of leaders is not looking to grow churches as we’ve known them. They’re invading homes, businesses and communities with the gospel of the Kingdom. They’re forming communities of faith that move and multiply. That carry the DNA of Jesus. They are building movements that are humble, powerful, and alive.

This is what a Jesus Movement looks like.
Not hype.
But surrender.

It starts when the living Word comes alive in someone’s heart. It spreads through ordinary people inside real relationships. It multiplies across every corner of society. It moves from prison cells to schoolyards, from spaza shops (tiny grocery stores) to backyard braais (barbeques).

And it moves not by might or strategy, but by the Spirit.
That’s what we’re seeing in the townships.
Not just activity but transformation.

So, here is the invitation. Join us in praying for this movement. For hunger to deepen and the Spirit to move. Support them. Every gift helps to train leaders, spark new groups, and plant the gospel in places most have given up on.

Or come walk with them. Step into the KASI and see what Jesus is doing with your own eyes. But beware – this is real and raw. It is the Kingdom coming into some of the most dangerous places on earth (ranked as one of the top 10 most violent places in the world).

Because what’s rising here isn’t religion.
It’s a movement.

And it’s happening now.