The Western Cape High Court has through a judgment rescued the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC)'s most valued property, Mount Zion also known as "Holy Mountain" in Cape Town, and other properties owned by the church from the clutches of the executors of the late IPHC leader Glayton Modise's estate and the Modise family. Mount Zion, currently houses the IPHCs Western Cape's main branch and is the most valuable property of all the properties owned by the church.

MOUNT ZION SHARES TRANSFERRED TO LAW FIRM FOR SAFEKEEPING 

ZiMoja can today reveal that Mount Zion and many other properties that were at risk of illegal takeover and theft due to the leadership tussle that divided the church into three factions led by Leonard Modise, Tshepiso Modise and Michael Sandlana, had their shareholdings transferred to a law firm for safekeeping and storage until the succession battle over the leadership of the IPHC church was concluded. These details are contained in a court order by the Western Cape High Court, which shows that Fairbridge Wertheim Becker Attorneys was appointed by Justice Baartman to hold the shares on behalf of the IPHC Church. According to the court order, the executors of the Glayton Modise estate, who filed the court application on the instruction of the Modise family, were ordered to prepare all documents about the ownership of Mount Zion and all properties owned by the company and to cause their transfer to an entity identified by the court. "Fairbridges shall hold the aforesaid shareholding for safekeeping, pending the outcome of the succession litigation in the North Gauteng High Court under the consolidated case," read the order. 

CHURCH TO CARRY ALL TRANSFER COSTS 

Baartman said once the leadership battle is concluded, the law firm will be expected to transfer the shares of Mount Zion including other properties owned by the company to the IPHC church. He said the IPHC church will bear the costs of the transfer including tax and any other regulatory charge which will emanate from the transfer of the shares and property to the name of the church. However, before the court order, the executors of Glayton Modise's estate had claimed that Mount Zion property owned by the IPHC Property Holdings and other properties were owned by the late church leader as his personal assets and argued that they should be declared to be part of his estate already worth hundreds of millions. Duped the Holy Mountain, the property was bought by the late Glayton Modise through a holding company IPHC Property Holdings, solely owned by the IPHC church, after he took over the leadership of the church from his late father Frederick Modise, to expand the church's footprint in the Western Cape. 

EXECUTORS CLAIM IPHC MOUNTAIN BELONGS TO GLAYTON MODISE ESTATE 

 However, since the untimely passing of the late Comforter Glayton Modise, there have been several attempts to capture the property by both Leonard Modise and Michael Sandlana's factions due to the iconic nature, value and symbol of the property. However, following a court application by IPHC Property Holdings, a company now controlled by Tshepiso Modise, to have the property declared an asset of the late Glayton Modise belonging to his estate, other interested parties came forth and opposed the application arguing that the company was a 100% interest benefit entity of the IPHC church and was not owned by Modise's as his personal property. Amongst those who joined the application was Michael Sandlana, through his faction which is operating from the IPHC Church's Jerusalema branch, the IPHC Executive Committee appointed by the North Gauteng High Court Judge led by Priest Malesela Tefu.