Faith often begins in small, ordinary ways before anyone notices. For Lieutenant Colonel Zakithi Mabaso, it started in quiet, everyday moments … walking alongside her parents, learning to adjust to new schools, and embracing each new community she called home. From those early days in rural KwaZulu-Natal to answering God’s call to officership, her story reminds us that God’s faithfulness shows up in the little steps we take when no one is watching. Through challenges, doubts, and the twists of life, His hand has never let go, shaping a life devoted to service and overflowing with His love.
It is a privilege and an honour, which I deeply cherish, to share my testimony with the readers of The War Cry. I am a child of Officer parents, Majors A. & E. Zulu, who were promoted to glory many years ago. I come from a family of six children—three boys and three girls. I am amazed at how God has walked with me throughout my life, providing protection, guidance, and counsel, enabling me to grow in faith. My journey has not been easy, yet it has been filled with abundant blessings. The important thing I have noticed is that I did not consciously ask for all these blessings, but by His grace, God provided for me (Proverbs 10:22).
As many readers may be aware, the lives of children born to Salvation Army Officers are shaped by unique dynamics due to the appointment system. My parents were from KwaZulu-Natal Province and spent 98% of their active service in very rural communities. During that time, our quarters had no electricity or running water. It was only in the last five years of their service, as they approached retirement, that they were appointed to a Corps in an urban area.
Our parents’ marching orders were frequent—sometimes every year, two years, or three years at most. These appointments could take effect at any time, meaning children often had to change schools mid-year or stay behind with relatives or soldiers willing to help, completing the curriculum before joining their parents the following year.
These arrangements had a profound impact, not only on the children but also on the parents. As our parents moved from one Corps to another, they relied on their children to assist in ministries—singing songs and choruses, leading brigades, teaching Sunday school, guiding youth groups, leading bands, and participating in Bible studies, prayer meetings, and Sunday services. Officers’ children carried great expectations from both parents and soldiers, and when we were absent, these ministries often suffered, making our parents’ work much more challenging. I remember walking with my parents on visits to their soldiers, sometimes covering long distances through bushes, crossing rivers, climbing hills, or even walking at night.
For children, changing appointments meant new schools, teachers, friendships, cultures, and environments. Yet, being involved in different Corps ministries across these diverse settings greatly increased my knowledge of the Bible and my understanding of The Salvation Army’s principles, standards, and ministries.
… I can see how God was always alongside me
Looking back, I can see how God was always alongside me. I accomplished many praiseworthy things growing up in that environment, but I also made many mistakes. Yet the Lord, in His righteousness, held my hand, bringing forgiveness, cleansing, and justification. His love and mercy drew me into closer communion with Him (Jeremiah 31:3).
I heard God’s call to full-time service as an Officer at the age of sixteen during a Young People’s Councils at Catherine Booth Corps (now the Eastern KwaZulu-Natal Division). My parents were stationed at Evutha Corps at the time. On the way home, my siblings laughed at me, saying I was too young to think about officership and that I was shy and not eloquent. But when my parents learned that I had offered myself for officership, they prayed with me and read Romans 8:28. I am grateful that they did not stand in the way of God’s call but prayed for me. From that day, I would sit beside them as they prepared sermons, asking my childish questions.
Although my parents did not discourage my calling, their hardships were discouraging to me as a child. They struggled to put food on the table, buy clothes and school uniforms, and pay school fees. At times, it seemed to me that God and The Salvation Army could not provide the essentials of life.
I was running from God’s call.
I completed school still holding the desire for full-time service but was hesitant because of my parents’ struggles. I also remembered what my friends had said—that I was shy, unworthy, and unable to speak well. So, I chose to pursue a nursing career. I worked in a hospital and furthered my studies, avoiding reminders of my earlier calling at divisional events by leaving the hall during appeals for officership. I was running from God’s call.
Years later, I stayed with my parents at their last Corps before retirement, where I met my husband, Major Jeqeza Mabaso. We married happily, both employed and serving as committed local officers—me as YPSM and him as Songster Leader and ACSM. Unbeknownst to me, he had also been running from God’s call. But God, who never gives up on us, confirmed His calling to both of us in a remarkable way. Several years later, we were accepted as candidates for officership and resigned from our jobs to join CFOT. We were part of the first multiracial (integrated) Cadet Session (31) in the Southern Africa Territory. God had fulfilled His calling in my life that had begun sixteen years earlier.
He has always been there …
As an Officer, I have seen God’s hand guiding me. My journey has not always been easy. Like my parents, I have faced challenges—walking through bushes, crossing rivers, and climbing hills. Yet the Lord Almighty has never left me alone (Deuteronomy 31:8). He has always been there when I needed Him most. We have been blessed with four handsome sons.
Throughout my appointments, I have learned to depend on the One who called and ordained me to serve His people. I have also learned that each appointment is unique, with different people and circumstances. I strive to enjoy each appointment and serve according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit (James 1:12).
I am grateful to God for the privilege of serving His people through The Salvation Army.