Katrina Esau’s story is not only about saving an ancient language; it is also the story of a Church of God of Prophecy member whose faith has shaped her life of service.
A daughter of /Kharahais, Known to the World
The world has come to know Katrina Esau as the last fluent speaker of Nluu, a critically endangered San language once declared extinct in the 1970s. From her modest home in Upington, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, she has inspired linguists, universities, and governments through her quiet determination to keep her people’s language and culture alive.
Born into a family of 11 children, she grew up in a system that punished Nluu speakers on the farms where her parents worked, and she was even renamed by employers with a derogatory nickname that denied her identity. Over time she reclaimed her given names, Katrina and N/aungkusi (“I saw you coming”), as a sign of dignity and self-assertion in the face of social and cultural erasure.
Reviving a Language, Raising up a People
By the early 1990s, Esau realised that the last fluent speakers of Nluu in her family and community were aging and dying, and that their language was slipping away. She spent “sleepless nights” wondering how to respond until she took a simple, faith-filled step. She built a small shelter in her backyard and invited neighbours to send their children to learn Nluu, along with traditional songs, dances, and customs.
Despite municipal objections to her informal school, she and her relatives organised a Trust, secured land, and eventually established a dedicated Nluu language school. The school’s Nluu name, often translated “Gaze at the Stars,” reflects her conviction that language revival is not just about memory but about aiming high for a renewed future for the Nluu people.
Honoured by Nations, Grounded in her Church
Esau’s efforts have attracted attention from around the world. In 2014 she received South Africa’s Presidential Order of the Baobab, recognizing her role in preserving indigenous language and culture. Researchers from South Africa, Europe, and the United States have partnered with her to document Nluu, develop an alphabet, and create teaching materials for new generations. The South African government has honoured her as a “Living Human Treasure,” and the University of Cape Town conferred an honorary doctorate on her for her contributions to heritage and education.
Yet, for all the awards and academic interest, Esau continues to serve as a local church member and intercessor in the Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Rosedale, Upington. In between language classes and public engagements, she remains a regular presence at Thursday and Sunday services, praying for others and lending her voice — sometimes literally, as she sings and speaks in Nluu — to worship and ministry.
A Church of God of Prophecy Witness
Esau’s story is deeply woven into the life of the Church of God of Prophecy in southern Africa. Her first encounter with the gospel came through Pentecostal evangelistic outreach in the late 1970s, but she soon joined the Church of God of Prophecy under the leadership of ministers Piet van Nel and the late Paul Cloete, whose work was active in her home area. In a context where historic injustices might have led only to resentment, she instead embraced a fellowship that included white South African leaders, allowing the grace of God to move her from blame to forgiveness, reconciliation, and action.
Bishop Nathaniel Botha, one of her pastors and closest supporters, describes her as a sober, exemplary Christian whose life and language work restore dignity to a people damaged by colonialism, apartheid, and forced assimilation. He often invites her to speak or sing in Nluu at the national church convention, not as a cultural “extra,” but as a living testimony that the gospel can flourish in every language and among every people. Her faith and her Nluu activism are inseparable. At the age of 93, she refuses to be “the last woman standing” and instead pours her knowledge into children, grandchildren, and community members — a vivid picture of discipleship and generational faithfulness.
A Vision in Nluu, a Message to the World
When asked about her favorite scripture, Esau turns to Isaiah 59:1: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” That verse, carried in her heart, has sustained her through opposition, scarcity, and the weight of being the final fluent voice of an ancient tongue. Her message to believers and seekers alike is simple and pointed: “If you have a vision, start working on it and it will succeed… Like my name, N/aungkusi, God can see you long before you arrive; He is ahead of you. Whatever your life’s challenges are, God is with you.”
For the global Church of God of Prophecy family, now ministering in over 130 nations and, by intentional effort, in an expanding number of languages, Katrina stands as a powerful reminder that God treasures every language and culture. As our movement continues to reach more languages spoken by our members in 130 nations, and has formally engaged at least two dozen so far, her life points us toward a future in which even the smallest communities hear and speak the good news in the language of their hearts.
Note: This story is based on an article written by Minister Philip Segadika. The full article may be read here: https://www.mmegi.bw/ampArticle/110654
