The Rise and Fall of the African Gospel: Nongqawuse. The play is about the Two well-known distinguished Spiritual and Religious figures that existed in the late 1850s and whose life brought a huge change in the landmark of South Africa. 1) The Great young Prophetess Nongqawuse, who history points fingers at her, to be the cause of the massive cattle killing that took place in 1856/7 in the Xhosa landscape. 2) Tiyo Soga who was the first black person to be ordained into the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in South Africa.