There has been a rise of police officers visiting churches during the lockdown. The first instance was on the 10th of January 2021 in Sebokeng zone 7. SAPS visited the church because the church service did not follow lockdown regulations.
Recently, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department also visited Unity Fellowship Church under the leadership of Pastor Mukhuba. In both instances, rubber bullets, violence and foul language was used.
The way in which congregants were treated during the dispersing of the gathering in Sebokeng did not sit well with many church leaders around the country and they therefore came together on the 19th of February 2021 to have a peaceful protest at church square Pretoria central to demand and apology from SAPS.
We spoke to Moafrkia wa Maila who organised the protest. He believes that the government has no respect for the church. He mentions an instance where the same thing happened to a Muslim church, where after the arrest, no one was bleeding and no rubber bullets were used but the Minister Bheki Cele still apologized to the Muslim community but failed to do so to the Christian community.
Moafrika says that this shows that there is a lack of respect by the government to the Christian community. One would argue that the police had every right to disperse the church gathering as it was not under lockdown regulations. He says in response to this, “Indeed the police had to disperse them but we are questioning the amount of force used”, he says. He mentions that the amount of force used such as using rubber bullets suggest that the police were saying their lives were at risk and the truth of the matter is that there was no risk at all.
The Pastors against closure of churches organization also gathered at Protea Magistrate’s court where Pastor Mukhuba was having a court appearance on the 2nd of March 2021. They gathered together with hundreds of people to show their support to the church leader.
What’s your opinion about this, do you think churches are under attack in South Africa?
Truly the church in south Africa are under Attack because everything that include the church is has to go via SaCc south African church council as they have form part of government what about the other churches now they even declare church as a hotspot of Corona virus when it open even alcohol has to open seems church is equal to alcohol
This people who are harusing people of God they got power from leader of ANC we must take them out of power completly
Government must respect the right of faith based believers 2 as faith based believers we need to unite all of us let’s us leave our religion beside and come together as one we believe in Jesus christ all of us as we speak one language let us speak one language to government they will understand us forward with unity in christianity
Yes the church is being undermined by this government morespecial the Christian community and it shows that there’s no fair treatment
This thing of Saps doing to Pastors is totaly wrong , we have to take it further exspecial to Lady Pastor that thing was harrasment and gender violence , how can you hit or shoot with rubber boolet to church people while here in SA ther is serial killers, robbery, hijacking , rapist many thievo but busy fighting with Gods people it seems they dont respect God , and me as women i know whom i serve a living God and God will punish them because they dont fear God , it is in my prayer as iam praying every that God must do something with those Saps who dont respect Gods people and God himself, Goverment must take this thing serious
We as Pastors we need appology
Yes the church is under atteck in South Africa under the leadership of Ramaphosa and his Police ministry,the church community should stand up together start not voting for the ANC in this coming elections. How are we going to vote fot our enemmy.
Yes we are under atteck
In church there is healing, in church we find comfort, in church there is peace. The word of God gives healing even to the terrible disease, situations etc. Can the government open our churches we want to worship our God in peace not online.
The South African Church us u dermined. I still cannot understand why police were so brutal. Why shooting people who were carrying bibles.people who were not fighting. What justifies that anger.