ERMELO – The Road Traffic Infringement Agency, the Mpumalanga and Msukaligwa traffic departments and the Msukaligwa Men’s Movement (MMM) gathered on the N2 near Ext 33 on September 9 for a prayer session against accidents in the area as well as the escalating crime in local schools, following the stabbing of a 17-year-old learner in Cebisa Secondary School on August 16.

According to a local bishop and member of MMM, Welcome Mkhonza, the crime rate in the area is shocking, and the prayer was a call to action against criminal activities.

“We call on and invite local pastors, churches, organisations and residents to join in the upcoming prayer walk that will start at the Ext 1 hostel, go to the Msukaligwa Local Municipality building’s robot, and commence to the Thuthukani Hall on September 16,” Mkhonza said.

He said members of the MMM, the Ermelo police, and the community police forum will continue to visit local schools to search pupils for weapons and illegal substances.

“This is also a means of motivating kids to stay focused on their studies and keeping them safe on schoolgrounds, because schools are supposed to be weapon- and drug-free zones.”