No one has been exempt from the violence.

Pastors from various denominations and community members gathered on Saturday morning for a march against violence and crime. It was a march for peace, dubbed “Prayer Day for Umjindi Community” and started at the four-way stop near Tzanini. From there it continued through Shongwe Road to Emjindini Stadium, where several pastors preached to the large crowd.

Past Fiki Ntshangase from the Apostolic Faith Mission read a script from II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

Ntshangase said as pastors from various congregations, the wave of crime and murdering that was happening in the area was a big wake-up call for them to understand that it is really real out here.

“We are here today (Saturday) God in front of You asking You to restore peace in our community.
“We are showing we care and these are our streets and these are our neighbourhoods, and we plan on taking it back.

We pray that crime and murder must come to an end within our community,” Ntshangase added in his prayer.
During the day, not only was the word of God delivered but spiritual dancers and music was rendered by local artists.

The event was against the shootings, stabbings and murders that were committed. It also dispelled the argument that churches in the area were doing nothing to assist in eradicating crime.
Past Bongani Sibiya from the Church on the Hill said, “For us to work together, we have to work as a team.

‘There is one God, we might worship on a different day or in a different building, we might even be called on a different name, but at the same time we are all working towards the same end.”

He explained that the initiative came about through the formation of a group called the Emjindini Ministers Association, which seeks to lend a voice against anything that is contrary to the moral standards of the community.

“We are involved in this march because we are living in a community which once was very peaceful, a community where people could come out at night. Now it has gotten so bad that even the church itself can hardly have night services.

“A few of us come out because everybody is afraid of what is happening,” said Sibiya.