Church fights crime through prayer
Polokwane Methodist Society Young Men Guild Church member, Tiyo Mbelwana, says the high crime rate in the country can be reduced by engaging correctional services inmates in prayer.
LIMPOPO – Mbelwana is responsible for the social responsibility at the church and he led prayer session at the Polokwane Correctional Facility recently.
The group not only prayed with the inmates but also donated toiletries to inmates whose families have broken ties with them.
Speaking at the special prayer session with the theme: Second Chances, Mbelwa told the inmates that anything is possible if you trust in God.
“We want to help the offenders who feel like they have been rejected by their communities, we want them to know they are part of something bigger,” says Mbelwana.
He explained that because church services are a societal norm, holding sessions such as this one makes the inmates feel normal and part of society again.
“We want to encourage the inmates to take second chances as they come and strive to make positive change in their communities,” he says.
He continued saying upon researching the correctional facility, they found many of the inmates had been abandoned by their families.
“We believe our donation will go a long way in making these inmates feel loved. We should not ignore them as this may make them feel rejected and they make act out in rage as a result because that is the only thing they know to do,” he says.
Polokwane Correctional Services Acting Head, Collen Rambau, says they are working hard to try and reduce the number of incarcerations, however it still remains a challenge to those who do not understand rehabilitation.
“It’s sad when you work so hard to rehabilitate the inmates hoping they will live a more civilised life once they are released, only to find they are scrutinised and rejected by society,” says Rambau.
“We need to work together to make our city safer,”he concluded.
