Christian protest leaders call for churches to be fully opened

Christian leaders from all provinces of South Africa spoke “with one voice” at a mass Christian protest at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, last Sunday, calling for churches to be opened to 100% of capacity, said Pastor Mpfariseni Mukhuba of Unity Fellowship Church.

She told Gateway News it was heartening that despite their ministry differences leaders at the event organised by Pastors Against Church Closures were united in their conviction that church lockdown restrictions were unfair in comparison with how other sectors of society were treated and amounted to an attack against the Church.

When the Church started to speak with one voice “nothing will be impossible for us,” she said.

“Christians are opening their eyes and starting to get involved in matters of government. Christians have been going to church but not really concerning themselves with their rights. Now they are starting to speak, which is very important, because the Church is supposed to be giving direction as the prophetic voice of the nation. But it has been the other way round where the Church has been dictated to by ungodly men.

“And that is why we are where we are now. Look at African countries that did not close their churches — they don’t have this Covid-19 at the rate that we have it here in South Africa. In other African countries people are going to church and really Covid is not affecting them that much because there is a link between a person’s health and his spirituality,” she said.

She said that a government representative who had promised to accept a memorandum at Sunday’s gathering failed to turn up..

The memorandum calls:-

• for churches to be opened to 100% of capacity, with a commitment by the churches to follow Covid regulations
• for police brutality to be stopped at churches following many incidences of church leaders being arrested.
• and for criminal charges pressed against religious leaders for conducting church services to be withdrawn

Pastor Maphuma said it had been decided that if the government does not respond to the group’s demands they will convene another mass Christian protest.

Speaking at Sunday’s protest, ACDP leader Rev Kenneth Meshoe referred to a letter from the Limpopo government calling for churches to make their facilities available for Covid vaccinations. He said it was an example of “double standards” that the government wanted hundreds of people to go to churches for vaccinations but only 50 for a service.

He also criticised the Zimbabwe government’s approach of opening churches to vaccinated congregants only. No government has the right to to tell the Church who they may admit — the Church of the Living God must receive whoever comes, he said.

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