Toyi-toyi for services turns to toyi-toyi for Jesus

A housing protest in front of the Port Elizabeth City Hall took a surprising turn yesterday morning (Wednesday, October 29) when an evangelist, Brendon Slabbert, got permission to address the crowd.

Slabbert who is a city businessman and student at the Word of Faith Bible Institute says he was busy “soul-winning” in the Central area yesterday morning. It became a bit quiet so he started “praying for the multitudes” and the Holy Spirit led him to a group of 17 people who “all made a decision for Christ” after he shared the Gospel with them.

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Ten minutes later the Holy Spirit led him to the City Hall where a crowd of people from a Missionvale informal settlement were toyi-toying in support of their demand to be relocated to serviced sites while they waited for their RDP houses. He said they were dancing, shouting, jumping up and down, blowing whistles and waving placards to demonstrate their frustration. Police and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality security personnel were keeping watch.

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“I was led by the Holy Spirit to go and pray for the group of people — that their hope should not be in the municipality but in Jesus. I approached one of the security guards and then one of the leaders of the mass action, who is also a community leader in Missionvale and a member of the ANC. After explaining who I was and that I wanted to pray a blessing over them, she allowed me in and said that I was welcome to do so if I could get the crowd to be still.

“After about 10 seconds the Holy Spirit started to minister to them, that God is the only source that can open doors that no man can shut. That we are all called to fight the good fight of faith and to trust in Jesus. That we follow a miraculous God to whom nothing is impossible. They were led into a prayer of blessing and abundance and overflow; thanking God as their provider. They all wanted to except Jesus and were led in prayer to except Him as their only saviour. Everyone prayed out loud and echoed the name of Jesus as our Saviour, Healer and Redeemer. Toyi-toyi for housing ended up in toyi-toyi for Jesus.”

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Slabbert says that students from his Bible College class are required to go on at least one evangelism outreach a week in order to apply their training. He says that between February 2014 and October 28, 2014, the students have recorded 16 680 responses for Jesus during city outreaches.