Faith-based organisations will hold prayers on Monday at the church where Pastor Dwayne Gordon was shot dead during a service at Eagles Christian Centre in Newlands, Johannesburg, on Friday night.
A group of armed men stormed the church and shot dead the preacher and wounded three others. They also robbed the congregants of their personal belongings.
Faranaaz Mosale is the wife of 39-year-old Sebastian Mosale, who was also shot on Friday and is recovering in hospital. She says she’s terrified.
“It’s terrible, I never knew. I always heard of the shootings and stuff. But Friday when I saw it happening in front of me, it got close to home.”
Communities in constant fear
City of Johannesburg Council Speaker, Colleen Makhubele, says it’s unacceptable for communities to live in constant fear due to high incidents of violent crime including murders in Gauteng.
Police in the province have launched a manhunt for the six suspects who robbed the congregation at gunpoint. Makhubele has called on the Minister of Police to ramp up arrests.
“This environment is sombre mood. Enough is not being done because we all know the issues of this community not only Westbury and the surrounding areas, Ennerdale, Eldos, etc. They are all facing gangsterism, and violence and the interventions that we always do are more reactive. They are not sustained to ensure that people get it within them that police presence is ever here. You cannot walk into a place of worship like this and start shooting congregants. It just shows how we’ve lost social control and social order we will always have this crisis if nothing is done from the presidency all the way to the mayor’s office we need something done decisively.”
