Thousands to pray for an end to police killings

21 October 2015

 

More than 5 000 people are expected to attend a mass prayer meeting to be hosted by the City of Johannesburg at the Standard Bank Arena in Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Thursday October 22 in honour of 60 police officers killed in line of duty in the country this year alone.

 

The aim of the gathering is to raise awareness of the important role police play in communities, pray for an end to police killings and foster healthy relations between communities and the men and women in blue.

 

The mass prayer day, which starts at 11am, is expected to be attended by various faith-based organisations, business representatives, community leaders, community policing forum representatives, church leaders and government officials.

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau will be one of the key speakers at the gathering, which will also be addressed by representatives of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD).

 

Councillor Nonceba Molwele, the City’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development, says religious leaders from various faiths and beliefs will pray for an end to social ills ravaging communities, including police killings, substance abuse and crimes against women and children.

 

“We need divine intervention in our country to ensure we exorcise the devil, whether it is in the form of drugs, the raping of women and children, or killing of law enforcement officers,” says MMC Molwele.

 

“It is important for individuals to get spiritual strength … irrespective of their religions or beliefs.”

Activities on the day will include health screenings for hypertension, diabetes and other chronic illnesses and mass prayers against police killings.

 

The MMC has called on community members from all the City’s regions to attend the mass prayer service.

 

She has also urged individuals involved in or responsible for the criminal activities, including the senseless killing of law enforcement officers, or those who have information about them to report the incidents anonymously through various available crime reporting channels.

These include www.crimeline.co.za, SMS hotline 32211 and Crime Stop’s tollfree number 08600 10111.