Different community stakeholders in Langa celebrated Human Rights Day in style on Monday 21 March by launching a Spiritual Crime Prevention structure that will focus mainly on crime in the area.
The event was organised by the Langa police officers and was held at Isilimela Comprehensive High School.
Langa police spokesperson Capt Nondumiso Paul described the structure as another part of community stakeholders that will be spearheading the fight against crime in the community. She said: “We invited all religious people, chiefs and traditional healers to form a structure, where they will work together on combating crime. We decided to come up with a different approach.”
Explaining why it was decided to launch the structure on Human Rights Day, Paul said the idea is to revive hope and trust in the community. She mentioned gender-based violence (GBV), domestic violence and extortion as some of the top crimes in Langa.
Leader of The Fullness of Christ Ministries in Langa Rev Nosipho Daniels said it is high time religious leaders took a stand in the fight against crime.
She declared that God is power. “We need to pray and ask God to help us,” she declared. “We’ve run so many campaigns, talking to the people, but people are still committing crimes. Now we come up with a divine approach. And we believe anything is possible with God.”
She urged the church leaders to take the structure seriously.
Chief Eric “Zwelidanile” Galada of the Nama Royal House described the launch as helpful to society in general. “As chiefs we are working closely with the law,” he pointed out. “We are tired of people committing crimes or abusing women and children and hiding within the culture. If a person commits a crime and after that he or she pretends as if he is overwhelmed by bad spirits. We take him or her to the traditional healer for consultation once we find out he is fit, and the perpetrator must face the music in court.”
He emphasised chiefs are against GBV, against the abuse of women and children.