Cape Town - Nearly 100 people gathered for a mass prayer rally in the Cape Town CBD yesterday, calling on the government to do more for the protection of children and communities.
The group met at the starting point in Hanover Street, District Six, with prayer and song, and then proceeded to march to Parliament.
The action was spearheaded by Balls Not Guns, a peace initiative working in Cape Flats communities, and the Women's Voice Revival Movement, supported by civic and Christian-led organisations and churches.
Communities represented were Manenberg, Elsies River, Kuils River, Strandfontein, among several others.
Balls Not Guns founder Gloria Veale and representing the Women's Voice Revival Movement, said the march was also to strongly express their opposition to the newly signed Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill.
“It's a prayer walk and a prayer rally to really show that we are talking in defence of children, particularly around the BELA Bill and also the protection of our children over all on the Cape Flats,” Veale said.
“We believe that children are gifts to parents and parents are the earthly custodians so it shouldn’t be up to government to make decisions around our children, but also the protection of our children on the Cape Flats, there is a genocide. So this is just praying, we are not wanting to talk to anybody in government, we are really just praying.”
The Ark City of Refuge head supervisor Pierre McCarthy said the march was also against the abuse of women and children, and against gangsterism as well as to “glorify God”.
He said the non-profit organisation has been active for over 30 years, providing a temporary home, food and clothing to destitute, homeless, abandoned, abused, and unemployed persons.
Ashley Daniels Cloete, one of the leading members of the Friends of District Six said it was important to join others from various parts of the City, coming together as one.
His presence was also an appeal to the churches in Cape Town and South Africa.
“I want to pray that the church will really wake up to its responsibility to rally around our children. The church is dormant, the church has been silent now for years. I was in the old days also an activist, then the church was speaking against apartheid, the church was speaking out for justice and I would love to see the church speaking again, speaking for justice on behalf of our children, especially for the protection of the children in the townships, against gangsterism. All those things where our children and grandchildren are being endangered and their future because this BELA Bill is messing up the future of our children and I'm here to really pray against all that.”
Cape Argus