SACC: Religious sector wants Easter worship to go ahead despite Covid concerns

Last year’s worship and praise was called off over concerns of the rapid spread of Covid-19. 

But SACC General Secretary Bishop Malusi Mpulwana believes the religious sector is better prepared to welcome churchgoers for this year’s Easter services. 

Representatives from the sector met with President Cyril Ramaphosa last week. 

The sector made its representations, with a unanimous vote to go ahead. 

“I can only speak for the member churches of the South African Council of Churches to say as we open for worship, here is a set of guidelines, what we call norms and standards, to conducting the church safely in Covid times. We did the same thing now in the light of current level 1 restrictions that the President has created,” says Mpulwana.  

“The churches said ‘We would like to see a revision to the regulations that says if your venue is 100 square metres you should have 50 people, if your venue is 500 square metres you should have 250 people so that you can social distance. 

“That’s different from saying, as we now have, that it is up to 100 people indoors and 250 people outside. So that’s the suggestion that the churches wanted to make, and we did that in our conversation with the President,” Mpulwana adds. 

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The Easter holiday is among the busiest in the country, with millions of churchgoers making their way to various pilgrimages across the country.   

Mpulwana says the sector is not oblivious to the challenges faced by leaders and worshippers.  

“We are very conscious of the concerns that they have. 

“I think it will be up to the government and their decision in cabinet to decide which way they want to go with it but from our side, we’ve made our request as we believe is possible to sustain ourselves without super spreading, if we do what we have committed to doing,” he says.  

Mpulwana further urged religious leaders will play their part during this busy period.  

Listen to Bishop Malusi Mpulwana below: