A leader of House of Fire Church in Lwandle, Bishop Lusanda Tom, is heartbroken and demands the law take its course against the perpetrators who broke into the church and vandalised it on Friday 20 September.
Tom said the criminals gained access to the church through the back window. They removed all the lights in the church and vandalised the ceiling, the wall and the washing machine in another room on the church premises.
“This is a sign of disrespect for the house of God,” the bishop declared. “It hurts to see our church like this. They gained access through the back window. After that, they removed all the lights and vandalised them, and left the ceiling broken.” He added no-one slept in the church.
He said he had received a call from his wife while he was at work informing him of the situation.
The soft-spoken churchman, who is also a teacher at Lwandle High School, said he had to wait for the schoolday’s end before heading out to the church to assess the damage.
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“When I arrived some of the congregants and community members were on the scene doing just that.”
He added that after seeing the damage he went around the community searching for all the criminals he knew and brought them to the church.
“I didn’t say much to them. I showed them the damage and told them to go and find the culprits. I believe they know who broke into the church.”
Tom added he believed more than one person was involved in the break-in. He stated it was not the first time this year that his church was burgled.
Tom said the church had also been burgled in August, when the culprits tried to steal a small table.
“They took the table, but it seems it fell and broke while they were trying to jump the gate because we found it right outside the yard.” He said the criminals had also gained access through a back window.
Tom said what hurts him the most is that the church has really helped the community. For instance, during the Covid-19 pandemic it gave away many food parcels.
“Currently, we are busy with school programmes. We have weekend classes for different subjects. There are three teachers from the church and five student teachers from the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch assisting us.
“The learners are from Grade 5 to 12, from various schools in the area. And soon we are going to have Spring classes for all the learners from different schools.”
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According to Tom all the church services were continuing despite not knowing how the damage would be fixed. He said he estimated cost was approximately R15 000, and appealed to local organisations to support the church with whatever they had.
Lwandle police spokesperson Sgt Mthokozisi Gama confirmed the incident, saying a case of business robbery had been opened. He said it is alleged the suspects broke the window to gain access to the church.
“No arrest has been made yet. The detectives request anyone with information on the incident to contact Lwandle police detective Sgt Ntombizandile Mdungwana on 021 845 2060.”
