Cape Town faith leaders determined to change Khayelitsha's soiled image

CAPE TOWN - The Cape Town community of Khayelitsha has a dark cloud hanging over it, as it continues to grapple with murder, rape and extortion-related crimes, among other offences.

But faith-based leaders want to change this, saying the city's largest township must be known for the good things, instead of just the bad and the ugly.

A gathering was held in Khayelitsha on Thursday, in the lead-up to a bigger event scheduled for February 2025, that will see various groups, including schools, hospitals, NGOs and even police, come together to pray for the community and speak up against crime and violence.

Apostle Siniko Nxesi has fallen victim to crime several times in the past and survived being shot four times during a church robbery.

He said their main aim is to bring light and positivity to Khayelitsha, and to do this, they need to be part of a solution, instead of just sitting on the sidelines.

"As the churches, we know that Khayelitsha is struggling with the issue of crime, extortion, rape and GBV and all sorts of crime. So as a church, we have taken it upon ourselves to say, let's unite irrespective of our background, our beliefs...but let's unite for the sake of our community and pray for this community."

Nxesi said other crime-ridden communities would also be included.

"Obviously it won't only be Khayelitsha, it will also be surrounding communities like Mfuleni, as we know Mfuleni is also among the top when it comes to murder... Nyanga, Gugulethu...So we are having structures and pastors from all these communities and townships that will be part of this."