Wounded pastor begged robbers to go after shooting, robbing congregants

A member of the Vision of God church, which was attacked over the weekend, has detailed how thugs walked into the church and killed one of its members in full view of children in the early hours of the morning.

Nathi Zwane, a member of the Vision of God church in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, said they were having their Easter services at a building that is normally used as a soccer academy in Vosloorus Ext 2.

As per tradition, Zwane said a group of women who are church members were returning to the building in the early hours of the morning to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was just as the women returned at 4am that the attackers came into the yard, causing havoc. 

“As the women were entering the building, one of them shouted, ‘There are people with guns outside’. At that time, other women of the same group had already made it inside the building,” Zwane said.

“As some of us stood up, they shot the woman at the back of her head and she fell on the floor. The pastor jumped to try and use the door to stop the robbers from coming and they shot him too.”

After the pastor was shot, three of the men ordered everyone to lie on the ground, he said. The men then asked everyone to take out their cellphones. One of the robbers then went around the congregants collecting the cellphones and putting them into a bag. 

At the time of the attack, there were about 100 church members in the building, including children. 

“As the pastor lay on the floor, he begged them to go as there were children in the room. One of the guys tried to shoot the pastor again but the gun malfunctioned,” Zwane said. 

Zwane said the men also shot one of the church members who was in the kitchen preparing food and robbed a group of young men who were sleeping in the building before leaving in a car. 

The woman and the pastor are still in ICU, while the 55-year-old who was shot at the door died on the scene.

Leaders of the church had to bring the service to an end.

Zwane, who was supposed to be ordained as an evangelist on Sunday, said everyone is still traumatised. 

“It was the most traumatic thing to see. I cannot imagine what the rest of the members of the church are going through at this time.”

In a separate incident during the Easter weekend, a church in Ivory Park, Midrand, was also attacked. Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said congregants were inside a garage on Saturday night when two unknown men entered. 

“One of the suspects started firing several shots, instructing everyone to lie down and searched all of them. The third suspect joined them, taking cellphones, a television and cash, and they left the scene.

“After the suspects left the scene, it was discovered that a 62-year-old man was shot in the chest and succumbed to the injuries, while three victims are being treated at the hospital,” Masondo said. 

Gauteng police are investigating cases of murder, attempted murder, business robbery and house robbery.

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