It’s a chilly morning but the man in a peculiar outfit‚ balancing on the back of a black Land Rover Discovery with a Bible in hand‚ is oblivious to the cold at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
Mjita‚ as he prefers to be known‚ has important work to do. People scurry past to their places of work.
He’s parked the Discovery on the pavement‚ not far from where teenagers gather to connect to the city's free WiFi in Braamfontein. With the vehicle's sound system‚ he plays soothing gospel hymns.
In his left hand is big cross. In his right‚ an old Bible. Next to the long cross is a the model of a ship. Nearby‚ a dummy sheep stands.
When I approach‚ he welcomes me with a smile and a firm handshake. I ask what he is doing on the side of the road. The answer is interesting and he goes straight to his sermon.
“The Bible tells us that that we are to pray for those who are in authority. If we do‚ we will live a quiet‚ peaceful and dignified life‚” he explains.
“But because we don’t pray for those in authority‚ we have all the street protests and violence taking place. There is unemployment‚ crime‚ grime‚ incompetence‚ laziness‚ rape‚ murder . . . all because we have called upon dead spirits . Meanwhile God says 'come to me‚ the living God and I will do great things for you'‚” he says.
Mjita (a township name for a guy) is on a mission to encourage Christians and all South Africans to pray for the country. He also uses his public platform to preach to people passing by. I ask if he can pray for me and he gladly does. But after the prayer‚ he still refuses to give me his real name and does not want to disclose the name of the church he attends.
“I pray at all the strategic places around. Here we are at the Constitutional Court which is a very critical spot in our nation. I have been coming to pray here for many years‚ today is not the first time.”
Mjita says he has been praying at different spots in Gauteng for the past 13 years.
“I’ve gone to Cosatu because it represents our labour force. I went to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange because it represents our money. The first thing I do every Monday morning is to go and pray at the Union Buildings . I go there to pray for the president and those who are in authority. I have also been at the Reserve Bank to pray for our money and the National Treasury to ask God to have mercy on our nation‚” he says.
I enquire about his outfit. He describes it as “prophetic attire”.
On his head is an Indian turban. There are various items of clothing intended to represent whites‚ amaNdebele‚ AmaXhosa‚ amaZulu‚ Vatsonga‚ VhaVenda‚ BaPedi and San ankle bracelets.
As we part ways‚ Mjita says South Africa has great potential that needs to be tapped.
“It is amazing that God has blessed this nation with so much. If would just use the money that goes to corruption‚ every South African would have a house‚” he says.
- TimesLIVE
Meet Mjita‚ the one who prays for you
Mjita‚ as he prefers to be known‚ has important work to do. People scurry past to their places of work.
He’s parked the Discovery on the pavement‚ not far from where teenagers gather to connect to the city's free WiFi in Braamfontein. With the vehicle's sound system‚ he plays soothing gospel hymns.
In his left hand is big cross. In his right‚ an old Bible. Next to the long cross is a the model of a ship. Nearby‚ a dummy sheep stands.
When I approach‚ he welcomes me with a smile and a firm handshake. I ask what he is doing on the side of the road. The answer is interesting and he goes straight to his sermon.
“The Bible tells us that that we are to pray for those who are in authority. If we do‚ we will live a quiet‚ peaceful and dignified life‚” he explains.
“But because we don’t pray for those in authority‚ we have all the street protests and violence taking place. There is unemployment‚ crime‚ grime‚ incompetence‚ laziness‚ rape‚ murder . . . all because we have called upon dead spirits . Meanwhile God says 'come to me‚ the living God and I will do great things for you'‚” he says.
Mjita (a township name for a guy) is on a mission to encourage Christians and all South Africans to pray for the country. He also uses his public platform to preach to people passing by. I ask if he can pray for me and he gladly does. But after the prayer‚ he still refuses to give me his real name and does not want to disclose the name of the church he attends.
“I pray at all the strategic places around. Here we are at the Constitutional Court which is a very critical spot in our nation. I have been coming to pray here for many years‚ today is not the first time.”
Mjita says he has been praying at different spots in Gauteng for the past 13 years.
“I’ve gone to Cosatu because it represents our labour force. I went to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange because it represents our money. The first thing I do every Monday morning is to go and pray at the Union Buildings . I go there to pray for the president and those who are in authority. I have also been at the Reserve Bank to pray for our money and the National Treasury to ask God to have mercy on our nation‚” he says.
I enquire about his outfit. He describes it as “prophetic attire”.
On his head is an Indian turban. There are various items of clothing intended to represent whites‚ amaNdebele‚ AmaXhosa‚ amaZulu‚ Vatsonga‚ VhaVenda‚ BaPedi and San ankle bracelets.
As we part ways‚ Mjita says South Africa has great potential that needs to be tapped.
“It is amazing that God has blessed this nation with so much. If would just use the money that goes to corruption‚ every South African would have a house‚” he says.
- TimesLIVE
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