THEY were praising the lord singing: “Yehla Moya Oyingcwele.”
And true to their request, something did descend. However, it was not the Holy Spirit, but the tree behind their shack where they were having a praise and worship.
Shocked at the big bang, the congregation rushed outside to see what the noise was all about, only to find nearby shacks flattened by the huge tree. Theirs was the only one left standing.
Now the family from Jerusalem squatter camp in Boksburg, east of Joburg, believes God saved them from death.
“God is power and people must know that. We were praying on Sunday when the tree fell on top of our shack,” said Matome Mabela.
“It was chaos as we fought for the door,” he recalled.
Matome, who was holding a Bible in his hand, said he dumped it on the couch as he ran for his dear life. Their neighbours also managed to escape by the skin of their teeth, as the tree landed on top of their shacks while they were sleeping.
According to Matome, close to 10 shacks were flattened by the big tree. Community leader Peter Masilela said the municipality has long been promising to cut down all trees that are a danger to residents.
He alleged that a man was killed by a big tree in Angelo squatter camp last year when it fell on top of his shack while sleeping.
“These are very old and when uprooted by the wind you can tell from their roots that they were no longer strong,” he said.
Ekurhuleni Municipality said it was going to provide relief to the affected families.
