A WARD councillor has called on churches and the community to join hands and pray for Thulamahashe kasi in Mpumalanga.
He said they should pray against drugs and the increasing crime in the kasi.
The councillor, Shadow Hlatshwayo, was speaking during the funeral of Thembinkosi Prayer Mathebula (24), a student teacher who was gunned down in the street allegedly by a neighbour (22).
The neighbour allegedly found Thembinkosi sitting in a VW Polo with a friend near Mhala Police Station on Sunday, 5 November when he opened fire.
Hlatshwayo said: "We know that God is with us. But this is totally not acceptable. I don't where to start or finish. I am shaking. My heart is bleeding as his child will grow up without a dad."
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He called on all churches and community members to join hands at a prayer service to be held at the stadium soon.
"Drugs have mushroomed in the kasi and guns are all over terrorising residents. You know these drug lords and the dealers, as well as the gangsters flashing guns and killing and robbing innocent people.
"If we don't stand up and fight, all of us will die. If I could, I would shut down the whole kasi and all of us we would go out and do operation shanyela because I can't make it alone," said Hlatshwayo.
"Guns have been here even in yesteryears. But not everyone had one or went around killing people as we're seeing today. What hurts me is that as I'm speaking, these dealers are out there by shopping malls and hotspots selling drugs to our youth who are dying early. Let's become 'izimpipi' and spy on all the criminal activities in our community to the police in order to beat crime."
He said that gangsters recently robbed a matric pupil at gunpoint, who was on his way to school. "So, if we pray together, I am quite sure God will hear our prayers and heal this sick kasi," he said.
