Galeshewe pastors threaten land grabs before Christmas

GALESHEWE pastors have threatened to stage land grabs to erect their churches before Christmas if the Sol Plaatje Municipality does not grant them the necessary permission.

Members of the Provincial Church Leaders Organisation will march from the city hall to the Sol Plaatje Municipality offices on Friday, October 31, where a petition will be handed over.

The secretary of the organisation, David Setilo, said 20 pastors from Galeshewe have been waiting for 10 years for plots to build their churches.

“Land is readily given to beneficiaries of councillors and politicians for purposes of establishing shanties, guest houses, car washes and taverns that operate on a 24-hour basis, causing disturbances to neighbourhoods. We will not vote for the ANC in the 2026 local government elections if we are not given our land,” said Setilo.

He indicated that pastors are currently holding services in their backyards.

“However, space is limited, where a maximum of 50 congregants can attend services. If the premises are too small, people have to stand in the street in the hot sun.”

Setilo said pastors had offered to purchase the land for R350 per plot and were aggrieved that some of their informal ‘shanty’ churches had been demolished.

“We are not even allowed to erect temporary structures to hold church conferences,” he noted.

“We previously marched to the municipality to demand land. Plots were only made available to pastors who are not affiliated to our organisation.”

He added that around 300 people are expected to participate in the march, including pastors from Greenpoint, Colville, Barkly West, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, and Randfontein.

The Sol Plaatje Municipality had not responded to media enquiries at the time of publication.