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- The death of Brendin Horner and the riots that followed have sparked outrage across the country.
- Pastors and local residents gathered at the Senekal fairgrounds to pray for no more violence and racial tension.
- There is an expectation that things could escalate at the court appearance Friday of the Horner murder defendant.
The death of Brendin Horner and the subsequent riots in the Senekal Magistrates Court are not about race, but about crime, and should not be the reason for a civil war.
These were the sentiments of pastors and parishioners, who gathered at the Senekal fairgrounds on Wednesday afternoon to pray for unity.
Residents of the small town in the eastern Free State fear what may happen in court Friday when the two men accused of murdering the 21-year-old farm manager on a farm in Paul Roux reappear.
READ | Brendin Horner: a young man who would do everything possible to help those in need
His previous court appearance, on October 6, ended in chaos when a small group of protesters stormed the court buildings in an attempt to reach the accused: Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa.
During the riot, shots were fired, a police vehicle overturned and allegedly set fire, and damage to judicial property was reported.
Andre Pienaar, a local Senekal resident, has since been arrested for public violence and incitement to violence.
Horner’s assassination and the magistrates court protest have sparked tensions across the country.
The EFF has announced its intentions to attend the next court appearance, while it is suspected that farmers will also be present, raising fears of a confrontation.
At the prayer meeting, Pastor Hendrik de Beer said that the situation in Senekal was bad.
Pastors at the Senekal fairgrounds in the Free State praying for peace before the court appearance of the two men accused of murdering Brendin Horner.
READ | Uncompromising Malema EFF will be in Senekal court on Friday when Brendin Horner suspects show up again
“Everybody wants to go to war, everybody wants to fight. But why are we fighting? Who are we fighting?” De Beer asked.
He added that the enemy was not white or black people, but the devil. For him, it is the devil who has been wreaking havoc in the community in the eastern Free State.
“We want to fight the enemy – Satan.”
Pastor David Mngomezulu echoed similar sentiments and said that the enemy was not white or black people, but rather it was Satan who had been actively sowing division in the community.
People at the Senekal fairgrounds in the Free State pray for peace before the court appearance of the two men accused of murdering Brendin Horner.
People at the Senekal fairgrounds in the Free State pray for peace before the court appearance of the two men accused of murdering Brendin Horner.
Pastors also asked parishioners to pray against racial tension and said that the issues currently faced in communities are not racial.
Pastor John Mathuhle told the media that a civil war would not be allowed to start in Senekal.
He said that many people in the communities are intimidated and concerned for their safety after the recent events.
“The murder of Brendin provoked a lot of emotions,” Mathuhle said.
“We don’t tolerate what happened on Tuesday, but this shouldn’t, and it’s not about the race,” he added.
A parishioner, who attended the prayer meeting, told News24 that Horner’s death and the ensuing chaos in court had nothing to do with racism, but rather was a flagrant criminality.
It is this criminality that must be addressed, he said.
People at the Senekal fairgrounds in the Free State praying for peace before the court appearance of the two men accused of murdering Brendin Horner.
Several others who joined in prayer had similar sentiments. They believed that the events had caused division, which caused tensions.
One man, who identified himself as Chris, said he hoped the power of prayer would stop any violence on Friday.
He said that people, who believe that the fight is about blacks against whites, are blind.
