Four-day fest of song, prayer and baptism to rock Ebuhlanti

EBHULANTI will rock over the Easter weekend – to the sounds of glorious gospel!

Saturday Dispatch reliably learnt that the public entertainment area has been leased by Buffalo City Metro to a little-known Gospel Alliance which will host a fourday, 24-hour festive programme of song, prayer, and even baptism in the Blind River and off Eastern Beach.

Attempts to get comment from BCM were unsuccessful as officials were busy with a pre-event spiritual cleansing event at the Orient Theatre, but Saturday Dispatch has seen an invoice for R500 000 for the four days.

It was also reliably learnt that tickets to the gospel festival will cost R400 for the full experience.

Organisers refused to be identified, saying they were “clearing their mind of all social noise” and would only answer questions e-mailed to godlovesebuhlanti@

Thousands of church-goers from around the province are expected to bus their way into the popular East London hangout spot.

Alcohol has been banned in a 3km radius, but hawkers have been invited to sell “blessed waters” drawn from the sea by surfers belonging to Christian Surf Club at R20 a litre.

An array of pastors and prophets have been invited to set up stalls and tents, but they must first pass a screening test of experts, which include an etymologist, chemical engineer and an emissions specialist.

Emergency service providers will be on standby to ensure the safety of the crowd and that healing remedies do not injure believers, or that believers in a trance are steered to safety.

Police on horseback will be on duty, but there will also be a police chapel where they can rest and meditate to “find and restore their inner police soul”.

“There won’t be a drop of alcohol for hundreds of metres, unless someone gets it right to turn the water into Porcupine Ridge,” quipped Eastern Cape police spokesman Colonel Snor Laudly.

Laudly said: “Anyone found drinking or carrying alcohol in that space will be fined R10 000.”

Women braaiers at Ebuhlanti told the Saturday Dispatch they were stoking the fires “like hell” to have enough heat for an expected mountain of meat.

Saturday Dispatch was told that all beasts brought for slaughter at the venue would first be blessed at the gate, but to keep the process manageable, a cooperative in Matatiele had been contracted to bring an 8-ton truckload of 4 000 free-range chickens.

Religious fan Bongani Dayimani said she was over the moon with excitement at being able to listen to the prophets: “I can’t wait! I went through my kitchen cupboard and packed as many items as possible to see if one of them has that special healing ingredient.

I bought salt, chutney, Sunlight, Omo, but not Doom. It think that one did not seem to be that good. My husband refused to let me into his garage.”

However, Simtha Dladla said: “I want the Doom prophet to come because I have made my own insecticide from garlic, stompies, dagga and engine oil.

“It doesn’t work on me, but the prophet might kickstart it,” he said.

John Michael from East London said: “Ebuhlanti has been a troubled area for so long. Now we can spread the light of goodness and make the mud and stone sing!

“People will love and not hurt, words of love and harmony will sprout from their tongues and not booze fumes and profanities!

“I think it will bring together a special crowd and will allow people who are too afraid to visit Ebuhlanti, to finally come here.”

Buffalo City Ratepayers’ Forum was outraged, with spokesman Paytu Much saying: “Who will clean up the mess! Will any of the gate money go into picking up the plucked feathers? And who will rake up the piles of palm leaves?”

Party lovers have also vowed to protest outside, and will bringing boom boxes to pump in sounds, of “the deepest, darkest grooves ever!” DJ BZilBub said. — sisiphoz@dispatch.co.za