No day of rest for church neighbour
GRACE Peele is on a crusade — against the church next door. The Soweto resident is leading the charge in a petition against the “maximum noise levels” from the Unity Fellowship Church, which is less than 5m from her home in Chiawelo Extension 5.
The petition, filed in 2009, has 90 signatures from residents.
This week, parliament’s select committee on petitions and executive undertakings held a site inspection and met with stakeholders.
Unity Fellowship Church was established in 2004 and moved to its current location in 2009 to accommodate its “more than 4 500” followers.
The ministry is led by Pastor Mpfariseni Mukhuba, whose husband, Theophilus Mukhuba, acts as director and spokesman.
“We are not the only church in the country that sings aloud, prays aloud, that uses instrumentation,” he said.
Peele, who is a nurse, said the disturbances occurred day and night. “The church holds services four times a week, each lasting several hours. On the first Friday of every month, there is also a 12-hour, all-night prayer.
“There are babies, the elderly and sick people in the community who need peaceful sleep . . . which they are denied by the unbearable noise during the services.”
The mother of two said the family had moved into their home in 1998 after years of renting rooms in Soweto — but her daughter had moved out because of the noise.
But Mukhuba feels Peele is waging a one-woman war.
“Do you really think in your mind that if people did not want the church, we’d still be here?
“We are not saying they are not uncomfortable. We are saying we have a right to worship,” he said.
Mukhuba said there was a plan to move the church to a farm in Eikenhof but it was being blocked by red tape.