The Unity Fellowship Church has denied damning allegations against them and asked why the City of Johannesburg has permitted residential houses to be built on what was supposed to be a buffer zone.
“It will be interesting to see, as we anxiously wait, what the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) will say in their court papers as the basis of wanting to remove the billboards and/or messages thereon, which seek to commemorate and call upon those enjoined by law to inquire into the massive, brutal attacks on the innocent Christians at the church on February 28, 2021,” said the Unity Fellowship Church in the statement.
The billboards in question are along the M1, M2, and N17 roads, and say that there has been no justice yet for the alleged JMPD police brutality.
The church also denied allegations that a loud noise emanates from the church, after the JMPD said it had attended continuous complaints regarding loud noise at Unity Fellowship Church in Midway, Soweto, since 2014.
“The real issue here is that the City of Johannesburg is refusing to own up to its blunder of permitting residential houses to be built on what was supposed to be a buffer zone, thereby permitting the two conflicting zonings, namely: industrial 2 and people’s residential houses; to abut one another, separated by a mere fence wall,” added the church.
“Perhaps this is an opportune time for the City of Johannesburg to answer the following question: why did it approve the residential housing to be built on what was originally a buffer zone separating the residential zoning from industrial 2? Due to this irregular development of residential housing abutting industrial 2 zoning, innocent people are now unlawfully residing so close to the industrial area.”
The church also stated that the JMPD did not measure the noise levels or issue any notice saying that when measured, the noise levels allegedly from the church exceeded those permitted in an industrial 2 zoning, where the church is situated.
It went on to say that that is “incorrect” that the church was found to be in contravention of Covid-19 regulations in 2021, after JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said officers found over two thousand people in a confined space.
“We confirm that the church has at all material times been compliant with the Covid-19 regulations, including on February 28, 2021,” the church said.
On Friday, the JMPD indicated that it would be approaching the court to remove a message advertised on the billboards.
According to Minnaar there were complaints of noise and he said in 2021, officers found over two thousand people in confined space.
“JMPD arrested senior members of this church, including the pastor, for contravention of Covid-19 regulations. Officers also confiscated a sound system of the church,’’ he said.
However, the church said that members of the church were arrested as a “cover-up”.
“Members of the church were arrested as a cover-up by the JMPD to hide the atrocities they committed at the church, and are further alleged to have committed crimes of public violence, assault GBH, and malicious damage to property,” the Unity Fellowship Church claimed.
-IOL
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