The noisy preacher woman and her wailing flock

By the volume of emails in my inbox on Monday morning it didn’t take rocket science to conclude that Berea residents suffered an assault on their peace and quiet day in and day out as a religious group held a ministry at Curries Fountain at the  weekend. Some emails were written in the early hours of the morning, testament to the frustration felt by residents.

Metro Police report they received more than 400 complaints. Berea Police were also inundated with complaints. So this is where I get confused … why didn’t they pull the plug on the noise?

From what we can gather, the group refused to tone things down because they had a permit from the municipality giving them permission to gather and minister. Surely the permission sets boundaries when it comes to noise. Since when does a municipal permit trump law and order – especially when so many individuals have been adversely affected by the noise?

My driver’s licence is a permit to drive, but in doing so, I have to obey the rules of the road or face the consequences. If I have permission to throw a party in a public space I still have to abide by the bylaws pertaining to noise, traffic etc? So what makes this pastor and her group so special that they find themselves above the law?

Complaints we received were not only from residents in and around Botanic Gardens but  way over in Glenwood, the good preacher  and the wailing of her flock could be heard loud and clear. Residents had no problem with the type of gathering, their complaint was with the high volume the speakers were set on. Had the pastor just turned down the volume a notch or two, she could have continued her ministering safe in the knowledge that she was loving her neighbours as much as she was loving her flock.

Noise pollution is a growing concern and it is time authorities apply their minds to what conditions apply to the issuing of permits and what action is taken when noise levels reach unacceptable levels.