BREAKING NEWS – Moria pilgrimage, sporting activities postponed

Premier Stan Mathabatha was today (Wednesday) expected to lead the Executive Council (Exco) to St Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) for a scheduled meeting with the church leaders to discuss the Easter pilgrimage following the national disaster pronouncement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday which prohibits, among others, the gatherings of 100 people and more.
Mathabatha made the announcement during the post Exco media briefing at his office this morning as he indicated that this will be the first time the provincial government meets St Engenas church leaders to learn if whether the church would halt the Easter gathering and other church activities after Ramaphosa’s declaration. He reiterated that they were hopeful that the church would adhere to the call by the President of South Africa. Mathabatha added that although his office did not receive a official announcement from the other ZCC church, they have heard it through the grapevine that they postponed the Easter pilgrimage and he was hopeful that St Engenas would do the same.
At the time of going to print, ZCC spokesperson Emmanuel Motolla could not be reached for comment as his phone rang unanswered. However, during a radio interview on Tuesday evening he confirmed that this year’s Moria Easter gathering has been postponed. He said the church spiritual leader B.E Lekganyanye had taken the decision to postpone the Easter prayer session on 13 March after consultation with government officials led by the Minister of Health, Zwelini Mkhize.
Following the decision to postpone the gathering, the church decided not to make the information public until its structures were all informed, Motolla explained. He reiterated that the new dates for the Easter pilgrimage would be announced and concluded by saying another meeting with the church’s senior leaders from all the districts had been scheduled for this weekend for them to acquire further information about the virus.
When Polokwane Observer contacted St Engenas ZCC for comment on Wednesday morning, the church’s switchboard operator indicated that the relevant people for communicating with the media were not available and further pledged that they would return the call as soon as they were available. By the time of going to press, their response was still awaited.
It was learnt that the Speaker of provincial Legislature Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has upon consultation taken a decision to postpone sectoral parliaments and outreach programmes. These include but not limited to ‘Taking the Legislature to the People’ programme which was planned for yesterday (Wednesday) until tomorrow (Friday) in the Mopani District.
The annual Polokwane Show has issued a notice on social media that the planned Polokwane Show and Exhibition that were scheduled for 30 March to 4 April are postponed. It was further indicated that they will consider the dates of 3 to 8 August depending on the state of the country and further possible announcement by government.
Mall of the North was also left with no choice but to postpone the Turkish Food Festival and Marathon events in light of Covid-19 and restrictions set by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The mall pledged to communicate the new confirmed dates. The Turkish Food Festival was scheduled for 27 to 29 April while road runners were expected to compete on 4 April.
Athletes from various schools in the province who qualified for the national championships will also have to wait for the new dates after the South Africa Schools Athletics postponed the secondary schools national meeting that was planned for 18 to 21 March in Boksburg and the primary schools competition that was set for 25 to 27 March in Bloemfontein.
The University of Limpopo has suspended academic activities from Monday until further notice, according to a statement. It was further reported that all students were expected to vacate the campus including university residences by 17:00 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, university staff will continue to report for duty as the institution continues to engage at a sector level to have a coordinated response that aligns and complies with the national protocols, the statement read.
Limpopo Golf Union’s executive committee has decided to postpone all open tournaments that were planned for Groblersdal, Koro Greek and Marble Hall. Union President Thinus Labuschagne indicated that tournament beyond April would be considered for continuation or cancellation on a rolling basis at least 30 days before the event with due consideration of the prevailing state of affairs around Covid-19. He added that all golf clubs in Limpopo are autonomous and they are entitled to continue with their trade.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za