durban report part 1

Five Prayer Walks: Walk 1: Warwick Junction

Warwick Junction is the market area of Durban, situated beneath the flyover of the N3 as it comes into and out of the city. We prayer walked Warwick Junction one morning, starting in Berea at the Full Gospel Tabernacle and walking a full circuit through the market, taking in each section, the bus and railway stations, the largest mosque in the Southern hemisphere and Emmanuel Cathedral.

It’s a vibrant and colourful place with loads going on. I’ve been through five times now and always see things I missed before. Some people find it a bit daunting and dark, particularly at the end of the muthi market where many of the stalls are held by sangomas - traditional African healers or witch doctors. It’s hard not to feel conspicuous walking through as one of the only few white people for miles around, so obviously a tourist of some description.

We prayer walked Warwick Junction one morning, starting in Berea at the Full Gospel Tabernacle and walking a full circuit through the market, taking in each section, the bus and railway stations, the largest mosque in the Southern hemisphere and Emmanuel Cathedral.

As we walked, we prayed for various things - the people who live, work and shop there, for the businesses, for the many children who grow up in the markets and whatever else we felt God was saying to pray for at the time.

Just beyond the cathedral, we stopped under the end of the flyover. There’s currently a hydra serpent mural on the wall here which is gradually wearing off. Jean has had a new mural designed which celebrates the life and vibrancy of the city of Durban and is currently working her way through all the red tape to get it painted there. We stopped initially to pray for this project but while we were there, one of the team felt that God was saying it was time to pray for the end of the Masonic influences over the city. We stood praying about freemasonry and it’s strongholds in Durban, including some time when we just shouted the word “Enough!” over and over again. It was a powerful time, during which it definitely felt like things were shifting spiritually.

Whilst we were praying here, two asian men came over and asked us to pray for them. We explained that we were praying to Jesus, not Shembe (leader of the ancestral worship religion followed by many Zulus) and they still wanted prayer. The first man stood in the middle of the circle and we began to pray. The Holy Spirit was there quite powerfully and he burst into tears and ran away. None of us are really sure what happened but we’re praying that he continues to seek God.

As we passed the cathedral, we met one of the delegate teams who served there for 2 weeks. Having spent the morning cleaning graffiti off the cathedral walls, they were cooking and serving a meal for the hundreds of refugees and homeless people who gather there every day. The cathedral provides an amazing service, with showers, hot food, access to medical treatment and education.

A few days after we had prayer walked the area, a few people rang Ben, the SITC project leader to say that they were beginning to notice a difference in the atmosphere of Warwick Junction. I didn’t speak to any of them so I don’t know any specific details but it’s encouraging to hear that things are changing and that God is moving in the area.