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The Citizen
22-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Through war and worship: A church's 135-year story
In the seventh edition of Echoes of Krugersdorp, the Krugersdorp News explores the history of the town's oldest surviving church. Recently, the News, together with the Krugersdorp Heritage Association (KHA), revisited some of the past events and remarkable buildings that hold deep historical significance in our town. • Also read: A burning passion: The story of Krugersdorp's fire station KHA co-founder Jaco Mattheyse explained that before 1890, members of the Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk) in the Krugersdorp area were served by the Pretoria congregation. However, with the establishment of Krugersdorp during the early days of the Witwatersrand gold rush, a local congregation became a necessity. 'The first congregation gathering took place on 18 November 1889 in the home of M.P.W. Pretorius, owner of the farm Paardekraal, on which Krugersdorp was established. At the time, Pretorius lived on the corner of President and Kruger Streets. The Krugersdorp congregation was officially founded on 7 June 1890. Shortly afterwards, proponent H.C.J. Becker was confirmed as its first minister on 6 September 1890, marking the beginning of a new era of spiritual life and community building in the young mining town,' he said. Mattheyse noted that the church initially ran a school in the same space where services were held, and a manse (pastorie) was built in Ockerse Street in 1891. Eventually, funds were raised for a dedicated church building, and the cornerstone was laid by Rev. Becker on 7 April 1894. The building stood on a block bounded by Rissik, Ockerse, Church, and Joubert Streets, on stands granted by the Transvaal Government under President Paul Kruger. The church was consecrated in January 1895. Among the deacons was T.J. Bedford, who later served as Market Master. The church's opening was a major event, attended by 158 wagons, along with horsemen and cart proprietors. 'The open land between Kobie Krige Street and Bob van Reenen Stadium served as a church square for Boer congregation members arriving by wagon for Nagmaal Naweek. These four weekends per year were used for ceremonies such as confirmations, baptisms and communion,' Jaco explained. 'Built in the Norman-Gothic style, the church cost £6,000. While English-speaking miners may have admired the structure, it also highlighted a cultural and linguistic divide. The sight of hundreds of Dutch-speaking white families gathering at the imposing Dutch Reformed Church echoed what historian Roy Rappaport called 'redundancy' – the repetition of built messages to reinforce shared values and identity. The planned clock was never installed, and the bells were temporarily housed in a wooden structure nearby. The church also hosted the funeral of the burgers (citizens and soldiers) of the South African Republic who died during the Jameson Raid. They are buried in the old Burgershoop Cemetery,' he continued. Becker was succeeded by Rev. F.G.T. Radloff from Hoopstad, installed on 17 December 1898. His ministry coincided with the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), a difficult period marked by civilian suffering, British-run concentration camps, and Boer prisoners of war. Rev. Radloff and his wife distinguished themselves through their compassion and service, ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of women and children in concentration camps and prisoners of war. Under his leadership, a relief committee was formed, a lasting testament to the church's mission during times of crisis. Radloff retired on 11 October 1914 and was succeeded by Rev. P.J. van Vuuren (1915–1921), whose tenure was noted for strong financial management that eliminated the congregation's significant debt. 'The next minister, Rev. Jacobus Joubert Krige – brother of Mrs 'Ouma' Issie Smuts, wife of Jan Smuts – was installed on 21 April 1922. He served faithfully for 14 years until his sudden passing from a stroke on 29 October 1936 at Paardekraal Hospital. Dingaan Street, leading to the current President Hyper, was renamed Kobie Krige Street in his honour, and a memorial was erected on the church grounds,' Jaco said. In November 1937, Rev. Archibald Thomas Martinson took over. Under his leadership, the church grew alongside the town's expanding population and the development of the West Rand. Several daughter congregations were established: • Roodepoort – 1905 • Magaliesburg – 1910 • Randpoort (later Randgate) – 1918 • Burgershoop (later Krugersdorp-West, and eventually Suiderlig) – 1920 • Krugersdorp-Noord – 1943 'The appointment of Rev. C.C. van Dyk as the first co-minister on 29 November 1941 was another milestone. He later became the first minister of the newly formed Krugersdorp-Noord congregation in 1944. During this time, the Krugersdorp congregation remained at the forefront of Christian outreach, education, and social services. Thanks to ministers like Rev. Martinson, the congregation contributed significantly to mission work, poverty relief, Sunday schools, church associations and Christian education,' he said. By 1952, the mother congregation had around 1,350 members, led by a church council of 56 elders and deacons. In October 1951, Prop. T.J. Hanekom was appointed co-minister, followed by others such as P.W. Marais (1954–1955) and Pieter Willem Marais (1962–1964). Mattheyse added that the church underwent extensive renovations between 1960 and 1961. The corrugated iron roof was replaced with slate, the tower was modified for structural stability, resulting in the removal of the original Victorian cast-iron weather vane, and the interior was updated with new ceilings beneath the hammer beam trusses and a full repaint. The original organ loft above the pulpit remains visible today. 'In the 1950s and 1960s, the church used a house near the corner of Kruger and Luipaard Streets as a manse. Like many inner-city congregations, Krugersdorp saw a decline in membership during the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st, due to urban migration, demographic shifts and changing community dynamics. In 2010, the congregation merged with the neighbouring Luipaardsvlei congregation, marking the end of a significant chapter in local church history. Today, the church hall serves the Krugersdorp community as the Tower of Life, a shelter for the homeless,' Jaco concluded. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Emerging theological emergency for churches, with global ramifications
The faithful cannot be silent in the face of distortion Graham Redding writes. In moments of deep national and spiritual crisis, churches have sometimes found the courage to speak with clarity and conviction. Not with platitudes or party dogma, but with public confessions — declarations that reclaim the Gospel from the grip of ideology and idolatry. In 1934, in the shadow of Nazi Germany, a group of German pastors and theologians crafted the Barmen Declaration. It was a bold theological stand against the co-opting of the German Church by Adolf Hitler's regime. While many churches willingly aligned themselves with the state — some even blending the cross with the swastika — Barmen drew a line. It rejected the false gospel of nationalism and racial superiority. It reasserted the lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture against a corrupted and politicised church. Fifty years later, in apartheid-era South Africa, the Belhar Confession emerged. Under a system of brutal racial segregation and violence — one that was theologically defended by the powerful Dutch Reformed Church — Belhar became both a protest and a promise. It condemned injustice in the name of Christ and called the Church back to its foundation in unity, reconciliation and justice. It insisted that these are not optional ideals but core expressions of the Gospel. What Barmen and Belhar shared was a willingness to speak truth into situations of injustice, where the name of Jesus was being used to bless what the Gospel condemns. They did not pretend to be universally true for all times and places. They were contextual, prophetic responses to specific crises — resisting theological distortion and political manipulation. Is it time for churches in the United States to unite to do something similar? Many are sounding the alarm that a major crisis is unfolding in the United States today. Political platforms are draped in religious language. Christian politicians are among the most vocal defenders of exclusionary policies. Christian vocabulary is used to justify everything from white nationalism to the erosion of human rights. In some quarters, the Church has not merely been silent in the face of these distortions — it has become complicit. This is more than a political problem. It is a theological emergency with global ramifications. When faith is harnessed to serve partisan power, when the name of Jesus is used to endorse ideological and political agendas, the Church must speak — not to defend its reputation, but to defend the Gospel itself. What is needed is not a philosophical treatise but a courageous declaration that says: this is who we are, this is what we believe, this is what we reject. A confession that names the idolatries of our time — Christian nationalism, systemic racism, xenophobia, political authoritarianism — and says clearly: this is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such a confession would begin with repentance. It would acknowledge where churches have failed to be faithful: where they have preferred influence over integrity and confused discipleship with dominance. It would reaffirm Christ's lordship over every other loyalty, and declare that justice, mercy and humility are not liberal or conservative values — they are Gospel imperatives. It would not speak for every Christian. It would not demand uniformity. Like Barmen and Belhar, it would arise from communities of conscience — those who can no longer be silent in the face of distortion. It would face opposition and criticism. Barmen and Belhar both drew backlash. But both also offered the Church something priceless: integrity. A way to be faithful in the public square without surrendering the soul of the Gospel. The danger today for churches is not one of persecution but seduction. The seductive pull of power and cultural dominance is nothing new. But the longer churches confuse proximity to power with spiritual authority, the more urgently they need to confess what the Gospel actually is — and what it is not. A confession of faith would not fix everything, but it would be a clarion call, an act of clarity in a time of confusion, an act of courage in a time of compromise. And it would be an invitation — to return to the source, to rediscover the deep well of God's justice, grace and love. Because at the heart of the Christian faith is not a political ideology or a cultural identity. It is a crucified and risen saviour who calls his followers not to rule, but to serve. Not to dominate, but to love. Not to blend in, but to bear witness. Maybe it's time to say that again. Loudly and clearly. If American churches were to come together for that purpose, there would be strong global support — for a Gospel no longer bound by empire, but set free again for justice, mercy and truth, and for a nation that is less preoccupied with its own greatness and more dedicated to the flourishing of all nations, the healing of creation and the ways of peace. ■Graham Redding is a lecturer in chaplaincy studies at the University of Otago.
Russia Today
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia pays tribute to soldiers who fought British colonial rule in South Africa
Russian Ambassador Roman Ambarov took part in a memorial event in Utrecht, South Africa on Friday, honoring the Russian volunteers who fought in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The annual commemoration pays tribute to the more than 200 Russian soldiers who supported the Boers in their fight against British colonial rule. The ceremony, held in KwaZulu-Natal Province, included a religious service led by Archpriest Daniil Lugovoy of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Midrand. A wreath-laying ceremony followed at the monument to Captain Leo Pokrovsky and the Wall of Remembrance, which lists the names of 90 Russian volunteers who died in the conflict. Pokrovsky was among many foreign volunteers who traveled to South Africa in the early 20th century to support the Boers, a group of predominantly Dutch-descended settlers, in their war against Britain. The Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), the most destructive conflict in modern South African history, pitted the British Empire against the Boer republics – the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. Historians widely believe Britain's push to control the world's largest gold-mining complex at the time was the main driver of the war. While London justified its actions by claiming suzerainty over the region, many neutral nations sided with the Boers. Thousands of volunteers from the German Empire, the US, Russia, and even British territories such as Australia and Ireland, joined the fight against Britain. Speaking at the ceremony, Ambarov underscored the importance of preserving historical memory and recognizing the Russian volunteers who died fighting for Boer independence. 'We are grateful to the parish of the Dutch Reformed Church in Utrecht for caring for the monument to Captain Leo Pokrovsky, who heroically died in the fight for the freedom of the Boers,' Ambarov said. As part of the commemoration, the Russian Embassy in South Africa presented several historical artifacts to the House-Museum of the Parish Priest in Utrecht. Among the items was a declassified archival document translated into Afrikaans, featuring a resolution by Russian Emperor Nicholas II, the last reigning emperor of Russia. The document was a response to a letter from his mother, Empress Maria Fyodorovna, who had proposed humanitarian aid for Boer women and children through the Red Cross.
