The Department of Correctional Services in the Mthatha management area hosted a cleansing prayer at Mthatha’s Wellington Prison to seek divine intervention to curb the recent spate of fires in the institution.
The prayer session, attended by pastors from different denominations, was held on October 28.
The decision to seek divine intervention came after a recent incident where a mysterious fire claimed the life of Mthatha management area commissioner, John Msimango, his wife and two children, when their house was engulfed by fire in the early hours of the morning on July 1.
It was also revealed during the prayer session that two other houses within the facility were also burnt down by mysterious fires, but fortunately no injuries or fatalities resulted from those incidents.
“The recent fire incident, that claimed the life of the area commissioner and his family, had a negative impact on the morale of the staff at this facility. We thought it important to have this cleansing prayer to cleanse the environment and find healing for the officials in Mthatha, who were left traumatised by these incidents,” said acting Eastern Cape regional commissioner, Nhlahla Mthethwa.
The prayer session was also extended to pray for inmates at the facility, as well as peace and stability within prisons.
The cleansing prayer was the second one held recently in the Eastern Cape region, after a similar session was held at St Alban’s management area in East London on October 7.
The Department of Correctional Services said that similar cleansing prayers would be held in all six management areas in the Eastern Cape, to bring healing, peace and stability at correctional facilities.
