Reverend Pastor Dwayne Gordon met a tragic end when he was fatally shot during a service at the Eagle Christian Church in Newlands, Johannesburg. The distressing incident occurred on Friday, October 6, leaving three other individuals injured.
According to law enforcement officials, a group of approximately six unidentified men confronted a congregation in the Newlands church. The assailants opened fire, resulting in injuries to three individuals.
The live broadcast of the church service, widely circulated on social media, captures Reverend Gordon passionately delivering his sermon to the congregation moments before the suspects unleashed gunfire. The perpetrators proceeded to rob attendees of their cellphones and personal belongings before making a hasty escape from the scene.
Meanwhile, the African Christian Democratic Party has condemned the incident.
The party said for criminals, church is no longer sacred as it lost one of its Councillors, Pastor Myaka in June this year, who was gunned down while preaching in his church in Nseleni, Umhlatuze, KwaZulu-Natal.
“The greed and moral depravity of the criminals drives them into the hallowed walls of Christian worship, intent to cause as much harm as possible.
“The rise of violent crime is a dual indicator of the incapacity of SAPS and crime fighting units in South Africa to not only apprehend criminals, but also to prevent crime from occurring in the first instance. Secondly, it is an indication of the rise of moral decadence, a move away from the rule of law and an attack on the Body of Christ as a whole,” the ACDP said.