By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – With the festive season approaching, religious and community leaders joined hands to pray for road safety and remind citizens to act responsibly behind the wheel by following what they called the Seven Commandments of the Road.
The Interdenominational prayer service took place on Thursday, 16 October 2025, at the Phuthaditjhaba Multipurpose Hall, organized by the Maluti Ministers Federation in partnership with the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Department of Roads and Transport as part of October Road Safety Month.
Before the prayer service, Tumelo Mahlaba from the QwaQwa Scholar Patrol urged learners and community members to prioritize safety, especially with matric exams approaching.
“There is nothing worse than matric results coming out and a learner has done exceptionally well but they lost their lives during the festive season,” Mahlaba said.
“Or a parent who was planning to support their matric child who has passed, but then lost their life on the road. Let us respect each other on the roads and people must refrain from drinking and driving.”
The Secretary General of the Maluti Ministers Federation, Matebesi Lakaje, explained that the purpose of the prayer service was to unite different faith leaders and government departments in prayer for safer roads.
“The purpose of the prayer service is for interdenominational ministers to come together with the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Department of Road and Safety to pray for safety on the roads and for people to respect the rules of the road,” said Lakaje.
“We all enter our cars and say a silent prayer. That’s why the interdenominational prayer service shared seven rules that road users must observe when on the road.”
These “Seven Commandments of the Road” were shared as key reminders for all road users:
• Do not drink and drive
• Do not overloa
• Do not speed
• Ensure the driver is fit – Pastor Vuniwe Binda emphasised the importance of this point, saying,“The driver must be fit and must remember to put God first when on the road because alone a person’s strength has its shortcomings, but with God there is strength. Drivers must not drive under the influence of alcohol.”
• Wear your seatbelt
• Promote pedestrian safety
• Ensure vehicle fitness
In his keynote address, the Deputy Director of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Road Safety Unit, Albert De Klerk, said the purpose of the prayer meeting was to reduce the number of road fatalities on the roads.
“The aim of this prayer meeting is to pray that the number of deaths on the road reduce. According to statistics, the number of drivers dying on the road has gone down, but the number of cyclists and pedestrians dying on the road has increased. We urge road users not to drink and drive and to remember that the road doesn’t belong to you as a driver, it is very important to respect other road users,” he said.
The messages shared by various religious leaders during the service all echoed one sentiment: to ask for God’s protection while on the road, especially during the upcoming festive season, and to pray for a safe return home.
