Noise pollution or heavenly sounds
Elaine King has a look around to find a mystery congregation that appears to be the main offender.
On Sunday 2 August, the sounds of Christian worship started in different suburbs of Knysna.
While a small part of Upper Town was serenaded with gospel music to the irritation of some residents, broadcast over a powerful microphone in Hornlee that started a few weeks ago not only raised serious complaints but questions about noise pollution and how town authorities should deal with it.
The main difference between the two offending sound sources is that the latter one has thus far been impossible to identify.
The Hornlee church’s “emissions” (classified as any noise that is a hindrance to another person) are so loud that the ward committee member for Hunters Home, Rexford and Fisherhaven, Richard Thorpe, is in the process of formulating a formal complaint.
“The pastor starts his message at 06:00 when most people are in bed, and uses loudspeakers and amplifiers… It’s not the church service we are complaining about, but the noise and time of day.”
According to Thorpe, attempts to establish which church in the Hornlee area or the pastor’s identity has proved fruitless so far.
Pastor Michael Smith of Sinethemba was quick to point out it wasn’t his Rhema Christian Faith Mission in Hornlee. “I also had a problem with noise starting at 06:00 when people are sleeping.” His church follows all regulations and does not make a noise, he emphasised.
The NG Church in Voortrekker Street, Knysna holds a drive-in service on Sundays. Photos supplied by NG Church
Meanwhile, the mystery pastor and church had people in an uproar on social media, specifically the Knysna Daily Facebook page:
“What can be done about this church in Hornlee where the pastor is screaming through a loudspeaker from 6 am on a Sunday morning? Every Sunday for weeks now,” wondered Louise Fenner-Solomon, while Berny Bruiners said bluntly, “Aim at him with a sniper gun.” Another commenter, Marlen Barlett, said, “Apparently some churches think God is deaf.”
The town’s authority, however, has not received any complaints, confirmed municipal spokesperson Nwabisa Pondoyi, who added the municipality “can only help people if they first report it [noise complaint] with clear and concise information.
The NG Church in Voortrekker Street, Knysna holds a drive-in service on Sundays, where only 50 cars are allowed into the parking lot. Photos supplied by NG Church
Early on Sunday 2 August, residents in Knysna Central were rudely awakened by a powerfully amplified live band striking up and later performing at the NG Church in Voortrekker Street. The church’s reverend, or dominee, Enel Lambrechts insisted that her flock was abiding by Covid-lockdown laws.
Her response to residents in the area (who do not want to be named) – one of whom described the music as “an invasion of privacy and nose pollution” – was simply: “We did get the necessary permission from the municipality and have put all the regulations into place.”
This included the church gospel band adhering to social distancing and only allowing 50 cars into the parking lot for the “drive-in service”.
Lambrechts said they did receive a complaint two weeks ago when the church practised their music on Saturday afternoon and held their first service on Sunday 26 July, but that they immediately took action.
This past Sunday’s service was, according to her, toned down a lot. “We set up at 08:30 and go through our set list once, then we play softer background music until 10:00, when we start. We then play two worship songs, do the sermon and end off with a worship song – and we try not to end after 11:00.”
An official comment is awaited from SAPS, but the municipality has to scientifically measure the decibels to determine if it is noise pollution, said Sergeant Chris Spies.
The NG Church in Voortrekker Street, Knysna holds a drive-in service on Sundays. Photos supplied by NG Church
‘We bring you the latest Knysna | Garden Route news’
Source: Knysna Plett Herald News