Gone are the days when places of worship were regarded as sacred and holy, with no one daring to do wrong there.

Criminals have of late found a good hunting ground at churches, where the most sought-after possessions are musical instruments and other valuables that they can lay their hands on. The God’s Harvest and Worship Church at Tshitavha village outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo has not been spared the wrath of the ruthless thugs who have no respect for even the place of God.

The thieves broke into the church and stole clothing meant for the poor, two amplifiers and an equalizer on Sunday last week. Resident Pastor Nkhangweni Maluleke said he was shocked to find that the church had been broken into and all their valuables stolen. “I had all along thought that thieves would not dare steal in the house of the Lord and this came as shock to us,” he said.

He said it went to show that people had changed and become so hardened that they feared God no more. “Instead of breaking into each other’s houses, we should be encouraging each other to work hard and also helping each other, but this is a sick nation that needs God’s cleansing,” he said.

Makuya police spokesperson WO Mashudu Madida said stealing from places of worship was becoming a new trend in rural communities. He said they had never experienced problems of theft in churches as even thugs used to respect the house of the Lord.