Orange Farm is a sprawling resettlement township that stretches over the length of the Golden Highway about 10km south of the Grasmere Toll Plaza. Contrary to what its name seems to suggest, the farm where the resettlement was established was in fact a chicken farm. Originally named after a nearby railway station, Stratford, this settlement area has rapidly expanded since its formation in the mid-80s. The community that settled there came from Mshenguville, an informal settlement in Soweto that was named after then mayor of Soweto, Ephraim “Mshengu” Shabalala.
Orange Farm was one of the early scenes of service delivery protests. Unemployment is high. Overcrowding is staggering. It has seen its fair share of underdevelopment with raw sewage running down major streets. Rampant crime continues unabated. This is the place where Bosasa Group CEO Gavin Watson was invited to speak one Friday night to the congregants of the NEPWO* 8th Annual Prayer Conference.
The first attempt to reach the conference venue drew a blank in spite of all the efforts Gavin made. With no signage to point out where Orange Farm is and GPS coverage non-existent, Gavin gave up finding Orange Farm around mid-night. The next morning he arose with twice the determination to reach the Prayer Conference and deliver his oration. Road maintenance and backed-up traffic delays on the freeway would not weaken his resolve to make it to Orange Farm. He just prayed that God should allow him the opportunity to get there on time and safely. He was intent on sharing his message that would empower that community.
The delegates enthusiastically awaited his talk and warmly welcomed him. On ascending the stage, Gavin challenged the audience to reflect on their spiritual lives and ask themselves the question: “Are the fruits of the spirit present in you?”
Gavin made an impassioned assertion that this is the year of miracles. “You should see God’s miracles in your life if your relationship with God is in good standing,” he said. He shared with the conference three key pillars that hold his relationship with God in tact: Understanding the power of prayer and acting on it; knowing that God has your life in the palm of his hand and walking by faith and not by sight.
Bishop Peter Segonyana, the director and founder of NEPWO, had warned the conference delegates that whenever Gavin speaks, he moves people in a manner that he has never witnessed. Even Bishop Peter’s son, Obed who was the programme and technical director of the conference conceded after listening to Gavin, he was not going to be the same person again.
After delivering his talk, he still made it in time for both the ladies’ and men’s finals in the Bosasa National Soccer Tournament in Randfontein, about 65km away from Orange Farm. He shook hands with the finalists before kick-off and handed out medals and trophies at the end of it all. By Sunday, he had written his blog in which he congratulated the winners and the organizers for a job well done and thanked those who made the day such a success with their presence. In view of the foregoing, I am convinced that Gavin Watson remains the embodiment of the Bosasa spirit.
*NEPWO is the National Evangelical Prayer Watch Outreach
Article reproduced with thanks to Bosasa Group
