By Rorisang Modiba
- Strangers feed him daily and give him shelter as he walks highways with his heavy wooden cross through three provinces.
- The 53-year-old former drug addict got the message during a fast to carry his cross 7,500km to Israel.
Six months ago, Reini Coetzee left Cape Town with only a Bible, some water, and a large cross on his shoulder.
Since then, the 53-year-old pastor has walked more than 1,500km through the Winelands, the Karoo, and the Free State. His goal is to reach Israel, a journey of 7,500km that could take more than a year on foot.
Reini says the idea came to him in March during a 10-day fast. “I got the message to take this cross to Israel,” he explains.
He doesn’t know exactly how it will happen, but he trusts God to guide him.
He travels light, carrying no food. Each day, strangers stop to offer him meals, water, or even a bed for the night.
“Every night someone has given me a place to sleep and a plate of food,” he says. Truck drivers are his biggest supporters, hooting and waving as he walks along the highways.
The cross, made of wood and fibreglass, has a wheel at the base, but it is still heavy. Reini has already worn out two pairs of trainers but continues without fear.
“I prepared myself for the chance I might not come back. But I walk in peace,” he told You magazine.
This is not his first pilgrimage. In 2020, he carried a cross from Cape Town to Musina. He has also walked to Namibia.
But this time, the journey is longer and more personal. Reini was once a drug addict in Pretoria, but for the past 11 years he has lived as a pastor.
Some people call him crazy, while others follow his journey on social media. Reini doesn’t mind.
“The cross speaks for itself,” he says. “I just carry it. I’m on the journey.”
Pictured above: Reini Coetzee.
Image source: @Reini Coetzee
