By: Nosipho Ntombela

A sound of praying voices filled the International Convention Centre (ICC), yesterday as Covenant Fellowship Church International (CFCI), held a thanksgiving prayer for the 2022
Commonwealth Games.

Apostle Collins Dhlomo along with his wife Prophetess Nomusa Dhlomo, founders of CFCI, invited Mayor James Nxumalo of eThekwini Municipality, and were later joined by KZN
Premier Senzo Mchunu.

Mayor Nxumalo said that the church is now part of the history, as the first congregation that thought of the idea.

Speaking on commonwealth games 2022, Mayor Nxumalo, who requested a song before speaking said, “The Games, which will cost R2 billion, are expected to deliver up to R20
billion in outputs to the economy.”

He said that more than 200 000 local and international visitors are expected to contribute up to R12 billion in direct expenditure.

“As the City of Durban, all eyes will be on us for two weeks. We must welcome and treat our guests well,” said Nxumalo.

He added that this is a different time because eThekwini is not in partnership with other cities.

“The only challenge we are looking at now is accommodation. The hotels and BnB’s we have will not be enough to accommodate our visitors.

We may end up seeking for accommodation in nearby cities, like Richards Bay and Pietermaritzburg. If people have money they should start building BnB’s for 2022,” he added.