Thursday, May 1, 2025

April 15, 2025

What’s The Deal With That South African Man Trekking From Cape Town To Israel Carrying A Giant Cross?

Evangelist Reini Coetzee plans to wheel that chunk of timber a mind-bending 10,000km across Africa and into Jerusalem, armed with little more than faith, a rucksack, and a lot of plasters.

[Image: Instagram /@crosswalk_africa]

On Friday, March 14, Evangelist Reini Coetzee rolled out of Signal Hill, Cape Town, hauling a full-sized wooden cross on his way for the longest Sunday stroll ever.

He plans to wheel that chunk of timber a mind-bending 10,000km across Africa and into Jerusalem, armed with little more than faith, a rucksack, and, presumably, a lot of plasters.

The launch was a little late, thanks to a hiccup with the courier. Yes, you read that right: DHL meets divine intervention. But Reini wasn’t sweating the delay. “I’m not in a rush,” he shrugged, as if 10,000km was just a light jog to the corner shop. His mission, he says, is to “seek the lost at all costs” and beam a little hope, peace, and Christ-powered love across Africa.

Reini reckoned God had pulled him aside for a little heart-to-heart, teaching him to tackle the journey “one day at a time.” Which, when you’re wheeling a cross to Israel, feels like sound advice.

Technically, Reini’s flying solo – just him, his cross, and a backpack – but he insists divine co-pilots are part of the package. Different friends are expected to pop in and out like spiritual relay runners. His mate Bryan Francis joined him for the opening stretch, trading city streets for the long, dusty drag of the Central Karoo, where, last we checked, Reini had clocked over 300 hours on foot in just three weeks. That’s enough steps to make your smartwatch tap out.

A steady stream of strangers has also stopped for chats, prayers, and even potluck. One woman whipped out a five-course feast “too big to carry,” while the first to offer help was a gardener who saw him from the curb and asked if he could take the cross for a spin, per Gateway News:

Image: Gateway News

Reini’s got his sights set on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, with the path zigzagging through a laundry list of African nations: Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Egypt – the kind of itinerary most people would only attempt on Google Earth.

Google reckons the journey would take over 2,000 hours of pure walking if your legs don’t fall off first. Driving will take about 145 hours, and flying a mere 12. But Reini’s not interested in shortcuts. The long road, he says, is the point.

 

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This isn’t his first rodeo, either. Signal Hill’s become his launch pad of choice, with previous cross-hauls taking him all the way to Musina in 2021 and to Windhoek in 2023. He thought his cross-walking days were behind him, until — according to him — God gate-crashed a seven-day fast in December and dropped the Israel mission into his spirit. His reaction was equal parts awe and panic.

“I got such a fright,” he admits, “when I realised how far this is — almost 10,000 kilometres.”

But fear didn’t win. His mantra for this trip? “Africa shall be saved.” Reini’s walking on faith, literally, believing every step is reclaiming ground from the enemy and planting the flag for the Kingdom of Heaven.

So, if you see a lone figure on the horizon pushing a cross, don’t blink. It’s not a mirage. It’s just Reini — walking, talking, and spreading his specific brand of hope.

[Sources: SA People & Geteway News]