White plastic chairs are sprayed down with sanitiser and a smartly dressed cleaner says a prayer while dusting before a first service in her church in more than nine weeks.
President Cyril Ramaphosa gave places of worship across South Africa the greenlight to reopen from June 1 provided they could satisfy appropriate COVID-19 self-regulation measures.
But few have done so to date, with many worshippers hesitant to return for fear of catching the coronavirus.
"Our first service was today... we didn't have as many of our congregation members as usual," Pastor Sylvain Malindhva of Peniel ministries told AFP.
"The fear is there... a lot of people are still hesitating to come to the churches."
In Johannesburg's crowded business district, some small evangelical churches have opened up for services under strict government regulations including the wearing of masks and social distancing.
"God gave us also wisdom and intelligence. We can't just say because we are praying we are not going to observe those preventative measures," Malindhva said.
But many religious locals are opting to stay away.
RTL Today
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