Article source: JOY! Magazine

When Reini Coetzee wheeled his wooden cross over the Beit Bridge, accompanied by supporters who had driven 2000 km from Cape Town to bless him as he entered Zimbabwe, he had no idea what lay ahead of him. Then God sent two “angels” to meet him on the other side – in the form of two men who sensed God prompting them to support Reini by serving as his backup team, driving behind him throughout the Zimbabwe leg of his Cross Walk Africa mission, carrying his provisions and providing logistical support.

The backup vehicle which Pastor Cleverton Kunjuta secured for Reini’s mission trek through Zimbabwe. He even arranged for the vehicle to be branded with Cross Walk Africa signage

God made a way
“God made a way. He opened the Red Sea,” said Reini, who had booked a night in a lodge in the Zimbabwean border town of Beitbridge, not knowing how he was going to continue his trek into the unknown. “As I look at the logistics, the distance between towns, I realise I wouldn’t have been able to do this by myself. And the Lord knew it and He just made a way,” he said, eight months after setting out from Cape Town on a mission to wheel a cross to Jerusalem.

Grace-filled connection
I got to speak to the two men who are so selflessly supporting him. Pastor Cleverton Kunjuta, who leads a small church in a rural area near Beitbridge, said he had connected with Reini “by the grace of God”. He hosted Reini at his home for ten days. He also decided to organise a vehicle to transport Reini’s provisions during his time in the country.

Reini wheeling his cross into Zimbabwe with supporters who had driven 2 000km from Cape Town to stand with him as he left South Africa. Little did Reini know that God was about to provide him with more amazing supporters on the other side of the border bridge

A chaplain’s shared vision
I also spoke to Chaplain Brian Teputepu of Beitbridge, who founded and leads the Association of Christian Truckers of Southern Africa – an outreach to truckers which he said is touching truck drivers in Southern Africa which he believes “will go into Africa in a big way”. Brian said he had been aware of Reini’s Cross Walk Africa through social media, and had hoped to take a selfie with him when he was in Zimbabwe. So, he was grateful when Cleverton invited him to meet Reini. Brian has a heart for the kind of mission that Reini is undertaking. In 2012 he was the only black member of a Campus Crusade for Christ long-distance cycling campaign to take the Gospel across South Africa.

Honouring faithful obedience
Reini said he honoured “these two men of God who just stepped up and were obedient to help with this part of the journey.” He was also aware that police in the country were aware of his mission and were keeping an eye on his safety. “It’s the greatest adventure that anybody can be on – walking with this cross, changing lives, and seeing people coming to repentance and just coming to Christ. I believe there are a lot of people that we don’t even know about that gave their hearts to the Lord just driving past.” After Zimbabwe, Reini plans to walk with his cross through Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, and Israel.

This article is featured in the January issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za

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Date published: 25/12/2025
Feature image: Reini Coetzee, right, with two men from Beitbridge, Zimbabwe, who have joined him on the Zimbabwe leg of his CrossWalk Africa mission. Pastor Cleverton Kunjuta, left, and Chaplain Brian Teputepu, holding cross, are accompanying Reini in a backup vehicle which Cleverton sourced for the mission

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