Edinburgh's South African Reverend

Uitenhage-born Reverend Joseph Naika (48) joined Ebenezer United Free Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, a few months ago. The congregation is predominantly made up of elderly people, but Rev. Naika wants to bring a vibrant spark of life to the church. The Scottish church decided to advertise outside of Scotland for ministers, due to a lack of ministers there. Rev. Naika and his wife Evelyn, with their daughters Tayla (11) and T’Neal (6) attended a ceilidh at the church hall at New Year, and have also enjoyed haggis. The couple hope to introduce potjiekos and sakkie-sakkie to Edinburgh soon. The reverend matriculated at Uitenhage High School and studied education at Dower Training College in Port Elizabeth in the 1980s. He taught in Uitenhage schools before becoming a minister.