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Securing ZCC’s Zion City Moriah

With a congregation of between 15 million and 16 million people, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) is the largest African-initiated church operating in southern Africa. The church’s headquarters are at Zion City Moriah in Limpopo province, South Africa, and every Easter over 1 million congregants attend a hosted pilgrimage to the facilities.

The leadership of Zion City Moriah recently decided to increase its security profile with the addition of five TALON barriers from Turnstar. The entire installation, which included loop detectors on all the barriers as well as all ancillary concrete work, was undertaken by the Turnstar team to the specified standards.

The TALON barrier is perfectly suited to the high volumes of traffic experienced at Zion City Moriah, not only at Easter, but at the regular church services held on Wednesdays and Sundays. The TALON barriers feature an ultra-heavy-duty electromechanical mechanism which is designed by professional engineers for extended longevity.

Other features that enhance the durability, reliability and robustness of the TALON barrier include the 100% duty geared torque motors and the double-buffered mechanism which lowers mechanical stress for a longer operational life. “The design also incorporates heavy-duty deep groove ball bearings, a cabinet manufactured from corrosion-resistant powder coated 3Cr12 stainless steel, and a tension spring counterweight system with self-lubricating industrial plastic bush,” says Craig Sacks, MD of Turnstar.

Sacks explains that the barrier arm and spikes are driven by two separate motors, which remove the need for long linkages that are typically prone to failure. The three-stage operation of the TALON ensures that no mishaps occur when a vehicle is travelling underneath the boom. During the opening procedure the spikes are lowered, the barrier arm is raised and the traffic light turns to green. Conversely, during the closing procedure, the traffic light changes to red, the barrier arm descends and the spikes are raised.

“There is no room for error with this, so a great deal of strategic engineering went into the design process. The resultant installation, with two exit lanes, two entrance lanes and a lane at the main residence, is one which meets the very exacting requirements of the ZCC,” says Sacks.

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