Why does Kumalo go to the mountain of Emoyeni to keep vigil in Cry, the Beloved Country?

The mountain called Emoyeni is a place of inspiration for
Kumalo. He goes to the mountain in times of great crisis in his life. Three times he has
gone to Emoyeni - once when his son Absalom was small and "sick unto death," once when
he had been considering leaving the ministry to take a job that made far more money, and
once when he had been tempted to be unfaithful to his wife. Kumalo goes to Emoyeni to
meet metaphorically with God. He goes to the mountain to pray, and finds healing and
peace there. It stands to reason that he will maintain vigil on the mountain when his
son is about to be executed.

Emoyeni itself is a beautiful
place;

"it
stands high above Carisbrooke and the tops, and higher still above the valleys of
Ndotsheni and Empayeni. Indeed it is a rampart of the great valley itself, and valley of
the Umzimkulu, and from it you look down on one of the fairest scenes of
Africa."

Kumalo goes to the
mountain like a pilgrim. He takes along with him "a bottle of tea, of the kind that is
made by boiling the leaves...and a few heavy cakes of maize." He also takes his coat and
his stick, walking up the path alone. Kumalo's vigil on the mountain is filled with
religious imagery. As he waits through the night, he confesses his sins there and prays
for absolution, then prays in thanksgiving, pondering the deep questions in his heart
and reflecting on the gifts he has been given in his life. Kumalo prays "long and
earnestly" for his son, his people, and his country, and as the sun rises in the east
signalling the moment of his son's death, he breaks bread and gives thanks as Christ
did, and looks to the east in anticipation of the dawn (Chapter
36).