2009 News & Press Releases

Act Now on Climate Change, SACC Urges

The SACC has endorsed the UN Conference on Climate Change taking place in Copenhagen and called on leaders to accept the challenge to make "significant and meaningful emission reductions" and on all citizens "to change our own behaviour and the way we contribute towards the devastation of our environment and this earth we live in".

SACC on the situation at Central Methodist Church

The people from South Africa and other African countries that have taken refuge in the Central Methodist Church in the centre of Johannesburg are not the problem. SACC asks some pointed questions in order to help find a solution.

Climate Change: A Challenge to the Churches

The SACC has published a timely new resource on climate change and the ways that Christians are called to respond to this threat to the integrity of God's creation. [PDF 1MB - ]

Living Under the Olive Tree

Ecumenical Accompanier France Mkhatshwa tells the story of the Hanoun and Ghwaai families who have taken up residence under their olive trees in East Jerusalem after they were evicted from their homes by the Ateret Cohanim Settler organisation.

SACC Appalled by Violent Attacks Against Democracy

Church officials decried the savage attacks on leaders of the shack-dwellers' movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo, in Durban last weekend. "We are alarmed by the way in which legitimate community struggles are being criminalised," said SACC General Secretary Eddie Makue. Bishop Rubin Phillip called for the deployment of a "credible and independent force" to stop the violence.

Life in Tulkarem

Jade Orgill, an Ecumenical Accompanier based in Tulkarem in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, reports on life in the area and the social, political and economic issues that confront local residents on a daily basis.

The Strike by SANDF Personnel

The Council responds to the recent strike by SANDF personnel in Pretoria.

SACC Seeks Path of Religious Unity, Mutual Respect

SACC leaders counsel caution in response to the launch of the new National Interfaith Leaders Council.

Transforming Johannesburg's Alexandra Township into a Loving Mother of All

SACC President Tinyiko Maluleke makes an impassioned plea for the transformation of Alexandra while opening a new community edcuation facility in the township recently.

Shot and Killed on his Way to Pray

EAPPI Accompanier Simphiwe Pato tells the story of Hammam Nasseraldin, a 19-year-old Palestinian man gunned down by Israeli soldiers on the steps of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron after having passed through two security checkpoints.

I Would Rather Be a Hungry Dog That Runs Free ...

EAPPI Accompanier Deborah Donnell is part of a group of people who are harassed and shot at by Israeli soldiers in the village of Artas on Labour Day.

2009 Central Committee Communique

The annual meeting of the SACC Central Committee took place 27-29 May at Cedar Park in Woodmead, Johannesburg. The meeting issued this communique summarising key aspects of their deliberations and actions.

Piece by Piece the Land is Being Stolen: An EAPPI Report

Simphiwe Pato, an Ecumenical Accompanier based in Hebron, shares his experiences of security force bias at an action to protest the incursion of Israeli settlers onto land owned by Palestinians. Six members of Israeli anti-occupation organisations were arrested at the protest for refusing to leave occupied land hastily declared a "closed military area" by the Israeli Defence Force.

SACSEC Commends Free and Fair 2009 Elections

The South African Civil Society Election Coalition (SACSEC), a network of non-governmental and civil society organisations co-ordinated by the South African Council of Churches, announced today that it is satisfied that South Africa's fourth round of national and provincial elections was conducted in a substantially free, fair, transparent and credible manner. The Coalition's preliminary assessment comments on a number of aspects if the election, including voter education, election coverage, political party agents and voting day itself, as well as making suggestions for the post-election period.

Crucifixion by Corruption: Then and Now

In his Good Friday sermon at Diakonia Council of Churches in Durban, SACC President Prof. Tinyiko Maluleke warns against corruption, noting that Jesus Christ was a victim of corruption in his day. "He was a victim of systems, institutions and structures - colluding and intersecting religious and political systems," Maluleke said. Citing Micah's condemnation of "cannibalistic" leaders who prey on the people, he lashes out at the "shenanigans" of contemporary political, economic and religious leaders and offers a perspective on the NPA's recent decision not to prosecute Jacob Zuma.

No Room for the Poor in Our Cities?

Anglican Bishop Rubin Phillip slates the "odious" KwaZulu-Natal Slums Act and endorses Abahlali baseMjondolo's campaign for decent housing for all. "We need to recognise that shack settlements, imperfect as they are, have been an effective means of providing housing for the urban poor," Bishop Rubin observes. "Working with people in a respectful way should be the basis for a proper partnership that begins to change our cities to more just, equal and shared spaces where shalom reigns."

Report to the SACC on the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme

At the end of 2008, an evaluation team appointed by the SACC visited Palestine and Israel to assess the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment programme and to make recommendations regarding the SACC's continuing participation in the programme. [PDF 4MB - ]

Excavated Palestinian Lives in Silwan

Ecumenical Accompaniers Scott Smith and Dudu Masango recount the experiences of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem where Israeli authorities have destroyed a growing number of homes in the past decade. Smith and Masango visited Silwan on 5 November 2008, shortly after the demolition of several homes the al-Bustan neighbourhood. They share their experiences and insights in this article. [PDF - ]

An Open Letter to South African Political Leaders

Addressing members of the Mpumalanga provincial legislature at the fourth annual Speaker's Breakfast, the SACC President, Prof. Tinyiko Maluleke, issues a challenge to all political leaders on the eve of the nation's fourth democratic general election. He warns against both the "politics of the stomach" and the "politics of disgrace" and invites leaders instead to pursue the "politics of affirmation" and to aspire to servant leadership.

SACC Warns of Challenges Ahead

Council officials comment on the electoral and economic challenges that confront South Africa in the coming months.

NEC Communique

The SACC National Executive Committee met for the first time in 2009 and commented on the looming national and provincial elections, moral reconstruction, the continuing battle against HIV and other preventable diseases, poverty and inequality, and the crises in Zimbabwe and the Holy Land.

Gaza Statement

The SACC details plans to work jointly with the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, and the Gift of the Givers Foundation to dispatch emergency humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza.