Statement of the 2017 Triennial National Conference of the South African Council of Churches, Benoni, June 6 – 8, 2017.
JOHANNESBURG: The South African Council of Churches
(SACC) held its 2017 session of the Triennial National Conference at
Kopanong, Benoni from Tuesday June 6 to Thursday June 8, under the theme
of Nehemiah (2:17), “Come, let us rebuild… and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Twenty-five (25) of the major churches in the country and a number of
associate member churches were represented at the Conference covering
all the traditions and expressions of faith from Catholics, African
Independent and indigenous churches, Anglican, Methodists, Lutheran,
Reformed, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches throughout
the country. Accordingly, the SACC is the most representative churches
organisation in the country.
The Conference unanimously resolved, that the south African
government has lost its moral legitimacy. The SACC’s Unburdening Panel
Report revealed to the SACC, the systemic patterns of governmental
wrongdoing in the design of inappropriate control of State systems
through a power-elite that parcels out contracts and other opportunities
for their circles against the interests of good governance and against
the common good of the South African citizenry.
The stalemate on Nkandla, especially following the SACC meeting with
the President, on the 15th December 2015, points to a serious breach of
public integrity. The President’s stance in his defence on the matter of
the expenses on his private home, seemed syndicated across government
and the broad leadership of the governing party. The Minister of Police
and other Government Ministers performed what seemed like a
choreographed chorus in endorsing the President’s position.
Parliament, the nation’s mandated representatives to supervise the
conduct and performance of the Government Executive, seemed to have
shared in the legal portion passed syndicated across the governmental
establishment, in displaying complete moral bankruptcy in the execution
of their responsibilities in upholding that laws of the Land.
Against these realities, the Conference concluded that the President
has caused Parliament, the country’s representatives, and therefore the
people of South Africa to sin. (1 Kings 14:16). In confirming the
impropriety of their actions against the State, the Constitutional Court
further ruled that The President‚ the Minister of Police and the
National Assembly must pay costs of the applications including the costs
of two counsel.
These are for the SACC, areas of moral concern, not to mention the
very fact that no one in government thought there was an issue of
inequality, poverty and homelessness in justifying a personal household
development bill of nearly R250 million. Nehemiah exclaims: “What you
are doing is not wrong and morally bad. Should you not walk in the fear
of God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?”
The Prophet Ezekiel condemns shepherds who feed themselves and starve
the flocks? He urge us too to condemn shepherds who eat the fat of the
land, and clothe themselves, with the wool, slaughter the fatlings, but
do not feed nor strengthen the weak sick, the broken, nor bring back
what was driven away, the lost…, (Ezekiel 34:2-5)
In the light of all these, the Conference resolved to:
- Call for Parliament to be dissolved and fresh national elections be
held to secure a fresh mandate based on acceptable values and
on integrity.
- Convene a national convention that includes a broad base of South
Africans to reflect on these matters and the way forward. This to
provide the opportunity for a new consensus on national values, that
will for once, help South Africa arrive at a common basis for a common,
reconciled citizenship. This would of necessity have to address not only
the governmental values and standards, but also how to hasten the
establishment of a reconciled social and economic dispensation for the
realization of the post apartheid promise of South Africa – a just,
equitable, reconciled, peaceful, and sustainable South Africa, free of
racist, tribalist, xenophobic and gender prejudices; free of corruption
and deprivation, where every child born is free to develop to its God
given potential.
The Conference spent a lot of time both in a special commission and
in plenary, deliberating about the scourge of the killing of women, some
by their partners, and sad notion of corrective rape and killing of
lesbians, as well as people with albinism. A special noontime devotion
was conducted on this pain, led by Father Michael Lapsley, Director of
the Centre for Healing Memories, together with Major Holmes of the
Salvation Army. Some names of the recently murdered were read out
symbolically for all those who have perished in this way. Special
prayers for Lesotho and Israel Palestine we are also said.
The Conference resolved that churches must take up the struggle
against gender based violence in earnest. Including addressing the
sinfulness in this regard through the language, culture and practices in
churches that may inspire and engender patriarchy and the reducing of
the human dignity of women. “As the Church of Christ, we will pause to
pray against the wanton killings of lesbians, people living with
albinism and women. What is the current church rhetoric on these issues
when God’s heart bleeds?” said Bishop Siwa.
Conference had a number of commissions with resolutions for all the
areas of the SACC campaign of The South Africa We Pray For – addressing
poverty and inequality where the issues of education were dealt with as
it is critical to fight inequality in the long terms. Conference dealt
with the matters of the family life, economic transformation that
includes the vexed land question, healing and reconciliation, and of
course the challenge of anchoring democracy, where the governance issues
belong. In this regard Conference follows the prophetic model of
Prophet Jeremiah who, when the country was besieged and the economy in a
serious junk status with land becoming of no value, bought land to
generate hope and said: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in
this land.” (Jeremiah 32:15)
Conference elected a new National Executive Committee, with the
Praesidium made up of: President – Bishop Zipho Siwa, Presiding Bishop
of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa; Senior Vice President – Rev.
Frank Chikane, International President of the Apostolic Faith Mission;
Second Vice President – Ms Nomasonto Magwaza of The Ecumenical Service
for Socio Economic Transformation (ESSET), an affiliate organization of
SACC.
This Triennial Conference was graced by the presence of the
representative of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Archbishop
Emeritus Anders Wejryd from Sweden, President of the WCC for Europe; the
Africa President of the WCC, Prof Mary-Anne Plaatjies-Huffel; the
President of the Botswana Council of Churches, Bishop Metlhayotlhe
Beleme; the General Secretary of the Council of Churches of Lesotho, Mr
Koosimile Emmanuel Makubekube; three former Presidents of the SACC,
Bishop Peter Storey, Bishop Mvume Dandala, and Bishop Jo Seoka; two
former Senior Vice Presidents, Mrs Thabisile Msezana and Rev Joy Faith
Kronenberg; and a former veteran staff member, Rev. Abraham Maja from
Limpopo. Archbishop Emeritus Anders Wejryd encouraged the
Conference in saying; “Your constitution governs. Your constitution was
formed in a process involving many – so that it could serve and govern
many. You as churches accept and hail the constitution. It reflects
values which we together recognize as serving humanity and God’s will
with us, and through us.”
The SACC is determined and inspired by Nehemiah, to rebuild the
nation to be a fully functional and equitable democracy. The SACC is
committed to realize the pastoral mandate with God’s help; to pray and
work for the restoration (1 Pet 5:10 -11) of the violated social
structures and address the mismanagement of the nation’s resources. Thus
in this context the church should restore hope in a hopeless and broken
society.
ENDS.