Media Advisory
14 September 2020
Issued by the office of the SACC General Secretary, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana.
Tomorrow the South African Council of Churches (SACC) National
Church Leaders, who have dedicated the month of September to a campaign
against COVID-19 corruption, will stand in silent prayer in all nine
provinces to declare that ‘Corruption is Not Our Heritage’.
“We are calling it a ‘performance of silence’ because the churches are
speechless at this level of revolting fraud,” said Bishop Malusi
Mpumlwana, General Secretary, SACC.
The campaign follows the moral call against COVID-19 corruption issued
on 7 August this year, by the group of six organisations, who call
themselves the Moral Call Collective. The collective is made up of the
Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, the Council for the Advancement of the South
African Constitution, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the
Foundation for Human Rights, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the
South African Council of Churches.
“As the SACC we have dedicated this Heritage month to a campaign that
will denounce corruption as being part of the South African identity. We
are saying as the churches, and active citizens, that we refuse for our
nation’s culture and heritage to be one of stealing, and defrauding of
public resources. Corruption, especially this blatant looting of
COVID-19 funds that has been reported, is criminal and continues to cost
us lives and livelihoods as a country,” said Bishop Mpumlwana.
The National Church Leaders will take an hour in total standing together
in silence and carrying anti-corruption messages on placards, with the
hashtag #CorruptionIsNotMyHeritage. They will stage their silent
performance in front of various key national and provincial locations,
including the Union Buildings where the SACC General Secretary will lead
that performance.
The silent performance event will be opened by the SACC General
Secretary, with closing remarks by the SACC President, Bishop Ziphozihle
Siwa, who is based in the Eastern Cape and will be speaking from the
provincial capital, Bisho.
National Church Leaders Performance against COVID-19 Corruption:
Date: 15 September 2020:
Time: 12:00-13:00
Host: Ms Karabo Mamabolo II
Note:Only Church leaders to participate: NO invitation to members of the public.
| 11:55 | Church Leaders pray | All: Various locations |
| 12:00 | Host opening remarks and program layout | Ms Karabo Mamabolo II |
| 12:03 | Remarks: Corruption is Not Our Heritage Campaign | Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, General Secretary, SACC |
| 12:06 | Silent performance | First group of 5 Church Leaders |
| 12:16 | Messages from the provinces |
Eastern Cape
Limpopo
North West
|
| 12:22 | Silence performance | Second group of 5 Church Leaders |
| 12:32 | Messages from the provinces
|
Kwa-Zulu Natal
Free State
Gauteng
|
| 12:38 | Silent Performance | Third group of 5 Church Leaders |
| 12:42 | Messages from provinces |
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
Western Cape
|
| 12:48 | Closing remarks and Prayer | Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa, SACC President |
| 13:00 | End Programme |
SACC Anti-Corruption Campaign Activities and Services:
Below is the timeline of the SACC anti-corruption campaign activities
and services, starting with the launch event that took place in August
and leading up to the culmination of the, in an inter-faith service to
close of the Heritage month campaign programme.
|
30 August 2020
| Launch SACC Churches Anti-Corruption Campaign – Service of Lament and Protest Against COVID19 Corruption. |
|
9 September 2020
| Webinar on the Anatomy of Corruption |
|
15 September 2020
| National Church Leaders Silent Performance |
|
20 September 2020
| Service with the Archbishop of Canterbury: for Gratitude, Courage and hope |
|
23 September 2020
| Webinar on the Civil Society Manifesto |
|
27 September 2020
| Inter-faith service: Corruption is not our Heritage |
Please follow the SACC Facebook page for more information and updates on upcoming events and activities. See: https://www.facebook.com/South-African-Council-of-Churches-302306103119496.