Best viewed at minimum 600px screen width (Rotate your device to landscape orientation)
Featured Advertiser
Visit our
Christian Business Directory
South Africans must unite to heal lingering past hurts
Church in the Community - Media Release in the Herald: 19 September 2022
Source: TCN / Father Ludwe Jayiya
Date Added: 2022-09-19
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Moral Regeneration, Issues - Politics,
Date Added: 2022-09-19
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Moral Regeneration, Issues - Politics,
If we South Africans don’t wake up and start a process of healing this country, it will soon be completely destroyed.
The latest crime statistics present a situation that necessitates the change of the status quo.
According to the April to June 2022 statistics, the incidence of murder has increased by 11,5%, robbery with aggravating circumstances by 4%, car hijacking 14%, truck hijacking 23,6% and robbery of cash-in-transit by 30,4%.
Rape has decreased by 4.9%, but 9 516 cases in three months remains extremely high.
Reflecting on the crime statistics, one can tell that there is something wrong with our country.
Our crime statistics leave us despondent. Amid many narratives about the reasons for our country’s crime rate, the one that makes sense to me is that South Africans are wounded and there is an urgent need for healing.
At the dawn of our democracy, an initiative was taken to help our country address the sins of the past.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established.
The main objective of this commission was to start a process that is centred around the healing of the wounds of the past.
The commission in its reports profoundly stated, “we could not make the journey from a past marked by conflict, injustice, oppression and exploitation to a new and democratic dispensation characterised by a culture of respect for human rights without coming face to face with our recent history.
“No one has disputed that. The differences of opinion have been about how we should deal with that past; how we should go about coming to terms with it”.
The intentions of the TRC were noble, but the government has failed to respond to the question, “how we should deal the that past?”
It has been 27 years since the TRC, and there is still no healing in South Africa.
Our crime statistics provide a pointer to where the problem may be.
We see a significant increase in economic crimes.
Our government is failing to develop an economy that would assist citizens to move away from poverty.
There are areas where the government is failing to deliver that cause great suffering among people of South Africa.
These are the following:
My observation is that our government needs help to address these challenges.
A partnership between religious leaders, business, trade unions, civil organisations and government should be initiated to address the four focal areas mentioned above.
It is no longer a responsibility of the government to resolve these issues that are causing so much hurt in our country.
The culture of respect for human rights can only be realised when people from different walks of life can work together in putting South Africa first.
Kwame Nkrumah, in his speech to the Organisation of African Unity gathering in 1963, said, “there is no time to waste. We must unite now or perish”.
The time is now for us to come together and fight against corruption that divides our country and causes so much pain and suffering.
It is our moral obligation as leaders from different walks of life to initiate the dialogue to save the majority of our people.
The future of our country depends on the quality of leadership that we all give to better the lives of South Africans.
Let me use the words of Kwame Nkrumah express my sentiments. “The resources are there. It is for us to marshal them in the active service of our people. Unless we do this by our concerted efforts, within the framework of our combined planning, we shall not progress at the tempo demanded by today’s events and the mood of our people.”
Father Ludwe Jayiya
Priest in charge Mater Dei Catholic Parish.
The latest crime statistics present a situation that necessitates the change of the status quo.
According to the April to June 2022 statistics, the incidence of murder has increased by 11,5%, robbery with aggravating circumstances by 4%, car hijacking 14%, truck hijacking 23,6% and robbery of cash-in-transit by 30,4%.
Rape has decreased by 4.9%, but 9 516 cases in three months remains extremely high.
Reflecting on the crime statistics, one can tell that there is something wrong with our country.
Our crime statistics leave us despondent. Amid many narratives about the reasons for our country’s crime rate, the one that makes sense to me is that South Africans are wounded and there is an urgent need for healing.
At the dawn of our democracy, an initiative was taken to help our country address the sins of the past.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established.
The main objective of this commission was to start a process that is centred around the healing of the wounds of the past.
The commission in its reports profoundly stated, “we could not make the journey from a past marked by conflict, injustice, oppression and exploitation to a new and democratic dispensation characterised by a culture of respect for human rights without coming face to face with our recent history.
“No one has disputed that. The differences of opinion have been about how we should deal with that past; how we should go about coming to terms with it”.
The intentions of the TRC were noble, but the government has failed to respond to the question, “how we should deal the that past?”
It has been 27 years since the TRC, and there is still no healing in South Africa.
Our crime statistics provide a pointer to where the problem may be.
We see a significant increase in economic crimes.
Our government is failing to develop an economy that would assist citizens to move away from poverty.
There are areas where the government is failing to deliver that cause great suffering among people of South Africa.
These are the following:
- The inequality in our education system: The government is not investing enough resources in improving the previously disadvantaged schools. This lack of equality makes it difficult for students from previously disadvantaged schools to participate in our economy.
- Job creation: The government is struggling to create an atmosphere that will promote economic growth that will lead in job creation. One can observe that there is a trust deficit between the government and the private sector that leads to a poor relationship which fails to create jobs.
- Land reform: The slow process of land reform has a negative contribution in the empowerment of those who were dispossessed of land. The corruption that we experience in government institutions does not give us confidence that the government can address this desperate need of our people.
- Equitable economic distribution and corruption: Corruption leads to inequality and poverty and impacts social programs that are meant to empower the less fortunate. Government corruption makes it difficult to have a meaningful dialogue between private and public sector that would lead in a radical process of addressing this impasse.
My observation is that our government needs help to address these challenges.
A partnership between religious leaders, business, trade unions, civil organisations and government should be initiated to address the four focal areas mentioned above.
It is no longer a responsibility of the government to resolve these issues that are causing so much hurt in our country.
The culture of respect for human rights can only be realised when people from different walks of life can work together in putting South Africa first.
Kwame Nkrumah, in his speech to the Organisation of African Unity gathering in 1963, said, “there is no time to waste. We must unite now or perish”.
The time is now for us to come together and fight against corruption that divides our country and causes so much pain and suffering.
It is our moral obligation as leaders from different walks of life to initiate the dialogue to save the majority of our people.
The future of our country depends on the quality of leadership that we all give to better the lives of South Africans.
Let me use the words of Kwame Nkrumah express my sentiments. “The resources are there. It is for us to marshal them in the active service of our people. Unless we do this by our concerted efforts, within the framework of our combined planning, we shall not progress at the tempo demanded by today’s events and the mood of our people.”
Father Ludwe Jayiya
Priest in charge Mater Dei Catholic Parish.
Source: TCN / Father Ludwe Jayiya
Date Added: 2022-09-19
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Moral Regeneration, Issues - Politics,
Back to News IndexDate Added: 2022-09-19
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Moral Regeneration, Issues - Politics,
_______________________________________________
Please read our disclaimer
This section of our site aims to keep you informed about news in the local church, and worldwide.
Please email us any items of interest.
Please email us any items of interest.
 |
| Christian News to strengthen God's people at www.gatewaynews.co.za News that is fresh, relevant, edifying and which glorifies Jesus! |
Worthy News is a website with a good selection of news articles from around the world in a number of categories, both Christian and secular. They also offer a free subsciption service to deliver daily news headlines to your email box. Click here to pay them a visit.