For a PDF version of this document, see http://www.benkhumalo-seegelken.de/dokumente/KAIROS-2012.pdf

28 December 2011

As we continue to celebrate the coming of the Word into the world (John 1: 1) and God made human, we, fellow South Africans and Christian theologians, now wish to pass these words on to the African National Congress, as it prepares to celebrate its centenary during 2012…

We do so in a spirit of appreciation and gratitude for you and in a spirit of true friendship, where we can both congratulate you and raise some concerns as friends, and pray that these celebrations will be appropriate and not lavish, especially given the levels of poverty and inequality in our country.

We do so, knowing that many members of the ANC are also part of the Christian community, and this document is therefore written for our collective reflection.

We also do so, knowing that many Christian leaders were involved in the formation and nurturing of the ANC over the years, and we therefore continue to feel a sense of responsibility for its existence and what it does. In 1912, the founders of the African National Congress dreamed of a different future for all the people of South Africa, where there would be no more coloniser and colonised, but where we would all be one: One people, one nation, one country!

They dreamed that the injustice that was being meted out to black South Africans by the colonisers would come to an end. We thank God that the colonial and apartheid systems have come to an end and a great effort has been made to better the lives of all South Africans, especially the poor.

Although there has been much progress in this regard, certain tensions and contradictions continue to militate against us fully achieving this dream. The effect of the 1913 Land Act, is largely still with us; the economic disparities are stuck with us; deep levels of poverty are staring at us.

In this year, we once again dream of a future of being one, united in our diversity. This unity needs to be based on justice, peace and righteousness. Let us use this year to once again dream this dream together…

We therefore congratulate the African National Congress, the oldest liberation movement on the African continent, as it celebrates this important milestone in its history. With all the challenges it has faced over the years of its existence, it could have imploded but it has remained remarkably resilient, and for that we congratulate you. We congratulate you for your pivotal role in the liberation of our country alongside that of the other liberation movements.

We congratulate you for the vision and foresight you have displayed to change as the conditions on the ground changed, and we hope that you never lose the original dream that was dreamt and the vision of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, just and democratic South Africa.

We appreciate the fact that the ANC was not initially formed to oppose the system of apartheid or even to govern South Africa, but to oppose the oppression of the black majority under colonial rule in the early 1900s in South Africa.

We appreciate that for almost 80 years of its existence, the ANC was not the party that governed South Africa, and that the ANC is the first governing party in South Africa that has attempted to take the needs of the majority of South Africa’s citizens into account through for example the provision of housing, a national health system, etc. As long as the needs of the majority of the country’s citizens remain the focus of the work of the ANC, we will express this kind of appreciation but where only a minority of the citizen’s needs or wants become paramount, we will express our disapproval.

We appreciate the fact that 17 years is not enough to reverse the legacies of almost 350 years of imperialism, colonialism and apartheid. We are convinced that more could have been done, but we appreciate that much has been done to begin to reverse the historical legacies of this country.

We also appreciate that the ANC is the only party which has consistently insisted on non-racialism and unity in South Africa for most of its existence. Both of these are constantly under threat, from within the ANC and from without, and we would ask that you hold on to these values and renew your commitment to these values not only in words, but in practical action, so that our children and grandchildren can see this and follow this example.

We therefore thank God for the African National Congress and its long history of resistance to colonialism and apartheid, and its 17 years as the governing party with a specific focus on the historically poor majority of the people of South Africa.

We thank God for the freedom that could be achieved by the people of South Africa and pledge that we will do all that is possible to maintain and preserve this freedom.

We thank God that millions of South Africans now have housing and that the most destitute and vulnerable have a small monthly income.

We thank God for continued initiatives to broaden and deepen the quantity and quality of health care to all South Africans.

We thank God that all South Africans have the freedom to express dissent and to organise against anything they might feel do not represent democratic values.

We want to confess that, in these last 100 years, the Christian Church has been divided on the question of colonialism and apartheid. It would be dishonest of us to say that the whole Church opposed colonialism and apartheid, while in fact only a part of the Church did that. A substantial part of the church in South Africa has therefore not always been with you and other liberation movements in the struggle, but some of us have been part of these struggles, and the Kairos document and the World Council of Churches Lusaka Statement of 1987 were the most emphatic expressions of that solidarity and unity with the oppressed people of South Africa.

We want to confess that the church has often also remained a spectator as the settlement of 1994, in its comprehensive sense, was unravelling. Most of the churches have failed to deal with racism and sexism within their structures and practice, including dealing with the disparities between blacks and whites within the churches.

We also want to confess that many Christians and churches have not internalised the new culture of democracy and the values of our new democracy. For many, the Christian message became a tool for either maintaining a silence about or defending the indefensible of the past as a way to pursue narrow political interests in the present.

The Christian community has of course played a significant role in the liberation of our country and also in the ANC, and it is only apt to remind ourselves of the role that Christians have played. It is in this respect that we want to reaffirm and reassert the role of Christians in the past, present and future of our country.

There are at least two significant ways in which the Christian church helped in preparing for and nurturing the environment for the birth of the ANC in 1912 – education and the emergence of dissenting voices to the misapplication of the Christian gospel to promote or condone and justify black dehumanisation.

The first is the church mission school education that helped to discipline the African intellectual prowess to produce the likes of John Tengo Jabavu, John Langalibalele Dube and his successor as ANC President, Sefako Makgatho and many, many others. Historic schools like Lovedale (1841) and Healdtown (1845) in the Eastern Cape; Adams Mission (1847), Inanda (1869) and St Francis (1883) in KwaZulu-Natal; Zonnebloem (1858) in the Western Cape; Tiger Kloof in the Northern Cape; Lemana (1875) in Limpopo, amongst others, have shaped and formed many of our leaders.

These schools provided a discipline that was to be important in the intellectualised struggle of the 20th century.

The other contribution of the church in this critical preparatory phase stems from the essential message of the Christian gospel that all people are created in the image of God, and of the love imperative in the mutuality of human living.

The second contribution of the church therefore, was in the recognition by black Christians in the 19th Century of the dissonance between the Word and the social practice of the official church, whose significance is referenced further below.

The mention of these Christian witnesses in the struggle for justice and democracy is, in part, a recognition of the role of and particular engagement by the Christian Church which has been abiding from before and in a way foundational to the formation of the ANC in 1912. After the completion of the military, economic, religious and political conquest of South Africa by the colonial powers, the struggle shifted to the sphere of the religious intellectuals and strategists. Rev Tiyo Soga, the very first African to be ordained minister, wrote in 1861:

“The Kaffirs have no legal titles to their locations…I see plainly that unless the rising generation is trained to some of the useful arts, nothing else will raise our people, and they must be grooms, drivers of wagons, hewers of wood, or general servants. But let our youths be taught trades, to earn money, and they will increase it, and purchase the land. When a people are not land-proprietors, they are of no consequence in this country…our boys must be taught trades if we are to continue as a people”.

This he said over 40 years before the 1911 Hertzog Bills that became the 1913 Land Act, limiting Africans to 7% of South Africa’s land mass. It is no wonder that, as Dr Mathole Motshekga writes, “When the resolution to form the SANNAC was adopted, the congress burst into the song ‘God fulfil your promise’ – singing Tiyo Soga’s hymn, “Lizalis’idinga Lakho”. And indeed the very hymn remained to inspire the hope of Oliver Tambo in the face of the street killings of youths in 1976 as he adopted the verse that prays “Behold our land – Bona izwe lakowethu!”

Soga’s spirit was to be followed by the emergence of the nationalist Ethiopianism that used the reference to Ethiopia reaching out to God, in Psalm 68:31, to advance a break from the ethnically based struggles of the past, to a non-ethnic African agenda for emancipation – featuring the efforts of Revds Nehemiah Tile, Mangena Mokone, James Dwane, Jeremiah Mzimba, Henry Ngcayiya (later to become ANC Chaplain); and the historic Charlotte Makgomo Mannya (later Maxeke). The Ethiopian Movement had an influence on Dr Dube, the 1912 ANC president, and he brought to the ANC and national intercessions, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa), the hymn written by Enoch Sontonga, son-in-law to Abraham Mngqibisa, one of the founders of the Ethiopian Church.

The significant role of the church-based struggles, especially as championed and institutionalised in the Bible-inspired concept of the Ethiopian Movement, is that they created a critical bridge between the disparate tribal anti-colonial struggles and the non-ethnic ANC some twenty years later, and finally to a non-racial pursuit to be enshrined in the 1955 Freedom Charter. Without this influence, our history may well have remained trapped in the dominance of ethnic constructs that have beset the politics of many countries in our continent.

Together with these symbolic witnesses of faith and fortitude, from the days of Tiyo Soga, we recognize indeed, an illustrious array of “Christian soldiers” of the struggle. These include the likes of Enoch Mgijima, all the way up to Sophiatown’s Trevor Huddleston and his then Bishop of Johannesburg Ambrose Reeves, who was deported in 1960 for his bitter stand against Apartheid.

The first words to be used at the inaugural ANC Conference, held on January 8th 1912 in Bloemfontein, were words of prayer followed by the singing of the hymn `Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika`. The initial ideals of the movement were based on a common understanding of what the Church calls ‘gospel values’ of justice, equality and the dignity that belongs to all people under God.

The formative influence of the Church is evident in the people who convened the conference and those who were chosen to lead the organisation; the mission schools that provided their education; and the provision of resources to enable the organisation to establish itself.

Its first President, John Langalibalele Dube, was a church minister. Many who followed owed an allegiance to the church: We recall the resilient Rev Zaccheus Mahabane, twice president of the ANC (1924 – 27; 1937 – 40); and the steady Rev Canon James Calata (ANC Secretary General: 1936 – 1949). It is in this tradition that Chief Albert Luthuli, President General of the ANC between 1952 and 1967 was to strongly state the connection between his faith and his engagement through the ANC:

“I am in Congress precisely because I am a Christian. My Christian belief about society must find expression here and now, and Congress is the spearhead of the real struggle …. My own urge, because I am a Christian, is to get into the thick of the struggle with other Christians, taking my Christianity with me and praying that it may be used to influence for good the character of the resistance.”

These words of a revered ancestor of the ANC indicate more than any modern historic analysis the connection between the Christian community and the Christian faith in the struggles of our people, including in the life of the African National Congress.

A picture of “the black Christ” by Ronald Harrison, depicting Chief Luthuli on the cross, and BJ Vorster as one of the soldiers

If Archbishop Trevor Huddleston or Canon Calata were alive today, they would be able to tell us all about their involvement, and the involvement of many Christians, in the drafting of the Freedom Charter at Kliptown in 1955. They would speak of and about the events at Sharpeville and beyond that. They would be able to tell us of the violent forced removals from Sophiatown that happened on the 9th February 1955 and how the Apartheid regime vindictively renamed the area Triomf. They might challenge us on whether we could not be more creative in our planning in removing the spatial separation imposed by the Group Areas Act. They may remind us that building social cohesion and moving away from the racial and ethnic silos continue to be inhibited by racial separation in Church and Society

If Dr Beyers Naude was alive today, he would be able to speak about the many ways in which the Christian community stood against apartheid, at great cost to itself and to individuals who took a strong prophetic stand against apartheid. He might ask us what happened to that prophetic voice today. He might ask if the current ANC government as well as the Christian community, given our history, are not able to better differentiate between the prophetic voice and constructive criticism of faith communities on the one hand and oppositionism on the other.

Oom Bey would remind us that the faith community, on the whole, has felt an easy bond with those who have given their lives for the struggle for liberation; those who left home and family in order to struggle for social justice, and those who became the rock around which their community organised. Indeed, liberation theology expresses the shared imperative and commitment to struggle. One of Oom Bey’s key legacies is one that takes often painful positions of conscience from within the context of his or her own people, his or her own vested interests, and what he or she grew up with and cherished.

He would tell us that in these days, when the values that guided the liberation struggle are too often swamped by greed for riches and for positions of power, it is fitting to call to mind the society that we wished to create together. At a time when cadres of the movement behave all too often as did those we struggled against together, it is fitting to renew our shared commitment to service. At this time when society craves leadership towards social justice and peace it is fitting that we reflect together, however painful this may be, about what we have failed to address since the advent of democracy.

Albertina Sisulu, a lay Christian woman, because of her recent passing would be able to compare the role of women in the struggle against the Apartheid regime and the role of women today. She would remind us of her involvement in FedSAW and how with Helen Joseph and other women they marched to the Union Buildings for Justice rather than only representivity. She would challenge both the party and the church to look more clearly at how patriarchy still pervades in much policy and practice. She would ask all of us to have a more gender-inclusive approach to all we do, rather than expecting women’s interest only to be championed by certain organisations in the church or by the ANC women’s league and a ministry dedicated to people with disability, as though women were a minority in our nation.

In 1975 the church, in the voice of the then Dean of the Johannesburg Anglican Cathedral of St Mary’s, The Rev. Desmond Tutu, warned the Vorster regime in public letters, of the rising anger of the youth, which erupted into a sustained uprising in June 1976. During this time much support and inspiration was given by the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), and the African Independent Churches Association (AICA).

Many of us grew up in the 1976 era, and stood side by side with the young people as we struggled against apartheid and faced the weapons of the Apartheid regime. Some of those young people paid the ultimate price for their commitment, while others are now part of the governing structures of our society. But a new generation of youth are suffering the full brunt of unemployment, poor health, lack of education and general lack of hope for a better future.

Archbishop-emeritus Tutu, Dr Alan Boesak, Rev Frank Chikane and many other prophets of truth, operating mainly under the banner of the SACC and some world bodies, can speak very clearly about this period, as well as the following period, since they were often leading and inspiring the internal struggle against apartheid. Not only did they stand very firmly against the evil of apartheid; they often had to stand against members of the faith community who insisted that “the church and politics do not mix” and therefore they suffered a double persecution: one from the Apartheid State and one from a certain section of the Church.

Tutu’s words to the Eloff Commission in 1982 are a reminder of how the SACC viewed the work of liberation: “I will show that the central work of Jesus was to effect reconciliation between God and us and also between man and man (sic)….from a theological and scriptural base, I will demonstrate that apartheid, separate development or whatever it is called is evil, totally and without remainder, that it is unchristian and unbiblical….If anyone were to show me that apartheid is biblical or Christian, I have said before and I reiterate now, that I would burn my Bible and cease to be a Christian”

The year 1983 is an important marker for South Africa, since it is the year, inspired by a call from Dr Boesak and leaders of the liberation movement, to form a united front against apartheid. In August of that year, the UDF was formed, and many church leaders again stood as patrons of this organisation, while others participated as part of the leadership.

Most of the leadership of the ANC would be aware of the Kairos Document of 1985, which was followed by a document called Violence: the new Kairos (which is still on the ANC’s website at http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=3961

The 1985 document is today the foundation of the work of Kairos Southern Africa, particularly in South Africa. It still inspires different situations, such as what has happened with Christians in Palestine. It went one step further than merely declaring apartheid a heresy: it analysed the theological assumptions of the church at the time and challenged it to become actively involved in resisting apartheid by adopting what it called “Prophetic theology”, a new theological mode altogether.

Unfortunately many Christians interpreted this call as a call to only become involved in the anti-apartheid cause, and when this cause came to an end, the involvement of many Christians in reversing social and economic injustice in South Africa, also came to an end.

Many Christians lapsed back into the default position of “Church theology” and thus the decline of progressive Christian involvement in the nurturing and formation of the new South Africa began.

We now turn to the various theological responses in South Africa since 1994: In preparation for the advent of a new non-racial, non-sexist, just and equitable democratic society, some progressive theologians, like Villa-Vicencio, began to talk about the ‘theology of reconstruction’, including concepts of ‘middle axioms’ which are meant to move society from one stage to another subject to the ‘renewing power of the gospel’ which always demands more than society can deliver at any given time. In this regard some of the Christian leaders were drawn into Government to be part of the process of the transformation and reconstruction of our society.

On the other hand theological seminars held before the 1994 democratic elections came up with concepts like ‘critical solidarity’ with the new democratic government, but in reality many church activists assumed positions of ‘critical distance’ between themselves and the new democratic state which turned them into ‘wilderness prophets’ who spoke ‘truth to power’ with very little impact on the state, if any.

The older generation of the ANC leadership, like Nelson Mandela, saw the church as ‘partners’ in the struggle for the reconstruction and development of the South Africa society in the same way in which the church partnered with the liberation movement to end the apartheid system. Mandela’s view was that there were aspects of the reconstruction and development of society – what he called the ‘RDP of the soul’ – which he said only the church can deal with and this is what gave birth to the National Religious Leaders Forum.

Mbeki, who followed after Mandela, developed this into the Religious Working Group with government in the same way as he did with business, labour, youth, women, and so forth.

There was also the development of the Moral Regeneration programme which was led by the then Deputy President Jacob Zuma. Some would consider these approaches as risky as it could develop into what is called ‘State Theology’.

The latest development we have noticed, of reward for those who support the ANC, especially during elections, comes closer to the concept of ‘State Theology’ where some church leaders are at the ‘service of the party’ in a party political sense rather than be at the ‘service of the people’. Here, the prophetic voice dies at the ‘altar’ of the party and turns church leaders into uncritical ‘praise singers’ of the party.

Our responses have therefore varied: Even though many of us responded to this new situation with what we called “critical solidarity”, we have now come to realise that our key solidarity has to be with the poorest of the poor and the marginalised in society.

In the same way, as “speaking truth to power” became a catch-phrase in our midst, we now realise that “speaking truth to people” and becoming involved in organisations of the people is probably a much more appropriate response, since those in power rarely respond positively to a truth that is being spoken to them. We were hoping that the language of “power” would be transformed into the language of “service” but we have been disappointed that this has not yet happened in any significant way.

As we enter into the second century of the life of the ANC, we hope that the ANC will learn that a church that collaborates uncritically with the party or the State can be of no use to the party in terms of its national strategic objective. A National Democratic Revolution (NDR) requires constructive critical voices within civil society to save the very revolutionary objectives of the party, which is always at risk as our human nature tends to slide into sectarian and self-interests in contrast to the interests of the people, especially the poor.

Church theology, which is the default theological position held by most Christians, will probably say that it is not necessary for us to even comment on the centenary of the ANC. It wants Christians to be “neutral”, focus on the “preaching of the gospel”, etc and therefore would see this excercise as irrelevant. We reject this notion of Church Theology as we cannot separate our faith and spiritual life from the rest of our life. This attempt at dualism is counterproductive and needs to be rejected by all Christians.

Prophetic Theology is therefore about being in solidarity with and in struggle with the poorest of the poor, since that is where Jesus is to be found. It is also about “speaking truth to people” since this is the only language that will truly set us all free. That truth will also continue to empower and inspire us to continue resisting that our society becomes one where the voices of the poorest are drowned out and where their needs are trivialised as mere “entitlement”.

In the prophetic Spirit of Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of Love, it is the entitlement of the rich, the powerful and those who serve their interests that needs to be constantly challenged, since this is the dominant narrative in South Africa at the moment.

The Church is fully aware of the corporate and personal difficulties and challenges facing those in government.

Like those in power, the Church and especially its leadership, is not immune to the temptation of enrichment and other failings that compromise its integrity and its ability to do what is right and just. We therefore speak to the ruling party and to all who exercise power and authority out of a pastoral concern that is rooted in our own humanity and weakness.

We address especially those who are going through times of personal struggle as the demands of office affect family life and relationships, those who are tempted to use their position for personal gain rather than for the common good, as well as those whose health and well-being is suffering, or who are going through times of grief and mourning.

Be assured of our prayerful concern, and may you also heed our counsel to seek above all the welfare of those who voted you to leadership for the purpose of serving, to choose and act rightly according to your conscience informed by a passion for the truth, to love mercy and justice, and to respect those who are seeking to do the same even though you may disagree with them.

We now spell out the following concerns for our country and for the ANC. These are our observations based on our discernment and what we have seen happening over the last 17 years. The list of concerns below is not exhaustive nor is our analyses of our situation. Suffice to say that with all the hope we cherish and our commitment to build this society and country, we also share with you our very deep sense of concern about our country, our people our future. Things can go terribly wrong if not addressed properly and as a matter of urgency. Other countries and situations have shown and are showing this clearly. We should not think that South Africa will necessarily be different.

1. Factionalism within the ANC: As the ANC prepares for its Mangaung conference in 2012, we see the continued factionalism and possibility that delegates will once again be asked to vote for one of two or three “slates”. Such factionalism is often the direct outcome of a weak conception of participatory democracy in our political parties. Of concern to us is that disunity and factionalism in the ANC affects leadership, governance and service delivery, especially to the poorest communities. Moreover, quite often these internal battles are fought in the open in rather disrespectful even shameful ways and are often accompanied by violence, putting lives and livelihood of innocent people at risk. We are therefore also concerned that violence and threats of violence becomes a means for settling internal and national political disputes. Our message to the ANC in this regard is simple: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Matthew 12:25) All attempts must be made to avoid factionalism and this stand must be communicated from the top leadership to all the branches of the ANC. We will urge church leaders to communicate this message of unity through the church communication channels as well. We do not think that such divisions are in the best interest of the future of South Africa. This contestation for power seems to be able to serve self, sectarian interests or factions, not for the purposes of serving the people (particularly the poor).

2. Our second concerns is that we need to find the best possible route, maintaining our unity despite our diversity, towards economic justice and together closing the gap between the richest and the poorest in South Africa. We recognise the temptation of some to hold onto their economic privilege, and ask that a national dialogue about this matter be held as soon possible. We have started some initiatives in this regard, where we will urge those who have “said sorry” and who have begun to implement some initiatives to give effect to this, to also begin to “do sorry”, but to do so as a national project together with all South Africans who have much more than they need. The aim of this will be to contribute more significantly to closing the gap between the rich and the poor in South Africa, and to do so not merely as individuals, but together.

3. Our third concern relates to the security and intelligence forces and the maintenance of a proper order and structure within these forces and the link between this (or the lack of this) and the increase of criminality: For us, this is one of our biggest concerns at the moment. What has happened in various other countries (where the intelligence and security forces are manipulated for the benefit of a faction in society) is not what we want to see happening in South Africa. Politicising security forces is a recipe for instability, violence and conflicts between opposing forces within one State.

4. Corruption: The “arms deal” seems to have been the new South Africa’s “original sin” and we are happy that this is now getting the attention it deserves. It diverted our attention, our energy, our time and our resources away from focussing on the poorest of the poor. Corruption negatively impacts on the psyche and morality of our people, particularly that of the youth (who now believe that this was the only way to make quick money without much effort). Corruption seems to have now spread into party political activities where corrupt means of campaigning/contestation for power (votes, support, etc.) are used, thus compromising the leadership before they even go into government. How political parties are funded is also a concern that we have, and we urge for greater transparency in this regard lest we discover that things happened in our elections that the general population would not have approved of.

5. Maintaining a real social cohesion in the country: The strong leadership given by President Mandela towards building social cohesion in South Africa must continue. We thank God for his example, and call on all the leaders of the ANC to continue in his footsteps, not only for ourselves but also to serve as an example for and to honour expectations expressed towards us by the rest of Africa and for communities across the world.

6. The unsustainability of an opulent “American dream” lifestyle: this is sometimes popularised in South Africa and becomes our nightmare, since to reach this so-called dream, often means self-enrichment and quick enrichment at the expense of the poorest and at the expense of the ecology. South Africa’s recent hosting of COP17, on the eve of these centenary celebrations, must spur us to a decisive position and culture in this regard.

7. The relatively poor standards of education for the vast majority of the poor in our land: Relevant and effective education is required for intellectual and industrial productivity in a competitive world; as Nelson Mandela has said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”

8. Making solidarity with the oppressed across the world a key to our international relations: People across the world, especially those in Africa as well as the Palestinian people, look to us for strong support. We come from a history where we called on the world to promote sanctions against an unjust regime and we call on the ANC to continue with this legacy to ensure that justice for people rather than trade become our first priority.

9. Respecting the constitution of the Republic: Our constitution is hailed as one of the best in the world and is constantly being interpreted by our Constitutional court. A healthy democracy needs checks and balances, and even though this may be frustrating for you at times, we ask that the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Constitutional court and the decisions emanating from it, be held in the highest regard by us all.

We love our country, our people, our land, our continent. With these words we commit ourselves to continue building a better future for its children and generations to come, in moving away from the remainders of colonialism and apartheid, especially the disunity fostered by it, and doing what we need to do now to build unity amongst and between our people.

1. Relationship between the Churches and the ANC: Certain statements by some denominations have gone as far as urging its members to not vote for the ANC, while others have urged people to vote for the ANC. We urge for more direct communication between the Church leaders and the ANC government to resolve whatever tensions there may be and to develop a common understanding of the relationship between church and state. We will also have to advise churches to be careful in promoting or opposing any particular political party, including the ANC.

2. The active co-option of partisan theologians and Church leaders by the ANC: As theologians who discern the work of God in the world, we have a certain understanding about what kinds of theologies are good for the building of unity amongst all God’s people, and those which militate against the common good. There is a worrying trend within the ANC to co-opt and promote Church leaders who clearly do not have a liberatory perspective (but who might be involved in charity or development or be willing to uncritically bless the ANC). We simply want to hold this up to the ANC as a mirror and ask it to reflect on this matter, in its own interest and in the interest of the best values and morals as we move forward to build South Africa.

3. Treatment of Archbishop Tutu: Earlier this year we were profoundly disappointed with the actions of the ANC government which led to the Dalai Lama not visiting the country in response to an invitation from Archbishop-emeritus Tutu. What happened here is an example of what we have been warning about in this document: choosing Mammon above God. We feel that a national debate about this should be held. We will encourage this debate within civil society and hope that the ANC will take note of the outcomes of this debate. We do not wish for the ANC to be “like all governments” across the world: we call the ANC to higher standards, those standards which will make us as citizens proud of it, otherwise we will not be able to justify any support for the ANC.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), is our mandate. By this we mean that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven, a kingdom of reconciliation, of justice, peace and beauty. We see the ANC mandate as narrower than this but, in our context, complementary to it. For this reason, the government of the day would always be urged by us to do better than it is doing.

Kairos SA is clear that, at least in the South African context, we will focus over the next ten years on closing the gap between the richest and the poorest in South Africa, by attempting to empower both. Both the rich and the poor must not think that it is about disempowering the rich in order to empower the poor and neither is it simply about charity from the rich towards the poor, while leaving the poor disempowered. A key component of this will be to work for the eradication of corruption that undermines our hard earned democracy.

This also calls for a vibrant democracy where the meaningful participation of the people in public life will be paramount. We must further guard strenuously against playing off the interest of one section of our communities against those of others, using especially racial motives, ethnicity, gender, religion and country of origin. We ought to be particularly sensitive to the plight of refugees that are drawn to our country, seeking a better life and security. These things have been offered to our thousands of exiles during the Apartheid years.

We pray that we can dream new dreams together and work together towards its fulfilment: a dream where there will be no more shacks in South Africa, a dream where no person has to go to sleep hungry, a dream where entrepreneurs will feel encouraged and motivated because of the environment that has been created for them to create new businesses, new industries and new jobs, a dream where every citizen feels safe and where no citizens are discriminated against on the basis of race or ethnicity, a dream where the environment is protected to ensure that future generations may also enjoy the fruits of the earth.

This is our dream for this country, and we pray that you will dream this dream with us.

A time will come when the history of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid will become dim and young people will look forward rather than backward. We urge the ANC to begin to focus more on this new time rather than on the days when South Africans were locked in struggle against each other. We now want to engage with fellow citizens across the world, as proud South Africans who are building a country for all our citizens.

Education of our people is therefore key. The education sector must be prioritised and modern infrastructure, sports equipment and science equipment needs to be supplied to our schools, especially to those who can afford it least. The Church and the entire religious sector have capacity in this regard and are already busy with some initiatives and can contribute significantly in partnership with others to ensure that the education of our children and young people are of the highest possible standard. Woe to those who neglect the education of our children!

The poor in our midst have begun to lose patience at their entrapment in the cycle of poverty and our inability to assist them to be lifted out of this. No amount of memory of past struggles will lift the poor out of poverty. The cycle of poverty must be broken by all means possible!

The worship of Mammon (money) is one of the key signs of our times, for all people everywhere on this planet, and we need to take a strong stand against this in our country if we want to ensure our future together. The choice is stark. “No one can serve two masters, he will always love one and ignore the other” (Matthew 6:24).

We congratulate the ANC for all it has achieved in South Africa during the last hundred years. The movement has been a great source of hope for the vast majority of our people.

Our hope is rooted in our Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome death and for whom nothing is impossible.

Our prayer today is that despite all its present problems the ANC will continue to inspire hope by learning from the past and by taking decisive action during this centenary year to begin to eradicate corruption, factionalism, selfish individualism, power struggles, ill discipline and most of all the scandalous neglect of the poor.

May God bless all in the ANC who are genuinely trying to do this.

God bless Africa

Guard our children

Guide our leaders

And give us peace.

For Jesus Christ’s sake.

Amen

The initial signatories of this statement are:

1.         Rev Moss Ntlha: Contact details: ntlharo@icon.co.za or  0828098533

2.         Rev Edwin Arrison:   Contact details: earrison78@telkomsa.net or 0847351835

3.         Dr Stiaan van der Merwe

4.         Ms Dudu Masango

5.         Rev Dix Sibeko

6.         Fr Albert Nolan

7.         Dr Frank Chikane

8.         Prof John de Gruchy

9.         Rev Bernard Spong

10.       Rev Alan Smith

11.       Rev Laurie Gaum

12.       Rev Trevor Amafu Ntlhola

13.       Rev Janet Trisk

14.       Mr Phuti Thage

15.       Rev Alex Bhiman

16.       Rev Alexander Venter

17.       Rev Gerald Mthembi

18.       Rev Nimrod Kekana

19.       Rev Zwo Nevhutalu

20.       Rev Mautji Pataki

21.       Bishop Jo Seoka

22.       Bishop Peter Lee

23.       Rev Zwelidumile Tom

24.       Ms Evelyn Lotz

25.       Rev Pieter Grove

26.       Bishop Malusi Mpumwlana

27.       Fr Mokesh Morar

28.       Mr Vernon Weitz

29.       Prof Charles Villa Vicencio

30.       Mr Terry Crawford Browne

31.       Dr Maake Masango

32.       Rev Basil Manning

33.       Mr Eddie Makue

34.       Rev Leon Klate

35.       Rev Desmond Lesejane

36.       Dr Allan Boesak

37.       Br Jude Pieterse

38.       Dr Japie La Poorta

39.       Rev Gill Bowman

40.       Ms Marthie Momberg

41.       Rev Roxanne Jordaan

42.       Bafana Khumalo

43.       Dr Paddy Kearney

44.       Ms Di Oliver

45.       Rev Lucas Morena

46.       Dr Cecile Cilliers

47.       Dr Ruben Richards

48.       Rev Fr Clive Ceasar

49.       Rev Fr Bob de Maar

50.       Ms Ntombikayise Magwaza

51.       Sr Shelagh Mary Waspe  

52.       Rev Dumisani J.  Nxumalo

53.       Miss Bongiwe Magongo

54.       Rev Douglas Torr

55.       Sr Brigid-Rose Tiernan

56.       Prof Njabulo Ndebele

57.       Sr Marie Andre Mitchell SND

58.       Sr Marie McLoughlin SNDdeN

59.       Fr Michael Lapsley, SSM

60.       Rev Aaron Mokobane

61.       Fr Richard Cogill

62.       Ms Estelle Steenkamp

63.       Rev Malcolm Damon

64.       Ms Lesley Morgan

65.       Mr Roger Arendse

66.       Dr Clint le Bruyns

67.       Ms Annemarie E Bosch (Annemie)

68.       Mr Jacques Bosch

69.       Mr Elroy Paulus

70.       Mr Manie van Zyl

71.       Ms Susan van Zyl

72.       Rev. Dr. Ben Khumalo-Seegelken

73.      Rev. Ubbo Khumalo-Seegelken

74.       Mr Nkosikhulule Nyembezi

75.       Ms Loek Goemans

76.       Ms Ann Moore

77.       Fr Mike Deeb

78.       Prof. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

79.       Rev Jenni Samdaan

80.       Mr Ivan Samdaan

81.       Dr Carel Anthonissen

82.       Mr Cobus van Wyngaard

83.       Rev Paul Verryn

84.       Dr SI Cronje

85.       Ds Anton Pienaar

86.       Mr Anton Bosch

87.       Ms Mariana Bosch

88.       Sr Bernadette Boulle

89.       Ms Suzanne Bosch

90.       Ms Annelise Coetzee

91.       Mr Leon Coetzee

92.       Mr Almero Cloete

93.       Prof Bernard Lategan

94.       Rev Terrence Lester

95.       Mr Cedric Kgwatlhe

96.       Ms Lynette Maart

97.       Rev Chris Ahrends

98.       Dr. PC Bosch (Pieter)

99.       Mrs Ilze Bosch

100.     Mrs M.E. de Jager (Mara)

101.     Ds Marina de Wet

102.     Ds Fouche de Wet

103.     Dr Ben du Toit

104.     The Very Rev Michael Weeder

105.     Prof Nico Koopman

106.     Ms Cora Richardson

107.     Ms Gisela Nicholson

108.     Fr Joe Falkiner

109.     Ms Val Pauquet

110.     Rev Dave Morgan

111.     Prof Karel August

112.     Mr Nic Paton

113.     Rev Chris Wessels

114.     Nabs Wessels

115.     Dr Dion Forster

116.     Mrs Wendy Arendse

117.     Dr Llewellyn MacMaster

118.     Dr Bruce Theron

119.     Dr Stephan de Beer

120.     Rev Peter Steinegger

121.     Rev Stephen Pedro

122.     Mr Paul van Loosen

123.     Ms Emilia Charbonneau

124.     Dr Nico Botha

125.     Prof  Martin Pauw

126.     Rev Faure Louw

127.     Mr James Kenokeno Mashabela

128.     Rev Marius Brand

129.     Mrs Ina Brand

130.     Mr Roger Witter

131.     Dr Ludolph Botha

132.     Prof Andries van Aarde

133.     Prof Douglas Irvine

134.     Jody Cedras

135.     Dr Leslie van Rooi

136.     Maseeiso Pelesa

137.     Ms Wilna de Beer

138.     Rev Teboho Klaas

139.     Prof Rothney Tshaka

140.     Mr Carl J Lotter

141.     Prof Chika Sehoole

142.     Mr Jeremy Routledge

143.     Ds Eugene Beukes

144.     Rev Winston J Samuels

145.     Rev Andre Muller

146.     Ms Anne Hope

147.     Rev Timothy Chao

148.     Rev David Botha (jr)

149.     Mr Julius Mapatha

150.     Rev Molefe Tsele

151.     Prof Puleng LenkaBula

152.     Rev Rasani Matthews Loate

153.     Rev Dr H Mvume Dandala

154.     Prof Tinyiko Sam Maluleke

155.     Rev Rowan Smith

156.     Archbishop Thabo C Makgoba

157.     Rev Ulric Groenewald

158.     Mr Mbulelo Mbikwane

159.     Thozi T. Gwanya

160.     Mr Michael W. Davy

161.     Tennyson Baithloi

162.     Dr Thabang J Skhosana

163.     Mr Mark James

164.     Mr Herman Crowther

165.     Rev SM Thaver

166.     Rev Johnathin Pieterse

167.     Mr Allan E Wentzel

168.     Bishop Kevin Dowling

169.     Rev John Oliver

170.     Mr Peter de Witt

171.     Rev Dr Des van der Water

172.     Ms Judy Cooke

173.     Mr Julian Cooke

174.     Sister Natalie Kuhn

175.     Mrs N Phumzile Dandala

176.     Fr Sergio Lorenzini

177.     Rev Lloyd Thabang Mokoena

178.     Bishop Mike Vorster

179.     Ms Etheen Lowry

180.     Mr Donovan Lowry

181.     Rev Leon Westhof

182.     Rev Charles Ivan Williams

183.     Dr Manfred Teichler

184.     Rev Sue Brittion

185.     Dr Sue Rakoczy IHM

186.     Ms Anne McDonald

187.     Mr Louis J Cronje

188.     Rev Alan J Kannemeyer

189.     Bishop Peter Holiday

190.     Rev Mark Wiemers

191.     Bishop Joe Sandri MCCJ

192.     Bishop ZP Mvemve

193.     Rev Thulani Ndlazi

194.     Rev Elroy Fortune

195.     Archbishop-emeritus Desmond M. Tutu

196.     Mr Mandla Seleoane

197.     Rev Vuyani ‘Vido’  Nyobole

198.     Rev Randy Thaver

199.     Mr Christopher Rabaji

200.     Rev M A Mpye

201.     Cardinal Wilfred Napier

202.     Bishop Jonathan Anderson

203.     Mrs Marie Louise Anderson

204.     Rev. Sekoboto Joseph Tau

205.     Archie S Nkonyeni

206.     Lynn Maree

207.     Rev R L Steel

208.     Fr. Sibongiseni A. P. Cele, TOR

209.     Bishop JL Ponce de León IMC

210.     Ms. Elizabeth Martiny

211.     Ms Isabel Hancock

212.     Tony Osei-Tutu

213.     Rev Hendry Fortuin

214.     Dr Judith Coyle

215.     Anne Patricia Flynn

216.     Dr Murray Coetzee

217.     Mrs Veronica Coetzee

218.     Rev Dr Charles P Ryan

219.     Ms Yvonne Morgan

220.     Sethembile Mkhize

221.     Tim Dunne

222.     Neville Gabriel

223.     Solly Sethlodi

224.     Aline Ribeiro Johnson

225.     Andrew Johnson

226.     Catherine Hunter

227.     Vincent C. Bosman

228.     Gavin M Taylor

229.     Dr Sipho Senabe

230.     Sr Angelika Laub OP

231.     Fiona M. Vallance

232.     Deirdre Gilchrist

233.     John Vallance

234.     Matthew Vallance

235.     Richard Gilchrist

236.     Michael Gilchrist

237.     Dr Lucas Mogashudi Ngoetjana

238.     Mr Peter Tarantal

239.     Bishop Jan de Groef, M Afr

240.     Alice Gilbert

241.     Robin Gilbert

242.     Prof Hugh Corder

243.     Aubrey Classen

244.     Mpho Buthelezi

245.     Mr Dan Vaughan

246.     Raleigh Maesela

247.     Mr Kwane Legwale

248.     Sr Cecilia Smit OP

249.     Terrence Barnard OMI

250.     Fr Michael Bennett

251.     Dr Willy Nel

252.     Prof Aubrey C Redlinghuis

253.     Billy Metiso

254.     Peter Sadie

255.     Mervyn Abrahams

256.     Brian Helsby

257.     Dirk Kotze

258.     Lydia Cindi

259.     Ian Booth

260.     Fr Rocco Marra

261.     Zandile Jakavula

262.     Gavin Campbell

263.     Prof  James R Cochrane

264.     Pastor Monwabisi Gideon Nqiwa

265.     Rev Ontshebile Albert Samolapo

266.     Rev N N Belu

267.     Ms Judith Turner

268.     Francois Dufour

269.     Sivuyile Hlam

270.     Mark Potterton

271.     Patrick Kelly

272.     Sr Emer McNally

273.     Amelia Burger

274.     Graham Lindegger PhD

275.     Phillipe Denis OP

276.     Fr Ibercio Rojas

277.     Derek Ronnie

278.     Francis Krige OP

279.     Robert Mandeya

280.     Sr Bernadette Flinter

281.     Carol Martin

282.     Leslie Dikeni

283.     John Maloma

284.     Fr. Robert Lukwiya Ochola MCCJ

285.     Sr Deirdre Harman

286.     Sr Eileen Gallagher

287.     Sr Bernadette Wilczkiewicz

288.     Sr Linda Prest

289.     Rev Anthony Bethke

290.     Erika Bethke

291.     Andrew-John Bethke

292.     Sr Geraldine Boys OP

293.     Sr Carmen Brokamp OP

294.     Stephan Bothma

295.     Ds Eugene Malan

296.     Fr Emil Blaser OP

297.      Maryke du Plooy

298.     Mr Roderick Davids

299.     Mr John Bennett

300.     Rev Clive Calder

301.     Anthony Bullen

302.     Sr. Immaculata Ngubane

303.     Sr. Anne Rose Ngubane

304.     Sr. Lidia Danyluk OP

305.     Sr Jacinta Teixeira OP

306.    Ms Ntuthu Somdyala

307.     Dr Marjorie Jobson

308.      Mr Mike Fraser

309.      Mario Marais

310.     Maretha Laubscher

311.     Sally Gross

312.     Prof Thias Kgatla

313.     Rev Zack Mokgoebo

314.     The Rt Rev Garth Q Counsell

315.     Sr Janine Coleman

316.     Maryke du Plooy

317.     Rev Jill Buhr

318.     Walter Loening

319.     Hillary Loening

320.     Sr Margarita Raubenheimer

Rev Doreen Carmichael

321.     Rev David Newton

322.     Tony McGregor

323.     Rev Olivia le Roux

324.     Sr Anne Walsh OP

325.     Bishop Barry Wood

326.     Dirk Marais

327.     Dr Denise Ackerman

328.     Leqeku Amos Monareng

329.     Dr Daniel Maluleke

330.     Rev Hendrick Pillay

331.     Ms Ntombikayise Mahlangu

332.    Mr. Amos Mahlangu

333.     Mr. Sfiso Mahlangu

334.     Mr. Sibusiso Mahlangu

335.     Mr. Khululekani Mahlangu

336.     Ms. Nompumelelo Khanyile

337.      Mrs. Makhosazana Ngcobo

338.     Mr. Khehla Ngcobo

339.     Mr. Ntokozo Masango

340.    Mr. Sibusiso Ncaweni

341.     Mr Trevor McArthur

342.     Hendrik Jacobus van Wyk

343.     Cornelia Kirsten

344.     Louise Cull

345.     Dr Guillame Smit

346.     Rev Franklin Farmer

347.      Theo PCB Meyer

348.      Mrs Puleng Mkhatshwa

349.      Rev Mandlenkosi Frances Mkhatswa

350.      Mr Gerrit Loots

351.      Mr C Victor R Honey

352.     Fr Jeremias Martins

353.     Ds Koos Oosthuyzen

354.      Mrs Lucia Oosthuyzen

355.      Heather Goslin

356.      Mrs Mary Gagiano

357.     Rev Dylan Ellison

358.     Ds L van Z Pieters

359.     Ms  G Pieters

360.     Rev Sox Leleki

361.      Colin Smuts

362.     Rob Goldman

363.     Rev Smanga Bosman

364.     Dr Johann du Plessis

365.     Rev Ingbert Misselhorn

366.     Tony Saddington

367.     John Gardener

368.      Renee Smit

369.     Mr Cyril Turton

370.     Rev Dr Ross Olivier

371.     Dr Wilhelm H Meyer

372.     Alison Lazarus

373.     Prof Margaret Keyser

374.     Myrttle Neewat-Joubert

375.     Monika Wittenberg

376.    Prof Emeritus Gunther Wittenberg

377.     Athol Williams

378.     Sr Charity Dlamini OP

379.     Giorgio Massa

380.    Rev Dr Les Switzer

381.     Frank Molteno

382.     Andy Wingreen

383.      Ds Carl Schoeman

384.      Lesley Frescura

385.      Fr Molois

386.     Sue Gardener

387.      Ms Beryl V Botman

388.      Prof H Russell  Botman

389.       Mary Gardner

390.      Emeritus Prof Colin Gardner

391.       Dina Cormick

392.       Dr Elizabeth Oehrle

393.       Rev Kenneth R van Rensburg

394.       Shirley Moulder

395.       Bishop Geoff Quinlan

396.      Rosemary Gravenor

397.       Prof William Gumede

398.       Dr Mary Bock

399.       Zelda Isaacs

400.       Mrs Angela Hofmeyr

401.       Rev Jan Hofmeyr MCSA

402.      Mr Fana Marutla

403.      Rev Andre Allies

404.      Kevin Tait

405.      Br Timothy Jolley OHC

406.      Rev Jenny Sprong

407.      Dr Leon Fouche

408.     Bishop Oswald Swartz

409.      Br Robert James, OHC

410.       Anna Cilliers

411.        Fr Louis Bank

412.      Rev Dr Sidney Luckett

413.      Ass.Prof Dr Kathy Luckett

414.       Elfort Naku

415.       Rev Georg Meyer

416.      Rev Steven Lottering

417.      Nomabelu Mvambo-Dandala

418.      Wouter van Velden

419.      Rev J Erica Murray

420.     Janet Prest Talbot

421.     Sr Verena Kennernetch

422.     Sr Monique Mallard (little sister of Jesus)

423.     Sr Mary Tuck

424.     Ms Nomvula Dlamini

425.     Dr. JD Mienie (Juan)

426.     Dr Jerome Slamat

427.     Bishop David Russell

428.     Ms Daniela Gennrich

429.     Zimerian Mokholoane

430.     Judy Connors

431.     Franco Frescura

432.     Prof Farid Esack

433.      Ilse Ahrends

434.      Rev Nomvuyo Mhlongo

435.      George Ngamlana

436.      Rev Thapelo Selebalo

437.      Bishop Lungisa Mndende

438.      JM Kabini

439.     Ms Bonita Bennett

440.     Ms Khumo Ntlha

441.     Rev John van de Laar

442.     Dr Glenda Cleaver

443.     Rev Similo Sanqela

444.     Rev Dr Lutz Ackerman

445.     Mark Fry

446.     John Aitchison

447.     Coral Vinsen

448.     Rev Fred Celliers

449.     Julia Heaney

450.     Deon Scharneck

451.      Dr Rev Canon Rachel Mash

452.      Lavinia Crawford-Browne

453.      Mpho Ndebele

454.      Rev Julian Titus

455.      Rev Charlotte Brown

456.      The Venerable Rev Christian Hartnick

457.      Rev Terence Wilke

458.      Dr. Bishop Clyde N. S.  Ramalaine

459.      Craig Stewart

460.      Margaret Brady

461.       Bobby Brady

462.       Edward French

463.       Dr Jonathan Draper

464.       Dr Sharlene Swartz

465.       John Sevenoaks

466.      Moipone Motloung

467.       Thabang Motloung

468.      Tebogo Motloung

469.      Karabo Motloung

470.      Lebohang Motloung

471.       Dineo Motloung

472.      Rev Reggie Nel

473.      Rev Ntiti Jacob Sefatsa

474.      Rev Siyolo Patrick Dano

475.      Chabeli Lehlohonolo

476.      Athi Majija

477.      Rev Gill Padoa

478.      Fr John Dyers

479.      Lyn van Rooyen

480.     Ida Barton

481.      Bob Barton

482.      Brett Myrdal

483.      Rev David Meldrum

484.      Mrs Barbara Manthata

485.      Thom Manthata

486.      Mandulo Septi Bukula

487.       Isobel de Gruchy

488.      Mrs Lucienne Hunter

489.      Lois Law

490.      Terence Creamer

491.      The Very Rev Andrew Hunter

492.       Mr Stanley Maphosa

493.       Rev Donald Cragg

494.      Kedibone Tsoari

495.      Mathapelo Tsoari

496.      Boitumelo Mogotsi

497.      Motlatsi Mogotsi

498.     Lerato Mogotsi

499.     Lesego Mogotsi

500.     Peter Moloko

501.     Nkele Moloko

502.     Stanley Moloko

503.     Koni Moloko

504.    Winnie Moloko

505.     Mali Moloko

506.     Puleng Mbokazi

507.     Phillemon Mbokazi

508.     Buti Motloung

509.     Thabiso Moloto

510.     Modupi Moloto

511.      Lillian Kometsi

512.      Junior Kometsi

513.     Lebo Kometsi

514.     Obakeng Mogotsi

515.     Charles Moagi

516.     Vuyelwa  Mfusa

517.     Casper Mashishi

518.     Rev Keith Vermeulen

519.      Marlene Barrett

520.      Xolile Khoza

521.      Bridget Rose

522.      Dominique Souchon

523.      Neville Solomon

524.      Pastor Chris Kanku

525.      Rev George Lewis

526.      Dr Mike Smuts

527.       Trui Roozeveld van der Veen

528.      Berni Marshall-Smith

529.      Bishop Christopher Gregorowski

530.      Roland Luke

531.       Deon L Pheiffer

532.      Mxolisi Sonti

533.      Anthony Ambrose

534.      Dr. Rev Mpumelelo Qwabaza

535.      Rev Arthur Stewart

536.      Sandra Troskie

537.       Caroline Kerfoot

538.      Rev John G Lewis

539.      Brian Robertson

540.      Elna Boesak

541.       Sarah Boesak

542.       Rev Ntombekhaya Belu

543.       Fr Wrongcliffe Chisholm

544.       Clare Davies

545.       Stuart Talbot

546.       Rev Carol Walsh

547.       Luleka Nyhila

548.      Archdeacon Anthony Gregorowski

549.      Sr Brigitte von Oppenkowski

550.      Dominic Cloete

551.       Dr Betty Govinden

552.       Dr Dawid Kuyler

553.       Canon Eric Ephraim

554.       Martin Jansen

555.       Mike Louw

556.       Suzanne Ruben

557.        Dr Jeff Rudin

558.       Michael Makin

559.       Jabulani Ngidi

560.       Elaine Rodriques

561.       Teboho A Papullunwane

562.       Brenda Hain

563.       Ingrid Pinu

564.       Florah Ngubane

565.       Donalii Hain

566.       LM Bengu

567.       Bau Sibisi

568.      Robert Brien

569.      Sizakele Seme

570.      Luyanda Chamane

571.       Sylvia Wilson

572.      Nomathemba Tsekiso

573.       Vusa Tsekiso

574.      Esme Brien

575.      Regina Tees

576.      Eliza Getman

577.      Richard Cluver

578.     Rev Noel Morgan

579.     Rev Tim Gray

580.     Mervyn Bennun

581.     Usha Jevan

582.     Kate Davies

583.     Bishop Geoff Davies

584.      Lynne Holmes-Ganief

585.      Yusuf Holmes-Ganief

586.      Dr Fanie du Toit

587.      Thembekani Mehlo

588.      Vathiswa Njaba

589.      Sithembiso Mange

590.       Tasneem Fredericks

591.        Martin Mostert

592.       Cheryl Fasser-Isineyi

593.        Fatima Vally

594.        Muhammed Desai

595.        Rev Sharon Nell

596.        Mohammad Groenewald

597.        Francois Kirsten

598.       Prof Herby Govinden

599.       Kathy Henning

600.       Ferdinand Engel

601.        Freda Brock

602.       William Kerfoot

603.       Heidi Grunebaum

604.       Dr Elizabeth Oehrle

605.        Dolf Schutte

606.       Isabel Murray

607.       Bishop Peter Witbooi

608.       Hermoine Solomons

609.        Notozi Jennifer Mgobozi

610.         David le Page

611.          Roland Luke

612          Liz Palmer

613.        Jennifer Thompson

614.        Rev Duncan McClea

615.        Bonny Molokoane

616.        Nombulelo Bikwane

617.        Neill Deane

618         Alexandra Fisher

619.        Thando Melane

620.       Dieter Petsch

621.        Rev Tim Gray

622.        Linde Dietrich

623.        Marcus van Wyk

624.       Prof Anton A van Niekerk

625.       Andrea Marent-Hegewisch

626.        Mrs Amy van Niekerk CFP

627.        Rev Trevor Steyn

628.       Felicity Sikhakhane

629.        Vicky Ireland

630.        Miss Nancy Herbert

631.        Rev Cheryl Bird

632.       Ms Kathy Henning

633.       Fr Simon Kortjass

634.       Rev Ed Coombe

635.       Mr Lovey Mahopo

636.       Mrs Patience Weits

637.       Mr Josias Weitz

638.      Rev Andrè du Plooy

639.      Mrs Patricia du Plooy

640.      Mr Ronnie Atkins

641.       Mrs Enid Atkins

642.       Rev Frank Mabutla

643.      Werner Riedinger

644.     Rev Prof Peter Storey

645,      137 signatures received via fax transmission from Fr Zweli Tom (Eastern Cape)

782.     Nazir Osman

783.      20 more signatures from Pretoria

803.     20 signatures received from Rev Sue Brittion, KZN

823.     Zannie Bock

824.     Sr Elizabeth Mary Clifford O.P

825.     Sr Rose Mc Larnon O.P.

826.     A T Mc Intyre

827.     Cynthia Veitch O.P

828.     Sr Margaret Wall O.P.

829.      Barbara Coombe

830.      Dr Stephen Knight

831.       Robert Inglis

832.       Linda P Bengane

833.       Fr Edwin D. Pockpass

834.       Rev Brian J Brown

835.        Proponent Quentin S Minnaar

836.       Rev Siyabulela Gidi

837.       Bishop Lunga Ka Siboto

838.       Gwen Kgantsi

839.       20 signatures from 012 8039037

859.        Rev Friedrich von Fintel

860.        Charles K Robertson

861.         Mrs D Breetzke

862.         Rev John Wessels

863.    Fr  Mike Keggie

864.      Jenny Boraine

865.      Alex Boraine

866.      Prof Christo Lombard

867.      Prof Heather McLeod

868.      Claire Tucker

869.      Jeanette Groenewald

870.      Robert Inglis

871.      Marcus van Wyk

872.      Linde Dietrich

873.      Cecily Kruger

874.      Douglas Moledi

875.      Monnamorwa Dineo

876.      Monnamorwa  Kgosietsile

877.      Monnamorwa  Lorato

878.      Monnamorwa  Lesedi Neo

879.     Monnamorwa  Mochadibane

880.     Monnamorwa Maserame

881.      Monnamorwa  Kgomotso

882.     Seema   Clara

883.     Segoane  Valentina

884.     Madibogo Phokomela

885.      Mokgothu Irene

886.      Mokgothu  Steven

887.      Rakwena  Moses

888.     Rakwena  Phenyo

889.     Mashishi  Joyce

890.     Machogo  Selina

891.      Ngake  Selina

892.     Matsetela  Maria

893.     Sibiya  Matshediso

894.     Rankgapele Nare

895.     Sekhosana Emily

896.     Motau Kedibone

897.      Kgatle Selina

898.     Fisha Valentia

899.     Ramokgopa  Florah

900.      Rankapole Winnie

901.      Makeke  Nkele

902.      Mothiba Francina

903.      Phala  Bella

904.     Sekhoto  Christina

905.     Bishop Raphael Hess

906.     Fr Rodney Whiteman

907.     Sr Angela Sutton OP

908.    Sr Clarina Marquart OP

909.    Sr Clarissa Weber OP

910.     Sr Hildegunde Runne OP

911.     Sr Sizakele Zulu OP

912.     Fr Trevor Steyn

913.      Mr Bantu Holomisa MP

942.     29 signatures from St Andrew’s Newlands.

943.      Charlene van der Walt

944.      Melissa Opperman

945.      Riaan de Villiers

946.     Mizelle Mienie

947.      Zannie Bock

To the reader: Read and interpret this text with a Kairos consciousness and gaze of prophetic anger.

Preamble

How long, O God, will they steal our livelihood? Oppress, imprison and humiliate our people? Deprive our children of their childhood? Indeed how long, God, will the multitudes of Christians of the world ignore the anguish of our Palestinian sisters and brothers and all of the oppressed?

“Come and see,” said the Christians of Palestine. “Come and see the olive groves, the bulldozers, the ancient terraces, the segregated cities. The situation is worsening.”

More than 60 participants from 15 countries heeded an urgent call by Kairos Palestine.

On 4-10 December 2011; they joined Palestinians in the Kairos for Global Justice Encounter/Conference in Bethlehem.

The aims and objectives of the encounter/conference were to:

• Bring awareness of and share a Kairos consciousness experienced by all groups attending the encounter;

• Strengthen and build ties among Kairos groups to form a committed global network for justice;

• Learn from the Palestinian experience the urgency of Kairos solidarity and to end injustice by implementing concrete actions at the national, regional and global level.

On the road to this encounter/conference, there was the Amman Call in 2007, which ended 60 years without a unified Christian voice speaking against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The next milestone was the Berne Perspective in 2008, which is illustrated in the statement: “Enough is enough. No more words without deeds, it is time for action.”

The cry for justice in Palestine reached a pivotal moment when, in December 2009, Palestinian Christians launched the Kairos Palestine document: “A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.”

We now say: “Injustice no more. Here we stand. Stand with us”

The current context

Today, the illegal regime and illegal forms of the Israeli occupation of Palestine assumes dimensions of systemic injustice whereby the unthinkable and unimaginable becomes globally accepted, supported and normalized. This is an example of Empire (global domination) at work. It happens in Palestine as it happens in many other contexts around the world.

At the same time, Palestine is clearly a global issue. The government of Israel claims to have and indeed enjoys an exceptional status within the international community. Israel regards itself to be above the law and is treated as exempt from international law. This status provides the Israeli government the freedom to occupy Palestine with impunity. As witnessed with our own eyes, the treacherous conditions imposed by the Israeli occupation on Palestinians and their land have reached a level of almost unimaginable and sophisticated criminality.

This includes the slow yet deliberate and systematic ethnic cleansing and the geo-cide of Palestinians and Palestine as well as the strangling of the Palestinian economy.

The brutality in the “violence of silence” internationally provides an almost impenetrable shield for the Israeli government to implement its evil designs in blatant disregard for human rights and international law. Silence is an opinion. Inaction is an action.

We witness decidedly spineless cowardice in failure to resist the Israeli government by the majority of governments, political parties, media outlets, businesses, most of organized religion — including Christianity — and the silence of prophets worldwide. This makes us accomplices in crimes against humanity, such as the crimes of apartheid and persecution as described in international law.

We witness also the resolve and resilience of Palestinians to match the imbalance of political, economic and military power with unbending steadfastness for their freedom and just peace. The deligitimization and criminalization of the Israeli government and its local and international support base is gaining unstoppable momentum.

The existence of international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns and other forms of non-violent resistance is an established fact. The government and state of Israel is now regarded as an apartheid regime in terms of international law, with particular reference to the UN Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and the Rome Statutes of the International Criminal Court. The severity of the Palestinian situation makes comparisons with apartheid in South Africa superfluous and almost irrelevant. The benchmark is international law and not South Africa.

Globally we observe a context of growing fluidity and volatility. In this context, we are deeply concerned to observe how governments and societies in the West, including churches and ecumenical bodies dominated by the West, are becoming more and more exclusive, supremacist and dictatorial in conserving an unjust status quo. Furthermore, the growing economic and political volatility of world powers in North America and Europe creates a context of uncertainty for precise timelines in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian situation. However this fluidity in addition to the Arab Awakening holds potential for hope.

The global South, also complicit in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, possesses the potential to be an untapped source of hope. This potential holds value not only for Palestinians but also for those societies in the global North where Empire crumbles.

We are also acutely aware of struggles for justice everywhere, including within Israel itself. We have come to ignite, nurture and strengthen a Kairos consciousness for each of these contexts as interconnected and interrelated. We draw inspiration and strength from each other and also from progressive peace activists and human rights groups in Israel.

In the deep pain of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, of Palestinian refugees and of Israeli Arab citizens, we witnessed the tears of God.

God keeps the flame of faith alive, as the darkness of despair closes in.

God lives and breathes in the lament of those whose future has been stolen. In the cries of the dispossessed we have sensed the passion of God for right to prevail.

God takes sides for justice against injustice.

God does not take kindly to injustice and the perpetrators of injustice. “He has shown the might with His arm. He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly (Luke 1:46-55).

A spirituality that recognizes the face of God in every human being is, therefore, inevitably marked by a bias towards justice for the poor and the oppressed. “One thing God requires of you is only this, to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8).

This is the true essence of both Testaments. Christ still weeps over Jerusalem. A Kairos is both the recognition of God’s will and the urgency of our response. It is in the awareness of a God of the Now, who is deeply involved in the human predicament. God keeps us steadfast in courage, hope and love as we continue to struggle and resist.

We pray and plead for a radical change of hearts, policies and practices of the Israeli government and those governments that support it. If this does not happen, we pray in trembling and hope if it is God’s will…. for these governments to fall.

Some non-negotiable: Occupation no more In the light of the above and with our conviction that Palestine is in an ever deepening crisis, Kairos Palestine urgently calls us to move forward boldly and act radically by speaking out with courage, passion and determination. The time for words and diplomatic niceties, that obscure the reality, are over. We affirm the churches’ commitment to and contributions for decisive action since the Amman Call as well as in the creation and impact of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF). Nevertheless, we will strengthen and increase our advocacy initiatives.

Therefore, we:

• Reject the silence of the church, lest we be accomplices in crimes against humanity, such as those of apartheid and persecution. It is imperative to speak up and cry with the oppressed in demanding justice.

• Refuse to be coerced into accepting financial assistance from any church or organisation that supports the Occupation.

• Challenge any church which, either directly or indirectly, invests in companies which support the occupation. As congregants of a church, we will be alert towards church policies and challenge unethical financial investment and spending practices.

• Call the Israeli occupation of Palestine a crime and sin. We reject any theological or political justification for the Occupation. We regard such theologies as defying the core of the Gospel.

• Reject any argument aimed at convincing Palestinians and the international community that the problems are caused by Muslims rather than the Occupation.

• Demand that churches take bold and courageous positions for justice against injustice. We are appalled at the spiritual and institutional cowardice that refuses to take an unequivocal stand for justice. Equally, victims and perpetrators cannot be put on equal footing in efforts to create illusions of balance.

• Confirm our obligation to resist the Occupation in faith, hope and love. We reject calls to cease advocating and practising BDS or any other form of non-violent civil resistance that will end the Occupation.

• Resist being party to any church or church-related organisation offering tours to the Holy Lands that do not include an encounter with local Palestinians and express our opposition to such initiatives. Alternative tourism groups are now available that Christians and others can avail themselves of.

• Demand that the Right of Return for all Palestinian refugees be enforced.

• Steadfastly uphold the principle of compassion toward the oppressor. We acknowledge and understand their experiences of oppression, fears and insecurities. Our demands are in the best interests for a better future for all involved. In love, we rage against injustice and yet refuse to be destroyed by our anger.

Our vision: Call to act now

A shared vision of peace with justice inspires us to respond with committed action, at this critical moment. This vision must include affirming voices from the Jewish, Muslim and other faith traditions that express hope for a pluralistic, democratic society here.

The tide is turning. The pain will pass soon if we act now. This calls for a collective willingness to take risks in the cause of justice.

Theology: One voice for justice

We commit ourselves to develop contextual biblical theologies and practices of resistance and liberation. We will unmask those theologies in our midst that are harbingers of death for Palestinians and the oppressed worldwide and which challenge traditional ways of doing theology.

Dismantling Israeli apartheid

We support and commit ourselves to the dismantling of Israeli apartheid, insist on the enforcement of international law and ensuring the fulfillment of legitimate demands of Palestinians.

These demands include:

• People living side by side in justice and peace within pre-1967 borders;

• A shared Jerusalem including open access to all holy sites;

• The right of return for Palestinian refugees;

• An end to all settlement extensions and dismantling of the settlement system;

• Free access to water and sanitation;

• The breakdown of the apartheid wall. We should not accept the argument that the fear of civil unrest between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a deterrent to achieving Palestinian freedom. Prophetic communities that support Palestine

We commit to:

• Acknowledge that people at the community level are empowered as the primary theologians of a Kairos Consciousness.

• Develop effective south-north and south-south coalitions for prophetic action

• Agree that Kairos Palestine create a core group to facilitate these coalitions Boycott-Divestment-Sanction (BDS): Creative, non-violent resistance now

• We commit to engage in creative, non-violent resistance in response to the call from our Palestinian sisters and brothers to this end, including BDS.

• We will actively participate in and lend credibility to popular, non-violent resistance in Palestine, Israel and internationally, including giving effect to BDS

• We will oppose with appropriate means the policies of our governments that support the occupation. Holy Lands Tourism and Pilgrimage We will:

• Promote and participate in alternative tourism and Kairos pilgrimages in the Holy Lands for the purposes of spiritual nurturing, awareness-raising and advocacy.

• Insist that such tours be organized by or in partnership with Palestinian tour operators

• Utilize those travel agencies that follow “Come and See: A Call from Palestinian Christians for Ethical Tourism”

We will challenge and boycott those that do not.

• Actively seek to enable targeted groups to travel to Israel-Palestine.

Conclusion

The Bethlehem Call for a here-we-stand, stand-with-us journey provides each one of us a joyous blessing and honor, difficult though the journey may be.

We seize this opportune, Kairos moment with conviction and hope. Palestinians and a world community have gathered: here in, breaking barriers between regions and cultures and building bridges of friendship and solidarity because we have a common dream to see a Palestine and a world free of all forms of injustice.

We believe that each one of us was called to Bethlehem for a purpose. “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” (Alice Walker)

A Franciscan benediction:

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, at half truths and superficial relationships so that we may live deeply within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation. May God bless us with tears to share for those who suffer in pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. And may the blessing of the God of Abraham and Sarah, and Jesus born in Bethlehem of our sister Mary, and of the Holy Spirit, who broods over the world as a mother over her children, be upon us and remain with us always. Amen.

Venue: Mkhabela Attorneys ( board room) , 7^th Eton Rd, Sandhurst.  

Time: 18h00 -20h30 .

RSVP to email address info@teasa.org.za by 7 Dec  2011

The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Marius Fransman, led an official government delegation to Palestine on 19 and 20 November 2011. The visit follows the Palestinian symposium hosted by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa recently to engage with the Palestinian and Israeli governments, as well as local civil society organisations, think tanks and academics from both the Palestinian and Israeli Lobbies, in order to help cultivate a solution to the current conflict between Palestine and Israel.

The purpose of the visit to Palestine was two-fold:
Firstly, to represent South Africa in the opening of a multi-purpose sports complex for the oppressed youth of Ramallah, sponsored by the IBSA Fund (i.e. India, Brazil South Africa) in Partnership with the United Nations Development Programme.
The Deputy Minister, in his address to the Palestinians, reiterated South Africa’s commitment to support the people of Palestine in their quest for statehood. Deputy Minister Fransman reiterated that South Africa has recognised Palestine as an independent state as far back as 1997 when it granted it permission to open its Embassy in Pretoria, adding that South Africa fully supports the Palestinian campaign for full membership of the United Nations. South Africa therefore calls upon the entire international community to support this campaign, known as UN 194.

Deputy Minister Fransman furthermore called for the intensification of the international solidarity campaign and developmental assistance to support the campaign for Palestinian  statehood in the same way and with the same vigour that the international community supported South Africa’s struggle for freedom.

The Deputy Minister noted that South Africa’s position was a principled one based on the Freedom Charter, international human rights and human solidarity with oppressed nations and that the fight for freedom in South Africa will not be complete until all the oppressed nations, and in particular, Palestine enjoys full international recognition as an independent state. Deputy Minister Fransman further noted that the IBSA-sponsored sports complex was one example of how developing nations can assist Palestine, noting that this was a first of a number of service delivery and developmental support projects planned.

Secondly, the visit created a platform for the South African government to engage with the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Hamas as well as the Israeli government in order to deepen understanding of the situation as well as upscale support for conflict resolution.

In his meeting with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Mamoud  Abbas, as well as other senior leaders of Fatah, President Abbas expressed his highest gratitude for South Africa’s principled and practical support to the Palistinian cause for statehood. The leadership of Hamas also expressed their gratitude and respect for the South African government’s support towards the cause of Palestine.

For more information, contact Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for DIRCO, on 082 884 5974
Issued by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation
OR Tambo Building 460 Soutpansberg Road, Rietondale Pretoria

From http://www.dirco.gov.za/docs/2011/pal1122.html

His father said he’d make a deal with his son: ‘You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut.

Then we’ll talk about the car.’ 

The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he’d settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.

 After about six weeks his father said, ‘Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I’m disappointed you haven’t had your hair cut.

 The boy said, ‘You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair…and there’s even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.’

 The Dad replied:

 ’Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?’

 As we move towards the end of the year, let me begin by wishing all those who will read this Kairos update a blessed Advent and Christmas. What a year this has been! We have wished the “Arch” well on his 80^th Birthday and wrote a letter of support for him after he expressed his disappointment at the way he and the Dalai Lama were treated by the SA government. If you have not read our statement, it can be found at http://kairossouthernafrica.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/kairos-sa-statement-in-support-of-archbishop-emeritus-tutu/

One more Kairos event will happen from 4 – 10 December 2011. This will be a gathering in Bethlehem in Palestine to focus on a Global Kairos for justice. The Southern Africans who will be present at that gathering (representing Kairos Southern Africa) will be Zwanini Shabalala and Solomon Nxumalo from Swaziland and Stiaan vd Merwe, Luleka Nyhila, Emily Mnisi, Jenni Samdaan and Marthie Momberg from South Africa. This is a strong delegation and they will represent us well, and will come back to share with us what they have learnt from Kairos Palestine, Kairos USA, Kairos Europa, Kairos Netherlands, Kairos Sri Lanka, etc.

 Some of our members will also be at COP 17, and we wish them well as they attend this very important gathering.

Dr Boesak has mentioned to us that he will speaking at one of the COP 17 events. We still hope that, instead of working in silos, those focussing on the environment/ecology and those focussing on social and economic justice, will see that this is one kairos moment that we are all facing together, and that we will see this not only as a theoretical reality, but practically work together to deal with this kairos moment, even though from time to time some might prefer to focus on a particular aspect of this kairos. Hopefully in 2012 we can spend some time reflecting on the Kairos events and COP 17 and craft a joint strategy for the way forward.

 Over the past few months

• We worked with the University of Johannesburg to host Dr Allan Boesak to speak about his forthcoming book on “New Frontiers in Liberation theology”.
• We welcomed people from the Alternative Tourism group (ATG) to South Africa. They focus on alternative pilgrimages to the Holy Land and would like to work with us to ensure that as many South Africans as possible take part in these kinds of pilgrimages.
• We addressed the Anglican Church’s Provincial Standing Committee and we also met with Dr Isak Burger as well as with Juan Minnie (who leads these kinds of pilgrimages) and then they visited the Free State before coming to Cape Town. A big thank you to Fr Mokesh Morar for an excellent programme for them in the Free State.
• I was then asked to be the Event Manager for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, where we listened to the testimonies of both Palestinians and South Africans about apartheid and also to some other expert witnesses. It found that “Israel subjects the Palestinian people to an institutionalized regime of domination amounting to apartheid as defined under international law.” The full report of this Tribunal is available at www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com .
• Together with Peace for Life and the Beyers Naude Centre, we hosted a “Christian-Muslim solidarity on Palestine” conference at Stellenbosch on 8 and 9 November. The full report on this will be available soon, but Prof Farid Esack has written a Muslim response to the Palestine Kairos document. He is busy working on it after receiving initial comments and we will distribute this as soon as it becomes more publicly available.
• In the Western Cape, we have animated some discussions about the call by Arch-emeritus Tutu for a wealth tax. Braam Hanekom of PASSOP has led us in some excellent meetings to think through this matter and we will soon think of ways to ensure that this is a truly national conversation.
• There is still a desire in some of our hearts to reflect on what the ANC’s centenary might mean for the Church in South Africa (since it was born from within the church) and, time and will permitting, we will see what can still be done before the end of this year about this matter.

SOME DATES FOR 2012:

Already there are so many possibilities for 2012 and while we cannot do everything, perhaps some of you want to be part of one or two of the events listed below. Please let me know:

 A group of 9 Palestinians and 9 Israelis from BADIL and      DOCHROT will be visiting Cape Town in late January to early February      2012 to reflect on the issues of refugees and displacement. Those who      would like to connect with them can contact me. I will ask those in the      Western Cape to play a role in welcoming them….

1. March      5 – 9, 2012: “Christ at      the Checkpoint” conference in Bethlehem www.christatthecheckpoint.com      : This conference is mainly for      Evangelicals. If you wish to participate in this, you can email Isaac      Munther at munther@bethbc.org ,      but please copy me in. You can ask them about the financing for your      travels, etc.
2. 17 – 20 April      2012, Assissi: Please see http://www.assisi2012.com/.      Mark Braverman has arranged that there be a panel on Kairos Southern      Africa, Kairos Palestine and Kairos USA at this very important gathering.      John de Gruchy will also be addressing this conference, but on another      topic.
3. We might, together with some friends from the      Netherlands, arrange a Southern African church delegation to Palestine in      the first part of 2012. We have not yet decided on the details for      this, but perhaps some of you can share your thoughts with us about this.      Given the in-roads that Israel is trying to make into the churches in Africa,      it might make sense for our delegation to be mainly from the rest of      Southern Africa (in other words, excluding South Africa, since there are      already similar initiatives in this regard from South Africa).
4. September 2012:      The Russell Tribunal on Palestine in New York – This will happen in      September 2012: more information to follow.
5. October 2012:      Liberation theology meeting in Brazil in October 2012: more information to      follow

God bless, as we continue to put our trust in the one who came to share in our humanity so that we all might share in God’s divinity.

Rev Edwin Arrison (kairossouthernafrica@gmail.com )