|
| |
| Email Us | |
Letter of the President
7 September, 2007
On Sunday 2 September, in a service we attended, His Grace Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) delivered a Sermon in Moria to conclude the annual September Conference of his branch of the ZCC. The Conference was attended by 2,495,783 members of the Church. The Conference is held to consecrate what the ZCC considers as the New Year. This New Year, based on the rhythm of the seasons as experienced through the millennia by Africans, celebrates the beginning of Spring.
This signals the onset of the period of the Spring and Summer rains, and therefore the initiation of the life cycle that replenishes the food stocks, restores the natural habitat, recreates the best conditions for the health and productivity of the animals and natural plants that provide milk, meat, fruit, vegetables and herbs, and enables the growth of the crops that will provide the rich harvest needed to sustain human life.
Because of the intimate connection between rain, which nature provides, good harvests, which depend on organised human labour, and the guarantee of human existence, which requires appropriate systems of good governance, the most evocative expression of good wishes in the seSotho languages is "pula! nala!" ("rain! a good harvest!")
Inevitably, therefore, the September Conference of the ZCC speaks to a critically important issue in our country - the restoration and affirmation of the identity of the black African majority after centuries of denigration and marginalisation during the long period of slavery, colonialism and apartheid. However, this Letter is not focused on this important matter. Rather, because of the importance to our country of what Bishop Lekganyane said, this Letter consists mainly of extracts from the Sermon.
The Church and our liberation
The Christian Church in our county has played an important part in our struggle for liberation for at least 150 years. The ANC itself can trace some of its origins to African Christians, some whom broke away from the established white-led churches to form their own, such as the Ethiopian Church. Throughout our history, many of our leaders were either priests or lay preachers.
The Christian Church played an important role even during the most difficult period in our struggle - the period of extreme repression that started with the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. This reflected the sustained recognition especially by African Christians, over a long period of time, that the practice of their faith could not be detached and separated from the struggle of the very members of their congregations for freedom and human dignity.
The African Christians were joined in this by such white Christian priests and leaders as Trevor Huddleston, Dennis Hurley, Beyers Naude, Michael Scott, Ambrose Reeves, Albert Nolan and others.
The overwhelming majority of our people are Christians. Today our country enjoys the freedom for which the Revs Tiyo Soga, Nehemiah Tile, John Langalibalele Dube and others prayed for and spoke about from as long ago as the 1850s. However, we still confront a whole variety of serious challenges, many of which are part of the legacy of the white minority domination that the early African Christians opposed.
Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane's Sermon focused on a number of these serious challenges. By this means he reaffirmed the continuing obligation of the Church in our country, as well as the other Faiths, to respect and continue the long tradition of the involvement of people of faith in the struggle to improve the conditions of life of all our people, and not be concerned only with matters of the soul and the after-life.
As our readers will see, Bishop Lekganyane made the statement in a dignified manner that the ZCC does not define itself as an advocacy and protest formation, but as an active participant in the reconstruction and development of our country.
Nevertheless the Sermon also reasserted the central role of our religious communities in fashioning the moral and spiritual setting within which we must engage the continuing struggle to address the material needs of all our people, focused on the task to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment.
The power of knowledge
Bishop Lekganyane based his Sermon on Chapter 4, Verse 6 of the Biblical Book of Hosea. This text says: "Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priest for Me.'" In his Sermon Bishop Lekganyane therefore said:
"Obviously no children, no parents, no family, no communities and no nation would allow itself to be rejected by The Lord. Automatically knowledge is of the utmost importance for people to enjoy the favour of The Lord...Therefore knowledge is power, security and safety. This is what I want to offer to every member of the Zion Christian Church and everybody present here this afternoon...
Moral regeneration
"Let me start my sermon by praying for South Africa our beloved country, for its soul which used to be characterised by respect amongst individuals, parents, communities and the leaders. May the Lord God regenerate the moral fibre of our country which was a key success to liberating our land. This knowledge was and is still fundamental to peaceful co-existence in our country. This is knowledge; this is power; this is security; and this is safety.
"Morality refers to the right or wrong actions based on choices made by individuals or groups of individuals. As South Africa strives towards its noble ideal of a better life for all as enshrined in our Constitution, we are confronted by evidence of a moral degeneration in the form of domestic violence, rape, murder, robbery, theft, house breaking, drug trafficking and mainly women and child abuse.
"These are driven by individualism and selfishness, the breakdown of family life as well as lack of respect for the law. This is lack of knowledge; this is lack of power; and this is lack of security and lack of safety.
"While Government and its partners as well as individuals are making efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions and enhance the nation's moral fibre, perpetrators of wrongdoing cite the effects of apartheid as reasons for their undesirable conduct. It is up to us to bring botho le hlompho (humanism and respect) in every household, in every classroom, in every boardroom, in every playground, in every farm, in every police station, as we find and express ourselves as a nation. This is knowledge; this is power; this is security and this is safety. This is what the nation must live up to, to avoid being rejected by the Almighty God.
"By nation we mean black and white; rich and poor; rural and urban; well educated and poor skilled; young and old. We all need to develop the will and ways to resist evil and embrace and share what is right for the common good. We cannot be apathetic and be seen to be walking away from immoral actions without influencing them for the better. That is not Africa, aowa aowa, ga se botho ke bophoofolo: (no, no, it is not humanism but surrender to the law of the jungle.)
"As a Zionist, you do not tempt a policeman and later turn around and say the police are corrupt. As a responsible household we should always be vigilant of people selling stolen goods. As teachers we cannot expect learners, parents and the community to respect us when we do not effectively utilise the time to build a nation of skilled youth.
"As business owners do not commit fraud and theft and when you see your businesses collapsing start complaining of unemployment. This is knowledge, this is power, this is security and this is safety. Obviously if we cling to these healthy and holy practices, the Lord will not reject us as a beautiful South African Nation and its effective government.
Tasks of the youth
"Individually and severally we should be investing in educating and protecting our children, enabling them to develop as building blocks for sustainable, future success of the nation. Our tradition recognises certain taboos. These are taboos or the don'ts. As the spiritual leader I encourage our youth to abstain from adult activities prematurely. For now there is no cure for HIV Aids and please stop misleading our children that there is cure for the pandemic.
"To all our youth, be seen to be taking advantage of the opportunities available to make your future a success. The private sector, government and other organisations as well as Zion Christian Church, the Bishop Edward Lekganyane bursary fund, provide you with bursaries, internships as well as vacation work to engage the skills development to greater heights. This is knowledge, this is power, this is security and this is safety, devoid of any form of rejection by the Almighty God.
The leaders we need
"Priests, stop promoting your own interests at the expense of God's people. My Priests do not waste time fighting over leadership positions, nor over gossip and baseless accusations, because they know that they were called to greater service, to change the lives of the people for the better; by praying for them when they are sick; to pray with them when they are in trouble, to encourage them along when their spirit is low, to welcome them to and baptise them into the kingdom of God.
"This kind of behaviour builds the church, builds families, builds the nation, and builds South Africa. When a person serves the nation by doing that which it needs, there will be no time for meaningless quarrels or fights. Kings are not born of meaningless quarrels or fights. True leadership is based on service to the nation, not serving your interests and fighting over leadership. Give freely because you have also been given. For sure this is knowledge, this is power, this is security and this is safety.
"Congregants, please respect and pray for your priests and our political leaders in respect of their responsibility to the nation. This is our key responsibility. For the past twelve years the church has been running a winter school to prepare matriculants for their exams. I have observed with great interest to the level of commitment and discipline existing amongst learners and teachers, at this special Winter Enrichment Centre. It is not only that which is contained in the curriculum of the disciplines taught, but the culture of respect by learners to parents, families, communities, leadership in the church structures, government structures as inculcated in their general behaviour.
"Insults, bad language, quarrels, lack of respect for those older than you is not part of our humanity, it is un-African and anti-Christ. You invite bad luck unto yourselves, and being rejected by the Almighty God. What I am giving you here is knowledge, this is power, this is security and this is safety.
The role of the media
"The Media, you have a major responsibility to educate, to transform and inspire our nation to seek knowledge that would lead them to live a better life. What we normally witness in our media is negative reporting which encourages disrespect for self and community values, the rule of law. Personal vendetta and the values of selfishness will lead us nowhere as a nation of this beautiful country.
"Today we pray that you may realise that you are an important partner and indeed responsible to report responsibly to build a successful nation devoid of rejection by the Almighty God. Love our children, love our future, love our country South Africa, and love our continent, Africa our land. Superlative love for Africa and its people is inevitable to avoid rejection by the Almighty God.
Our tasks in Africa and at home
"Let us this afternoon pray for those involved with the 2010 (tournament) to meet their expected obligations of making this major African event the best and most success ever.
"Let us pray for our leadership, at community level, municipal, provincial as well as national that the Lord God can guide them in delivering a better life for all.
"Fellow Zionists please join me today in praying for our President...and his cabinet to overcome the challenges they have in fulfilling their mandate to make a better life for all. We acknowledge the economic stability and political stability you have ushered South Africa into since 1994. We acknowledge the initiatives you have made to deliver other African countries into democratic dispensations. We acknowledge the inroads you have made through the NEPAD to instigate Africa to take its rightful position in the global world. Your expertise has made us great. May the Almighty bless you in your leadership.
"I thank all of you, from far and near, who made the effort to come celebrate the New Year at this holy city of Moria. May the one in the highest bless your feet (reward your effort) by healing your illnesses; may your children do well at school; may those without jobs find them; may those who work be successful at what you are doing, so that you can create more jobs in order to fight poverty and hunger. May God also bless those who could not make it to Moria, because we do not have the same means (we are not equal, like teeth; even teeth are not equal). Drivers, please ensure that you return these children of God safely to their homes."
Those who have ears
From his pulpit in Moria, Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane addressed many questions that are central to the continuing national and historic reconstruction and development effort. These range from the obligation of our government to meet its commitments to the people, through the need for the Church to involve itself in the development process, the restoration of the ubuntu/botho value system, the necessity for the people's involvement in the fight against crime, the critical importance of the role of education, to nation building, the kind and quality of leaders and leadership our country needs, and our obligation to continue to contribute to the renaissance of Africa.
Bishop Lekganyane addressed all these important matters as the leader and on behalf of the millions of members of the ZCC. He spoke not as an observer of South African reality but as an active participant in the challenging but exciting people's process to give birth to a new South Africa.
One-hundred-and-fifteen years ago, in 1892, the Rev John Langalibalele Dube, who became the first President of the ANC, wrote of the day when "Africa (would) take her place as a nation among nations: then shall her sons and daughters sing aloud: 'Let us arise and shine, for our light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon us.' May the day speedily come when 'Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God.' "
On 2 September, Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane spoke of what our nation needs to do to transform the Rev John Dube's dream into reality. He or she who has ears to hear, let him or her hear!
This page was last updated on Friday September 7, 2007