The
S outhern C ross
April 16 to April 22, 2014
Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4869
Easter: A time to let go of old grudges
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SACBC’s Zuma statement not ‘anti-ANC’ BY CLAIRE MATHIESON
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N official of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has emphasised that the statement issued by the bishops on President Jacob Zuma’s response to the Public Protector’s Nkandla Report must not be seen as being party political. “The bishops do not speak for any political party. The bishops speak for the common good,” said Fr S’milo Mngadi, the SACBC’s communications officer, in response to criticism the statement received from Catholics who interpreted it as an attack on the African National Congress (ANC). The statement, signed by SACBC president Archbishop Stephen Brislin, said that President Zuma’s decision not to respond promptly and comprehensively to the report “undermines both the Public Protector’s office and Parliament”. “It is unacceptable for the president to expect the country to wait for an explanation until the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has completed its investigation, which may be only in June”, the bishops said. “The findings of the Public Protector’s enquiry are perfectly clear— there was excessive expenditure on the security upgrades, and millions of rands of taxpayers’ money was spent on private items that should have been paid for by the president himself.”
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Catholic supporters of the ANC took to social media in reaction to what they felt was political bias. “The Church should take a neutral position at all times. Be critical of the action, not the person, in this case the president,” one commenter said on Facebook, adding that the statement seemed objective. “There should be a distinction made between what the Church says and what individuals within the Church say,” he said, with others stating their agreement. Others said that the release of statements on political matters during an election campaign could be understood as the Church interfering in the process, or even as the Church guiding Catholics on how to vote.
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ather Mngadi said the bishops’ statement was not of a political but ethical nature, issuing a call for the president of the country to act appropriately and swiftly on any acts relating to corruption. It implied no criticism or endorsement of any political party. “Corruption is a cancer threatening the very core of our democracy and economic development. For the president to merely postpone dealing with the matter through a letter to a Speaker of Parliament does not suffice,” Fr Mngadi said. “At least, he should be addressing South Africans that, while he awaits the SIU reports, he is unequivocally against any form of corruption,
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A Catholic pilgrim wears a white robe and holds a candle as he prays during the Easter Vigil in the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City last year. The church is the site of Golgotha, were Jesus was crucified, laid into the tomb and rose again on the third day. (Photo: Debbie Hill/CNS)
notwithstanding the beneficiary,” he said. “The bishops’ statement is about ethics in leadership and not party politics.” Fr Mngadi said the Church does not support any one party and only speaks on politics in light of the greater good. The statement was about the ethics and accountability of the president’s office—and not the political party the current president represents. “He represents the people of South Africa and should be accountable to them,” the priest said. The bishops’ statement said the Church expects that a head of state, when faced with such serious findings, would “take the earliest opportunity to provide a full and comprehensive explanation of his
own involvement, and of what he plans to do to remedy the situation”.
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eanwhile, some believed the Church should instead pray for integrity in government. “It looks like we are too much of an opposing political party than a Church that purifies people's lives,” said one commentator. But Fr Mngadi said it was “impossible for the Church to just pray”. “If there are injustices, we must speak,” he told The Southern Cross. The statement called on Mr Zuma “to tell the nation now, not in June, how and when he plans to pay back the costs of items such as the swimming pool, the chicken run and others that have nothing to do with security”, and noted with con-
cern that “the president has claimed that, since he did not personally request such enhancements to his property, he is under no obligation to repay the costs thereof”. Citing the Freedom Charter, the bishops noted that “millions of our people continue to live in poverty and that many lack even rudimentary housing or shelter”. “This makes it all the more scandalous that nearly a quarter of a billion rands could be spent on the security and comfort of one citizen,” the bishops said. National Assembly speaker Max Sisulu has decided to investigate the Nkandla Report before the May 7 elections Neither the presidency nor the ANC responded to the bishops’ statement.
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