Spread love, not violence - Rev Mazibuko
MANZINI- “Love is not enough.”
This is the message that Reverend Johannes Mazibuko shared to people who were considering being in a relationship.
This was during the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) and Voice of the Church (VOC) breakfast prayer against gender-based violence (GBV) at The George Hotel yesterday under the theme, ‘Spread love, not violence.’
The reverend noted with concern the news of men or women being killed at the hands of their lovers. Mazibuko said if one tried to find out the reasons, it was because either a woman had refused to give the man sex, or the man had not given the woman money for hair. Nonetheless, he said they were not deterred because there was a God whom they could cry out to for help.
He said love was an attitude demonstrated with appropriate behaviour. Mazibuko said if one had hate within themselves, they demonstrated hate, and if they had love, they demonstrated love. “When I preach at church, I no longer preach to young people to prioritise love, because it is everywhere.
Nowadays, a Christian can love a non-believer with utmost love,” he said.
Instead, the reverend said love was a tool. He mentioned that he advised young people that the most fundamental thing to consider was if a person was a believer.
Mazibuko articulated that this was because if a person started to go astray, it was easy to appeal to their faith. He said if there was none, there was nowhere one could be appealed to.
“Let us be mature and note that the issue of love does not go alone. For love to be efficient, it should go together with communication, respect, fulfilling roles, as well as how to manage anger and intimacy,” Mazibuko said.
Meanwhile, the clergyman shared that according to the Bible, there was a command that people should love the Lord God with all their heart, soul and mind.
He said the other command was that people should love their neighbour as they loved themselves.
Reverend Mazibuko defined a neighbour as everyone that was not you.
He said a wife, husband, child and father were one’s neighbour. Mazibuko said one could not take a bush knife and hack his own foot. In essence, he said a neighbour should not be injured.
SWAGAA Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini said, as an organisation, they were concerned by the violence in the country that resulted in the loss of lives.
She said they realised that with their own efforts, they could not achieve the fight against GBV. However, with the assistance from God, they could be successful. She said they then came up with a prayer for the SWAGAA staff and the country at large. She mentioned that there was no better way than to collaborate with the VOC.
She quoted Philippians 4:13, where it is encouraged that people should not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, should present their requests to God. Dlamini said it was their prayer that no life would be lost on the day of love.