Churches take stand against corruption

CHURCH leaders across the province have united in protest against Covid-19 corruption under the banner “corruption is not our heritage”.

The campaign was launched nationally two weeks ago, to try and bring those implicated in government graft to account.

Yesterday’s event was part of a nationwide campaign of protests, church services and sermons.

From noon, church leaders held a quiet protest outside St George’s Cathedral before heading to the legislature, displaying banners with messages such as “corruption is a sin”.

The group included the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, and Western Cape South African Council of Churches chairperson Lionel Louw, who served as their spokesperson.

Louw said church leaders also gathered at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and outside provincial government offices across the country.

“This is an event for today, but there is an ongoing campaign. There will be webinars that will be happening and later there will be an interfaith service towards the end of this month.

“We are saying that in this Heritage Month, our heritage is one of integrity and not corruption,” he said.

“We know we have had corruption generally being committed in South Africa for a number of years, but we have been hit by this Covid-19 pandemic and it just sharpened the extent to which there is corruption being committed at a time when, by virtue of this pandemic, we have to cope with people getting ill and people dying.

“In the midst of having to serve the health interests of our communities we have people who are enriching themselves through corruption.”

Reverend Jan Cloete, the moderator of the Synod of the Calvyn Protestant Church of South Africa, said in a statement: “The church acknowledges the steep decline in the moral fibre of the citizenry of the country.

“The indescribable acts of greed and corruption that has befallen our government and many of our leaders is extremely disappointing.

“The church calls for these corrupt leaders to be held accountable immediately, and that their participation in government activities be suspended with immediate effect. We call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to act decisively without fear or favour. Our democracy is at stake.”