Leading clerics join voices of dissent over Zuma
RELIGIOUS leaders have called on South Africans to protest against corruption and bad leadership tomorrow, following the cabinet reshuffle and removal of Pravin Gordhan as finance minister.
Reverend Ray McCauley, Pundit Ashwin Trikamjee and Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, of the National Religious Leaders Council (NRLC), together with clerics Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of the Anglican Church, Bishop Zipho Siwa, president of the South African Council of Churches, and Bishop Mosa Sono of the International Federation of Christian Churches, yesterday called on President Jacob Zuma “to do the honourable thing and step down”.
“The actions of the president of recalling former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, from an international roadshow aimed at wooing investors and engaging with ratings agencies has left South Africa embarrassed and humiliated on the international stage,” said Pastor Giet Khosa.
“It’s beyond comprehension that the president, who is required by the constitution to put South Africa and its people first, could behave in a manner contrary to his oath of office.
“While the country was still in shock last week that such an action of recalling the finance minister was effected, the president still reshuffled his cabinet and fired Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, viewed by religious leaders and the majority of South Africans as competent people of integrity, and who have always prioritised the interests of South Africa and its people,” Khosa said.
“The cumulative effect of these and current events is that the president has lost all moral legitimacy to govern, and therefore should do the honourable thing and step down.
“The ANC and Parliament have now no reason to delay holding the president accountable and do everything in their power to remove him from office,” he said.
Khosa added that the NRLC and church leaders would join civil society and Save South Africa in protest tomorrow.
“South Africans can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch the president ruin our beloved country, which we struggled so hard for,” he said.
Goldstein used the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover to emphasise “that freedom is the greatest gift from God”.
“God has blessed South Africa with the gift of freedom, but we know that it’s a blessing that came with great sacrifice for so many people who sacrificed their lives, their families and so much else.”