12 April 2009
Introduction
I would like to thank you for allowing us to be here today. You have welcomed us with loving arms like true Christians indeed. Your unconditional embrace will go a long way into teaching others to be Good Samaritans, that is to love others beyond one's racial, cultural, ethnical and even religious prejudice. Had the Athenians prejudicially judged St Paul, he would not have ministered to them in Athens. Instead, despite their expressed prejudice that they did not translate into judgment or condemnation, they nonetheless offered him opportunity to speak to them, saying "let us hear what this babbler is going to say!" We all know that is how the gospel then spread in Athens, converting even the stoic and epicurean philosophers into the Christian faith.
The ANC is not a religious body, but a political broad movement that encapsulates various faiths, cultures, races and other strata or groups in society. We do not expect our work to be judged on religious grounds more so that even amongst religions there are disagreements on many matters. However, we want to be judged on whether or not we are on course towards, or succeeding in building a nation united in its diversity without the socioeconomic disparities informed by race, gender, geographic or ethnic fault lines as it were in the past. This vision for change is in line with the injunctions of our constitutional democracy. Again I thank you for the warmth with which you have received and welcomed us this morning in this part of our country, most particularly in your church premises of St John.
Relevance of the Easter Weekend
The Easter weekend is a time when Christians celebrate their deliverance from evil and sin, because it is a time when the Lord Jesus Christ died as sacrifice so that all humanity may live. It is also a time when the Israelis celebrate "Passover", which again has to do with the redemption of the Israeli nation from the bondage of Pharaoh. As leaders of the ANC, we deem all faiths important in South Africa; hence our constitution expressly protects the right to any faith without any fear of intimidation or prejudice. After all, the history of the ANC is synonymous with particularly the Christian faith, such that even the founding President of the African National Congress was the Reverend John Langalibalele Dube. There were other Presidents and leaders at various levels who were of the Christian or other faiths, such as President Makgatho and many others.
It was therefore no coincidence that during the founding of the ANC, national conference sang the old spiritual song "Lizalise Idinga Lakho, Thixo Nkosi Yenyaniso!" Also it was no coincidence that Enoch Sontonga's "Nkosi Sikelela I Afrika!", initially just an ordinary spiritual song, was then adopted as the ANC National Anthem in the struggle against apartheid.
What I am saying to you today as members and leaders in the Christian faith in general and St John Church in particular, is that your relevance in the ANC is amplified by the history of the ANC itself. When we as ANC leaders speak to Christian congregations, in fact we are speaking to our very own and to ourselves. No one can then fault us if we expect you to take co-leadership in the affairs of our country or when we speak to your congregations as when our President spoke recently at the Rhema Bible Church. We believe you realize that the bondage of our people under the yoke and legacy of apartheid requires you to rise like Moses and Joshua, to lead our people not just to political freedom that we obtained in 1994, but also to ensure the better life for all our people. Your calls for a more morally inclined society is shared by us, hence we launched the Moral Regeneration Movement as mainly a Christian led initiative. This is because our concept or understanding of morality is not just about how individuals must behave, but is also about the immorality of social and economic inequality largely due to the legacy of apartheid.
The recent developments with regards to the charges against the ANC President vindicated our long held view that there was a well orchestrated conspiracy against our party leader, similar to the Pharisees' conspiracy against Jesus Christ, which involved one of his own disciples in Judas Iscariot. These peddlers of lies are therefore no different from those who wished to stop the deliverance of the Israelis from the bondage of Pharaoh, nor are they different from those who shouted "crucify him, crucify him", after bringing a host of false witnesses to find the Lord Jesus Christ guilty against all odds. While Jesus Christ was betrayed by his own disciple to the Pharisees, the ANC President was betrayed by his own comrades to counter revolutionaries. As the ANC, we say this is not just injustice but is gross violation of human rights and of our constitutional laws. This conspiracy had the potential to bring our country into political instability. That is why you must join us in building even stronger institutional frameworks for our democracy that would not be open to the abuse by those who have selfish interests.
There are many events taking place across the country over the Easter Weekend. For many people of faith it is a period of peace and reflection. Coming less than two weeks before our fourth general election, it is also a time for prayer and preparation for a peaceful and successful election.
The country will also commemorate the assassination of ANC and SACP leader Chris Hani in 1993. This comes a week after the 30th anniversary of the execution of Solomon Mahlangu and a week before the anniversary of the death of former ANC President Oliver Tambo.
A PEACEFUL ELECTION
The ANC is calling on all South Africans of faith to pray for a peaceful, fair and successful election that reflects the wishes of the people. It is calling on all South Africans to prepare themselves for the election, find out where they need to vote, and decide which party they wish to vote for.
The ANC is calling on all parties to work together with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure that there are no instances of intimidation or violence.
For its part, the ANC is determined that none of its members or supporters should engage in such activities. The ANC has signed the Electoral Code of Conduct, and have consistently called on our own members and supporters to adhere to this code.
Violations of the code of conduct are criminal offences punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years. We view any violation of the code as an attack on the democratic values that underpin our Constitution.
The ANC will investigate any allegations of Electoral Code violations by its members, and, where necessary, will take appropriate disciplinary steps.
The ANC calls on the security forces to work to ensure that any infringements are prosecuted, and that all voters are able to exercise their rights free from intimidation or other interference.
AN ELECTION TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES
This election is about choosing a party with the policies to improve people's lives.
It is about choosing a party that has the experience, capacity and plans to grow the economy and create decent work, to fight poverty, to improve access to quality education and health, to develop our rural areas, and to fight crime.
As we prepare for the election, we must honestly assess the achievements of the last 15 years, and see how people's lives have improved.
Since the dawn of democracy we have achieved a lot. We have rescued the economy, and ensured that it has grown consistently. Under difficult conditions, we have been creating jobs at a faster rate. Many of our people have been lifted out of poverty, and millions have for the first time had access to proper housing, water, electricity and sanitation.
But we must acknowledge that a lot still needs to be done, and we face new challenges.
Many of our people still struggle to find work. There are still people who don't have proper houses or basic services. Many families struggle to make ends meet, many children cannot afford to go to school, and many people still find it difficult to get the health care they need.
The global economic crisis is having an impact on our country. But thanks to the policies of the ANC we have done better than many other countries. We are determined to work together with all South Africans to minimise the effects of this global challenge.
The ANC has a clear and achievable plan over the next five years to improve people's lives further. We have five priority areas:
By making progress in further improving the lives of our people we will be honouring the memories of Oliver Tambo, Chris Hani and Solomon Mahlangu.
Conclusion
As I conclude, let me re-iterate what Jesus Christ himself would have said during our times. I believe Christ would have said love your neighbour as you love yourself. In other words, he would have said work for the good of the greater society. Christ would also have said we must love justice. That is why the Pharisees and Sadducees ensured lies were told against him, because he confronted them daily on their hypocrisy and injustice while they lived large at the expense of the people. Jesus Christ identified himself with the weak, with sinners, with tax collectors, the poor, those in hospital, those in prison, with those accused of prostitution, those despised by society, the marginalized, the weak, all of whom he defended against the further injustice and hypocrisy of the powers that may be as wielded by the Pharisees and Sadducees of the day. He said that in his judgment in the latter days, he will say to those who neglected these "little ones", surely I don't know you, and depart from me! Similarly, I can dare say that in the same vision of the Reverend John Langalibalele Dube up to the present day, the ANC is thriving to champion the cause of the poor, the weak and the marginalized, and it is for this reason that we believe Christians have every reason to identify themselves with the African National Congress.
Once again, I would like to exceedingly thank you for allowing us to join you in commemorating the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know this is the most important event in the Christian calendar as it informs the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Allow me therefore to wish you well as you conclude this sacred yet so remarkable event. I hope it will inspire you into doing more of the noble good that Jesus Christ stood for. I leave you with the scripture with which to meditate in Micah 6 verses 6 to 8, which says: "With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God"
In my capacity as Minister of Transport, I wish you a safe journey home as you would know that around these times we have so many people prone to breaking the laws and rules of our roads.
May God exceedingly bless you!
I thank you!
WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE