TUESDAY, 5:30PM:
THE Truth and Reconcilliation Commission continued to hear submissions and apologies from religious leaders on Wednesday, when some of the country’s most conservative churches admitted to their failure to act during the apartheid era.
Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa president Dr Izak Burger said the church was split into four racially divided churches during the apartheid years, and many members were state employees. Burger said: “Whichever way we look at it, we helped to keep the system going and thereby prolonged the hurt of apartheid.”
“Should we not have been more critical of what we were told? Should we not have challenged and resisted more? The questions are many. The answer to them all is yes. We all failed terribly.”
Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane, leader of the Zionist Christian Church, appeared before the commission, but mysteriously did not say a word. Instead, a ZCC council member read out the church’s submission, saying it had never ever actively opposed any South African government, and apologised for that omission. It then continued by urging that the goverment adopt the death penalty to end crime.
President of the International Federation of Christian Churches, Ray McCauley, used vivid imagery in his submission to describe the guilt of most members of the white charismatic and Pentecostal churches. He said: “When we should have been comforting and praying for those in desperate need we sometimes joined the cheering crowds and urged on the gladiators…” He said his followers were “paralysed by a false respect for government authority” as mere “spectators to the horrible acts of abuse of humanity in this country.”
The Muslim Judicial Council made an unscheduled appearance at the hearings on Wednesday, to counter an attack on Tuesdady by Muslim theologian Dr Faried Esack
MJC representative Imam Hassan Solomon admited the Muslim community should have done more, but added: “There might be some who made use of opportunities that were given to them during apartheid in terms of cheap labour. But we cannot place all Muslim businessmen in the same category as other privileged groups.”