Mariannhill, 12 April, 2023 / 8:45 pm (ACI Africa).
Disputes over land in South Africa can be linked to inability of the citizens to realize “social cohesion”, the Bishop of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Mariannhill has said.
In his April 1 Lenten Reflection published on YouTube, Bishop Neil Augustine Frank says challenges around land go "deep into time".
“The land issue is a contentious one in South Africa and this can be correlated to the lack of social cohesion. We are not gathered together as the people of South Africa," Bishop Frank says, and adds, "Gathering the people is connected to their own land."
Bishop Frank explains the importance of cohesion and land ownership, saying the lack of togetherness resulted in the division of Israel into two kingdoms after the demise of King Solomon.
The member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) says that in South Africa, "Our social cohesion will be achieved only when we all can say equally we are in our own land together as a nation."