They fault the political leaders for not prioritizing the common good, saying, “The lack of ethical leadership at top levels and mismanagement of the country has provided space for the mentality and spirit of selfishness, bullying, lawlessness, disorder, violence, criminality, and lack of respect to reign, resulting in a collapse of peace among citizens.”
They also express concern about the “lack of peace in our close circles”, and add, “More often than not, the ambiance of our family, relatives, friends, colleagues, and fellow believers is often marred by discords. We are habitually unpeaceful within our close circles.”
To address the lack of peace, SACBC members invite the people of God “to embrace Christ who is God among us so that we can have peace at all levels of our existence.”
Focusing on South Africa, SACBC members say, “Observing how our country, which was once promising to be a model of prosperity in the African continent, is now fast living up to the doom prophecy of being ‘like the rest of African countries’ makes your heart sink rather than rejoice in peace.”
The vice of corruption has negatively affected the progress of South Africa, resulting in “massive unemployment”, which has robbed “millions of South Africans of their human dignity while a few are obscenely wealthy.”
“The indifference of those in leadership to complaints about the lack of essential services has resulted in a culture of violence and destruction of property as it is ‘the only way to be heard’”, SACBC members say in their two-page statement shared with ACI Africa.
Turning their attention to the war in the Holy Land, SACBC members say that the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas that started on October 7 is causing much suffering with “the displacement of over a million people, and thousands of them dying from bomb explosions.”
“Even more disturbing are the reports that in this war, every ten minutes, a child dies, to say nothing about the number of those injured, those separated from their families, and those who remain orphans,” Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa lament.
They add, “The people who get killed in Gaza are not only Palestinians but also journalists, humanitarian aid workers, kidnapped Israeli citizens, and soldiers. At this present moment, Gaza is described by many as the worst place to live on earth.”
In their Christmas 2023 Message, SACBC members weigh in on situations of lack of peace in other African countries, including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
