Bishops call on politicians to address root causes of hardship

The worst violence in several years, unleashed by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma, has prompted South Africa’s bishops to appeal for an end to the violence and looting which has killed more than 70 people, write Munyaradzi Makoni and Ellen Teague.

“Let us not allow the difference of opinion on political matters to be hijacked by criminal intentions to create anarchy in our country that will result in a worse social and economic situation than we presently find ourselves in,” said Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Umtata, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He called on politicians to address the root causes of poverty, inequality and injustices.

 On 8 July, a day after Mr Zuma reported to prison for refusing to appear before a commission of inquiry into corruption during his tenure, protests erupted in KwaZulu-Natal, his home province. 

The unrest extended to other parts of the country including Gauteng province where Johannesburg and Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) are located. Bishop Sipuka called for a shift in mindset for a society that has normalised vandalism to get the government to listen to its grievances. 

The Jesuit Institute South Africa (JISA) urged:?“Violence causes immediate and long-term suffering to all and will not address the pertinent issues that need to be urgently addressed in this country.”

“South Africa has long been on a precipice,” said ethicist Anthony Egan SJ and Fr Russell Pollitt, JISA director. “What we witness is symptomatic of a number of factors that cannot be ignored: the country’s tragic history, endemic corruption, political infighting, moral decay, disregard for the law and the unfavourable global economic conditions, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.”