Categories News Bishops’ Statement on Campus Unrest Post date 26th February 2017 Statement of the Synod of Bishops on the situation on South African university campuses “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before people that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5: 13-16 The Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, assembled in Benoni from February 20 to 24, reflected on the state of education in South Africa with specific regard to the disruptions of the educational process arising from the protests over university fees, curricula and the living conditions, transport problems and safety of students which have formed part of the #FeesMustFall, #Decolonized Education and similar campaigns. The 2017 academic year The Synod of Bishops applauds the efforts of students, university management teams and the National Education Crisis Forum to save the academic year at the end of 2016. We pray God’s blessings over the 2017 academic year and beyond. Civil society involvement The Synod acknowledges and wishes to encourage the tremendous work of civil society through the South African Council of Churches, the Higher Education Parents Dialogue (HEParD) and the National Education Crisis Forum, and of the business community and political parties in certain areas, in engaging with government, university managements and students in seeking to normalise life on campuses while at the same time addressing the real and urgent problems which #FeesMustFall and #Decolonised education activists have brought to the fore. The responsibilities of students We acknowledge the right of students to protest over issues about which they feel strongly. At the same time we plead with them to find and maintain constructive ways of making themselves heard without resorting to violence or destructive action. We urge them to accept the responsibility for facilities on their campuses which accompanies a sense of being co-owners of their institutions. The responsibilities of university managements We plead with university managements to adopt a deep listening posture in response to student unrest, and to work with students to find creative solutions to the pressing issues with which we are confronted. While we are grateful for those campuses which have returned to normality, we are deeply concerned at the presence of police and increased numbers of security personnel on a number of campuses. This militarised presence kills dialogue and serves to deepen polarisation between students and management. In doing so, it induces a false sense of calm on those campuses, which conceals the potential for renewed violent confrontation. We therefore also call on university managements to withdraw the police and to scale back to normal levels the presence of security guards on campuses. The Government’s responsibility Whilst we commend efforts by government to address the tertiary education crisis, we feel it is at times overwhelmed by it and we would like to see government, especially the Minister and the Department of Higher Education and Training, play a more pro-active role in addressing it. We strongly urge the government to seek more creative ways of providing more resources for education, and in particular of creating a “free funding model” for tertiary education – including provision for high earners and companies to contribute to the costs of that education – so that students do not have to graduate with crippling levels of debt. We acknowledge the Minister of Finance’s allocations for tertiary education in his budget and we appeal for further tangible commitments and timelines for increased funding. Conclusion We call the church to prayer and action to help all parties involved to develop a new vision for the future of education in our land, a vision which will guide us in finding a long-lasting solution to the challenge of giving all our children, especially those living in material poverty, access to a good education which enables them to realise their God-given potential. Benoni, February 2017
Categories News Kimberley Diocese Speaks Out on Deaths Post date 17th February 2017 Statement on the death of 94 Mentally challenged people by the Bishop Of Kimberley at the 52nd Session of the Diocesan Synod Commentary on the death of 94 Mentally challenged people The 52nd Session of the Synod of the Anglican Church of the Diocese of Kimberley & Kuruman expressed great sadness at the deaths of 94 mental patients who died because they were disrupted by what appears to be insensitive relocation. We learnt that despite objections and pleas by their families their comfort thus contributing directly to their tragic deaths. We further noted the cold and insensitive attitude of the speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon Baleka Mbete, who found it impossible to concede to a request for a moment of silence to acknowledge the tragedy. We believe that such a gesture would have meant a lot to the grieving families. Unfortunately, this rejection reflected on the entire ruling party since none of them risked the opportunity of making such a conciliatory and sympathetic gesture. We continue to pray for the families as they struggle to get to grips with the situation. We also pray for those in authority that they may be enabled to make good and right decisions – rather than expedient ones. May God bless all who can and do make a difference and may we all be convicted to always take the right decisions for the benefit of the vulnerable people in our midst. The Right Revd Oswald Swartz on behalf of the Synod of the Diocese of Kimberley & Kuruman NB: At the time when this statement was being prepared, it was reported in the press that the number of deceased had grown to 100 and probably beyond. We make a serious call for those in authority to address this matter with the urgency it deserves and take bold steps in putting remedial plans into place.
Categories News Dean of Joburg Addresses Civic Leaders on Ethics Post date 15th February 2017 The Dean of Johannesburg, the Very Revd Xolani Dlwathi, addressed the city’s Mayoral Budget Lekgotla on the moral responsibilities of government to provide clean and accountable governance. The full text of his address to the city’s civic leaders can be found by downloading the PDF below. Dean’s Adress – COJ Budget Lekgotla February 2017 Final
Categories News Anglicans Ablaze 2016 Post date 29th July 2016 Vulindlela: Open the Way International Anglicans Ablaze Conference 5-8 October 2016 Bishops Diocesan College, Rondebosch, Cape Town. Registration opens from 10h00 to 13h00 on 5th of October. Conference begins on Wednesday the 5th at 14h00 and ends on Saturday the 8th at 13h00.
