Although South Africa has gained democracy, it has not brought about a sense of national peace and justice, said Rev Roxanne Jordaan at the fifth Annual Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture.

The lecture, which took place on 14 October 2009 at the Bellville Campus, honours the role Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu played in championing the struggle both in South Africa and globally.

This year marked the second lecture hosted by CPUT, in conjunction with the South African Council of Churches (SACC).

Rev Jordaan, who is affiliated to SACC and is the co-ordinator of the Kairos Theologian Forum, touched on issues of injustice in South Africa.

One of the first women in the country to take her place in Theologian circles, Rev Jordaan said: “Democratic elections within themselves do not bring about peace. We won the race, but the prize is wrong.”

She said during Apartheid communities knew their enemies and were driven by a sense of justice and hope. Leaders were fearless and had common vision.

However, she said while democratisation has removed the injustice of Apartheid, it has replaced it with many more injustices.

Rev Jordaan said we must name the injustices in society, in order to move towards making changes in South Africa.

One of the injustices she referred to is the fear of disagreement with the ruling party.

“When the Archbishop Emeritus Tutu challenged the ruling party, he was chastised and the media played to it,” she said.

Rev Jordaan said he spoke for many South Africans who have become silent.

Other injustices include poverty, lack of descent housing and unemployment.

“The poorest of poor are getting poorer, sinking deeper into the bottomless pit of despair,” she said.

A bad health system, infant mortality, loss of human dignity and national security are just some of the other injustices South Africans face, said Rev Jordaan

Referring to the 1970 uprisings, she said we should now be propelled by that same fearlessness we possessed back then to make a change.

“Our institutions are battered, our people are weak and it is in these moments of consuming darkness that the theologians and the youth need to reinvigorate the national consciousness, our fearless spirit,” she said.

Rev Jordaan said she hopes that we are ready to take our place as the defendants of peace.

Quoting Archbishop Tutu, she said peace involves inevitable righteousness, justice, wholesomeness, fullness of life, participation in decision making, goodness, laughter, joy, compassion and reconciliation.

Rev Jordaan said: “In my view the absence of fear reflects the presence of peace, because we would be engaged in activities that make for meaningful change.”

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT in conjunction with the South African Council of Churches (SACC) hosted the Annual Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture on 7 October 2008. The lecture, which took place at the Bellville Campus, also marked the Archbishop Emeritus’ 77th birthday.

The event, themed, “Let justice flow like a river", was to honour the role the Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu had played in championing the struggle both in South Africa and globally.

SA Council of Churches Rev Dr Vuyani Vellem, who delivered the peace lecture, touched on the role the Archbishop Emeritus and the church had played during apartheid and post-apartheid.

Referring to the current political changes in South Africa, Vellem raised concerns on the role of the church, post-apartheid.

“The church certainly got lost,” he said.

Rev Dr Vellem said the SACC had openly stated that one of the mistakes they had made was to adopt a notion of “critical solidarity with the state.” He said the church must now be “critically engaged with the state.

Rev Dr Vellem said the church has a stake in promoting democracy.

“The meaning of democracy, the protection of democracy and the feeding of morality in democratic discourse characterises the role of the church in our context. The church does not perform this role arbitrarily. The church is called to read the signs of the times,” he said.

He told the audience that the SACC is in the process of developing a document, which will state what South Africans expect from democracy and the leaders in office.

The Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a Nobel peace prize winner, who is known for being outspoken, backed Rev Dr Vellem.

He too said the church had lost its way since the advent of democracy.

""The church has found it very difficult to change from the ‘against’ mode to the 'for' mode,” he said.

He also raised concerns around the current political climate in South African and issues of democracy. Referring to biblical text, he said many South Africans are still in the “wilderness.”

The Archbishop Emeritus said some South Africans had already crossed the “river Jordan”, while many others had been left behind.

He said in the current context of South Africa, this parable was important to remember.

Meanwhile, CPUT Vice-chancellor, Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga said the newly formed relationship with the SACC had been received with “joy” by the entire university community.

Prof Mazwi-Tanga said CPUT prides itself as being an engaged university. “Partnerships with communities, churches and civil organisations are central to our business,” she said.

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