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PRAYER FOCUS
April 2004

SOUTH AFRICA OUR CONCERN

Br. Eckhard Buchholz, present pastor of Cliftonville and Ballinderry Moravian Churches in Northern Ireland, who served in South Africa, and has a South African wife, reports on a British conference to celebrate ten years of freedom from apartheid.)

Catherine and I were asked by the British PEC to attend the Conference A decade of freedom … the decade ahead, as delegates of the British Province within the family of Churches Together. The South African High Commission in London had invited about 1000 representatives from Europe and Great Britain. Since it was a government-aided three days meeting, with quite intensive addresses from various ministers and outstanding activists against apartheid, it is not surprising, that the conference wanted to look back at ten years of stunning achievement since the fall of apartheid.

            Was it symptomatic that the organizers forgot to include a church related topic in a list of 17 topics for as many commissions? They had however organized a workshop for “Religious and Faith groups” among 12 other workshops. The Christians know very well what decisive part the churches have played and still are playing, because they work at the basis of the society. Where politicians make short appearances, the church is permanently active.

            The plenaries were filled with information about the industrial and economic achievements, about the HIV/Aids struggle, about land distribution and security.  A trade treaty with the European Union was signed and the technical know how of South Africa is increasingly utilized in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

            I was particularly interested in education: the legacy of apartheid is still everywhere visible. Not only that; five different education departments had to be reorganized into one, also the material and the standards and the staff had to be reorganized into one equal type of education for all.  The same can be said about the health services and the land issues. All parts of the South African Society had to be reorganized on the principles of democracy and equal opportunities. That was and still is a major task ahead. At the same time, one can say, South Africa has made exceptionally good progress. In these days one can also see that by the strengthening of the South African currency on the world market.            

            The workshops were supposed to give some guidance and ideas for the celebrations in the year 2003 and for development during the next 10 years. 

            The “Religion and Faith group” recommended special Services of Thanks and Commemoration in the different congregations apart from the main service on the 24^th April 2004 in St. Paul’s in London. That was election day. The group recommended alternative visits to South Africa and exhibitions to be organized to show the change. Theologically it was felt that reconciliation and black theology, as well as a dialogue with other religions could be worthwhile topics for the years to come.

            The conference programme rightly pointed out that the first 10 years of South African democracy has laid the firm foundations for the country to progress with confidence through the next decade.

            Appropriately we closed with the National  Anthem: “Nkosi sikelel I Afrika = God bless Africa