Government Partners with Faith Based Religious leaders to create a better life for all.

By Prince t.

© God’s Business Mag, 2008
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24 July 2008.
Johannesburg, South Africa: The legislature of the City Of Jo’burg (CoJ) has partnered with Religious leaders in the Gauteng area in an attempt to echo a common tune towards remedying a host of issues that concerns the wellbeing of the people of Jo’burg. Today marks the fifth (5th) Faith Based Forum meeting with the City of Jo’burg.

In her welcome note, as appearing in the fourth (4th) issue of The Stakeholder’s Newsletter, the speaker of Council, councillor Nkele Ntingane said the challenges the City of Jo’burg faces in creating a “better life for all are not only issues of service delivery”. “Government, no matter how committed it is to the principles of good service delivery, cannot operate in an unfettered manner”, she added.

She further advised that there is need for “a strong and critical supportive” Council to ensure that the proposals of the Executive, are “effectively scrutinized” and appraised as necessity demands. She added that for the democratic process to be legitimate and be seen as such by all stakeholders “there must be on-going community participation in the democratic process”.

For her part, the Human Development Directorate (HDD) representative Ms. Thuli Mlangeni today told the delegates that it is a duty and an obligation for the city of Jo’burg to ensure that “all its people”, that is every human being who falls within its jurisdiction, whether migrants or not, “do not feel socially excluded nor victimized”. Ms. Mlangeni was delivering a presentation on the progress made by her department so far, especially following the aftermath of the atrocious xenophobic attacks which almost tarnished the reputation of the country.

“Faith Based Forum is going to be the main catalyst in the reformation and reintegration of the xenophobic-displaced immigrants”, she said. She also said “the city’s programme on common Citizenship and counter xenophobia is committed to the agenda of addressing social exclusion.” According to Ms. Mlangeni, the implementation of the Re-integration plan for the 2730 displaced persons within the Human Rights parameters remains a major challenge for the CoJ. She however acknowledged the involvement of various churches that helped in this aftermath. “Immediately after the attacks, churches made donations towards solving the problem” she enthused.

She further called on the church to get involved in grooming community leaders who will be able to harness the youthful energies of the violent perpetrators within our communities. Ms. Mlangeni bemoaned the quality of leadership within our communities today, saying perpetrators of violence are the youth, “therefore leadership is a necessity”.

Addressing the delegation on violence in schools, an executive from Phaphama Initiatives, said at least 15% of learners (at least two million learners) in South Africa have been exposed to violence at school, while at least 20% of secondary school learners are exposed to violence, other than sexual violence. She continue to say that at least 15% have been exposed to drug use by a family member, while the other 20% know siblings who have been in jail.

She said that exposure of youngster to criminal activities thwarts the psychic and mental development of these children. “if children see that solving a problem is through the use of violence, then, that is what they will learn”, she cautioned.

However, she further lamented the fact that although children grow up seeing such violence in the home, research have shown about 90% of students as saying they felt much safer at home than on the streets. Commenting on this she said this shows that these youngsters have accepted the ‘normality’ of violence at home and have been numbed by its effects.

Therefore, violence in schools is a direct reflection of violence in the community, she lambasted. Furthermore she said that absent fathers were contributing negatively to the general welfare of society and requested pastors present, to take up the issue of fatherhood at their pulpits. “Criminals are not out there, they are in our homes, we are breeding and fostering criminals in our homes” she lamented.

She warned the delegates, saying that at least 16% of youngsters between the ages 12 to 14 have considered getting involved in crime or criminal activity. While for those aged between 18 to 20 about 22% of them have considered crime.

She went on to make some recommendations towards alleviating violence in our schools and homes, saying that “targeted early preventative interventions” should be the focus of our efforts. “We have a duty to lobby the government on these issues as religious institutions”, she exhorted.

On their part, the FBF said following the deliberations they made towards this noble goal by the government, they would consider their voices crucial to the process should a report back be availed them in the form of an appraisal. “Report back is very crucial”, they said.