Marches against undocumented immigrants: SACC's Reverend Mzwandile Molo weighs in

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]We'll stay with this particular theme.

[00:00:01]As you heard, they the calls for unity, but also in light of what is currently happening, the South African government's response when you look at the anti-foreigner sentiments is often viewed by some as more reactive than preventative. And we heard the minister saying that they've just been watching this and they are not being reactive, but also they've condemned the violence and ongoing issues. Of course, when you think about high unemployment, they do admit that the country is struggling with this and an economy that is also not growing. But also, of course, when you think about the unity, one of the people speaking to Jade this speaks about unity. What is this, you know, true social cohesion, particularly when we're looking at South Africa today? So, to unpack these challenges and the path forward, we we're joined by the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches.

[00:00:53]That's Reverend Mzondile Letmollo.

[00:00:55]Reverend, good evening to you and thank you so much for time. And firstly, happy Africa Day to you. Perhaps we just start with just your reflections on what has been taking place, particularly the marches that we've been seeing across the country.

[00:01:10]Good afternoon evening, Bongiwethu. Good evening to your viewers. I must confess, Bongiwethu, that indeed, as we agreed for this conversation, I didn't anticipate the announcement made by the minister.

[00:01:22]But for the point you are raising, I do want to say yesterday the SACC had a Pentecost and Africa Day service.

[00:01:31]At the core of that is a celebration of the pouring of God's spirit that allows us to break all barriers and build new communities built on solidarity and sharing.

[00:01:42]And we also celebrate Africa Day because for us as the SACC, we remember that this is a continent of great beauty, of great diversity, and of great love, and great solidarity. At the center of this continent is this idea that we are connected as people, we are connected as as as humanity.

[00:01:59]And we in South Africa have experienced that beauty and that sacrifice as we developed into our own definition of what it is to be free.

[00:02:09]And we know therefore that the challenges that we face that has made our people frustrated with the realities of poverty, with the realities of crime, with the realities of disconnection and even sometimes a sense of a disconnectedness from their own political leaders has created a sense of deep frustration and part of that allows them therefore to seek for solutions that seems obvious.

[00:02:32]And we as the SACC believe that we need to find a way to focus our energy not only on against each other, but focus our energy on building a country and a region that is able to transform the economic reality and the life reality of all the peoples of the region and of the continent. In the context of of a world where racism has raised its ugly head, where people people of African descent and people of of of of of non non-white people have been categorized as a reason for all that is wrong in the world. We in South Africa have a responsibility and we as the church have a responsibility to build a broader understanding of our humanity and deepen our role. And South Africans have that capacity, we do believe. And Reverend, when it comes to you know what you're calling for, especially as you say that rather take the energies that are being put into all of what is going on right now and you know put them towards growing the region, put them towards making sure that it's a stronger region. What is the possibility of that currently and what does it look like especially when you think about some of the frustrations that are being raised by some of the people on the ground?

[00:03:48]The The reality is that we need to rise to the occasion.

[00:03:53]All of us who lead in different sectors of society.

[00:03:57]Firstly, our political leaders need to rise to the occasion and not respond to the passions and the anger of the moment, but discern and really really dissect at the core of what is happening in our region.

[00:04:11]Secondly, beyond our national borders, we need to invest time in understanding how we develop our region. SADC needs to rise to the occasion and say to itself, what is its role beyond simply securing the political future of the elites in in the region, but committing itself to work seriously into transforming the lives of our people so that the riches of Mozambique, the riches of Angola, the riches of Zimbabwe are all employed to lift our people from this deep dehumanizing poverty into a great possibility of believing in a new future of our region. The truth is our people have lost hope.

[00:04:52]And they have lost hope in our political leadership, they lost hope in our policing and legal frames, they have lost hope in our own in in the ability of those given the responsibility to lead us out of this, but we need to say to them, we can all hold hands and work together to build a different Africa, build a different region. And that means we cannot allow those who are poor to fight [snorts] each other. We cannot allow those who are weak and vulnerable to be dehumanized further as if the poverty they they live in is not enough.

[00:05:24]So, Reverend, um when one thinks about the role that the church often gets called upon to play, especially when it comes to the conversations around social cohesion, because if one could say, you possibly as a church the first responders, because when someone hasn't eaten, they call their pastor first to say, I don't have something to eat. When there's a commotion wherever, a pastor at times is called first. So, as at times the first responders. And now in in in in a time when social cohesion is all more important than ever before, what becomes the role of the church in Africa today?

[00:06:06]The first thing that we say as the SACC is that the role of the church is to become a place where those who are vulnerable can find new hope. And that means the following things, Vongai.

[00:06:17]Where those who are hungry, we're asking our local churches to help those people who are hungry.

[00:06:21]Where there's a need to to to to create social cohesion by allowing conversations to happen within our localities because all these things happen in localities. We ask our church leaders to inform themselves of the matter, create spaces in their own local churches to build a cohesive engagement for our people to understand each other, to have a better dissection and discernment of what the real problem is, and work together to solve their problems within their communities. So that in their communities drug drug drug abuse is dealt with, illegality is dealt with, even the issues around the corrupt policeman is dealt with. At the provincial and national level, we as the SACC have committed ourselves to work with, firstly, in calling our own leaders to political leaders and elites to stop the corruption, to ask those who are in businesses both in the business sector of hotels, restaurants, also in the farms, to stop to pit the poor of our people against each other so that they employ those whom they know have no rights because they they don't have the right documents and exploit them in that context. We are also calling on Saturday to what we call for KISA and African African Conference of Churches to say, "Solve of African problems because we are all our future is in one government as African people. When the people of Mozambique feel un- unprotected, exploited, then that has an impact on South Africa. The same in Harare, Zimbabwe. Africans African church African leaders must act decisively quickly before this continent disintegrate further. And if you can allow me Bongani, I must say it was deep sense of of it was a deep sense of disappointment to hear that some of the ambassadors in Africa in South Africa have boycotted an African Union Day as a celebration in our country. We believe that is not the best way to solve the problem because our unity is at stake and the more we work together now, it is better for our continent. Reverend, appreciate your time. Thank you so much for speaking to us. That is the Reverend Mzwandile Molo there, the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches.