“Am I my brother’s (sister’s) keeper?” –Genesis 4.9

“Violence is the problem that most concerns Americans. And it is a problem that has defied most of the solutions we have adopted against it; from longer prison sentences to the death penalty.”-James Gilligan, an American psychiatrist.

The newspapers and the screens of our television sets scream at us all the time, reminding us in a very profound way that violence and acts of criminality are becoming endemic, and almost a way of life, acceptable and normative. The question we must ask ourselves, both the perpetrators and the victims is: Why should that be the case? Should we be so paralyzed by acts of violence that we are reduced into a state of numbness, fear and hopelessness, that we can no longer stand up and say: enough is enough!As the South African Council of Churches we do not think we should be so helpless as to think there is nothing we can do to arrest the situation, and turn things around, metaphorically turning the corner. We must, and should all, resolutely say “no” to violence, our people deserve tranquility, peace, and justice.

We should also, realizing that violence begets violence, send a strong message to the criminal rogues that all people of goodwill are committed to co-operating with legitimate structures, and all law enforcement agencies including the police and judiciary, to ensure that those who are bent on criminal acts will be tracked down by all of society and be brought to book.

We certainly cannot afford to stand by paralyzed, wringing our hands as if in a state of hopelessness, and do nothing to protect our communities against the marauding band of criminals. We need to rally around one another – churches and all religious groupings, police, civil society, trade unions, political organizations, civic organizations - with the intention of isolating and rooting out the criminal element within our society.

We are committed as the Council of Churches to do everything humanly possible to contribute to a process that will drastically reduce violence and crime to negligible levels. And this we want to do by using our churches and pulpits to drum up messages that will sensitize all our people that violence and crime are an affront to human dignity and have the effect of dehumanizing both the victims and the perpetrators alike and should be resisted with all the might at our disposal.

Within the church structures we want to create “foot soldiers” whose tasks is to spread a message of hope to their constituencies, and that however dire and grim their situation of violence and crime may seem to be, we have to soldier on and struggle together to assist in the eradication of crime and violence. As the Council we are concerned that the spate of violence in our country is both shocking and debilitating, rendering the citizens of this country into a state of constant pain, panic, shock and uncertainty.

When statistics tell us that more than 100 000 people have been the victims of gun violence between 1994 and 2004, we need to be concerned as a nation. It is easy to argue, and seek to discredit and repudiate such statistics. That is not our point. The point is that when you read about the incidents relating to the undermining of government’s security structures by the daring acts of criminality that leaves us all fearful and paralyzed as had been the case this week when both the civilians and police officers fell under a barrage of gunfire from robbers, and were killed in cold blood, then we need to sit up and ask: where are we headed to as South Africans?

The answer may lie in the need to encourage our people to show respect and honour to our police. Without our support their effort of maintaining law and order will be undermined to the detriment of all of us.

We can all contribute to finding a solution to these acts of crime and violence. Criminals are a segment of society, and if this is the case, the solution might well be found within the society from which they are reared. We cannot shrug shoulders; we have to establish why have a segment of our society strayed, and has lost all attributes of humanity and respect for life and that it could find nothing wrong in killing others with such impunity. For us this is crucial; we have to address the sad reality that the human “monsters” and perpetrators of violence are an integral part of society, and are bent on destroying the very society they are part of.

It is equally important that the political leadership plays a positive role in ensuring that the effectiveness of policing and the safety of our people becomes a reality.

We are pained and disgusted by the fact that our society has to lose human life to violence of this magnitude, and must express our disgust at this lack of respect for human life. It is a great pity that when police intervene in an act of crime, they become victims of an ambush and as a result pay an ultimate price of death. Our deepest sympathy is extended to the relatives, colleagues and friends of the slain police officers.

The Council of Churches has to acknowledge, with joy, reports on the decline of violence in the country, yet as we note these reports, it is the isolated acts of barbarism that tends to overshadow everything good done by the police.

The Council of Churches is due to hold its Central Committee meeting in Johannesburg on July 11 and 12, and will announce its plan to dedicate the month of August to acts of compassion and the breaking of the cycle of violence. We want to play a meaningful role in strengthening the hand of the police by encouraging our communities to support, in all possible ways, the victims of violence and bring healing to our people.

For more information please contact: Fr Jo Mdhlela at 076 560 6967 or the SACC General Secretary, Eddie Makue at 0828538781