I Would Rather Be a Hungry Dog That
Runs Free ...
EAPPI Accompanier Deborah Donnell is part of
a group of people who are harassed and shot at by Israeli soldiers in the village of
Artas on Labour Day.
2009 Central Committee
Communique
The annual meeting of the SACC Central Committee
took place 27-29 May at Cedar Park in Woodmead, Johannesburg. The meeting issued
this communique summarising key aspects of their deliberations and actions.
Piece by Piece the Land is Being Stolen:
An EAPPI Report
Simphiwe Pato, an Ecumenical Accompanier based in
Hebron, shares his experiences of security force bias at an action to protest
the incursion of Israeli settlers onto land owned by Palestinians. Six
members of Israeli anti-occupation organisations were arrested at the
protest for refusing to leave occupied land hastily declared a "closed
military area" by the Israeli Defence Force.
SACSEC Commends Free and Fair 2009
Elections
The South African Civil Society Election Coalition
(SACSEC), a network of non-governmental and civil society organisations
co-ordinated by the South African Council of Churches, announced today that it
is satisfied that South Africa's fourth round of national and provincial
elections was conducted in a substantially free, fair, transparent and credible
manner. The Coalition's preliminary assessment comments on a number of aspects
if the election, including voter education, election coverage, political party
agents and voting day itself, as well as making suggestions for the post-election
period.
Crucifixion by Corruption: Then and
Now
In his Good Friday sermon at Diakonia Council
of Churches in Durban, SACC President Prof. Tinyiko Maluleke warns against
corruption, noting that Jesus Christ was a victim of corruption in his day.
"He was a victim of systems, institutions and structures - colluding and
intersecting religious and political systems," Maluleke said. Citing Micah's
condemnation of "cannibalistic" leaders who prey on the people, he lashes
out at the "shenanigans" of contemporary political, economic and religious
leaders and offers a perspective on the NPA's recent decision not to
prosecute Jacob Zuma.
No Room for the Poor in Our
Cities?
Anglican Bishop Rubin Phillip slates the "odious"
KwaZulu-Natal Slums Act and endorses Abahlali baseMjondolo's campaign for
decent housing for all. "We need to recognise that shack settlements,
imperfect as they are, have been an effective means of providing housing
for the urban poor," Bishop Rubin observes. "Working with people in a
respectful way should be the basis for a proper partnership that begins
to change our cities to more just, equal and shared spaces where shalom
reigns."
Report to the SACC on the Ecumenical
Accompaniment Programme
At the end of 2008, an evaluation team appointed
by the SACC visited Palestine and Israel to assess the World Council of
Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment programme and to make recommendations
regarding the SACC's continuing participation in the programme.
[PDF 4MB -  ]
Excavated Palestinian Lives in
Silwan
Ecumenical Accompaniers Scott Smith and Dudu
Masango recount the experiences of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem
where Israeli authorities have destroyed a growing number of homes in the
past decade. Smith and Masango visited Silwan on 5 November 2008, shortly
after the demolition of several homes the al-Bustan neighbourhood. They
share their experiences and insights in this article. [PDF -
]
An Open Letter to South African
Political Leaders
Addressing members of the Mpumalanga provincial
legislature at the fourth annual Speaker's Breakfast, the SACC President,
Prof. Tinyiko Maluleke, issues a challenge to all political leaders on the
eve of the nation's fourth democratic general election. He warns against
both the "politics of the stomach" and the "politics of disgrace" and
invites leaders instead to pursue the "politics of affirmation" and to
aspire to servant leadership.
SACC Warns of Challenges
Ahead
Council officials comment on the electoral and
economic challenges that confront South Africa in the coming months.
NEC Communique
The SACC National Executive Committee met for
the first time in 2009 and commented on the looming national and provincial
elections, moral reconstruction, the continuing battle against HIV and
other preventable diseases, poverty and inequality, and the crises in
Zimbabwe and the Holy Land.
Gaza Statement
The SACC details plans to work jointly with the
Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Congress of South African
Trade Unions, and the Gift of the Givers Foundation to dispatch emergency
humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza.
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