It is with mixed emotions that I write this week’s column.
On one hand I’m grateful we are now coming out of this deadly pandemic. We all know the magnitude of the damage and destruction it has caused.
One thinks of the loss of human life, the loss of businesses big and small, the loss of jobs and livelihoods. It is difficult to comprehend the pain that people have gone through and are still experiencing.
It was two years ago when President Cyril Ramaphosa called upon religious and church leaders gathered at his guest house in Pretoria to cancel all our Easter services, activities and festivals.
I still clearly remember the former minister of health, Zweli Mkhize, showing us how fast the pandemic was moving in our communities and how large gatherings were a big threat in terms of spreading the virus.
I don’t remember anyone among us resisting this request from the president. No-one in our generation has ever lived through a pandemic, but we complied without hesitation because we understood that human life was at stake.
Fast-forward to this year. It is hard to explain in words the feeling of joy that once again, after two long and painful years, we have this opportunity to gather as brothers and sisters on the Easter weekend to remember and celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in person, albeit with the Covid restrictions that are still in place.
This moment revives our faith and gives us hope that things are getting better.
On the other hand, we are feeling very sad and heartbroken at seeing floods again in KwaZulu-Natal that have killed more than 300 people, destroying businesses, infrastructure and displacing entire families.
This moment revives our faith and gives us hope that things are getting better
Our hearts and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters.
It is hardly a year since KwaZulu-Natal suffered the July unrest that destroyed businesses and infrastructure and took human life.
The province has hardly had the time to recover from the pandemic and the unrest, and now it has been hit by floods again. One wonders how much suffering people can take.
This disaster calls on all of us to put our differences aside and partner with our government by reaching out to our brothers and sisters in KwaZulu-Natal and respond positively to this national disaster.
We call upon the International Federation of Christian Churches, the South African Council of Churches, Rhema Family Churches and other Christian organisations to use this Easter weekend to pray for the people of KwaZulu-Natal and to mobilise and rally around the province to give a helping hand in a time of need.
Another painful and sad thing is the violence that erupted in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, and other parts of the country recently between foreign nationals and South Africans. I personally as a senior church leader condemn any form of violence, no matter who commits it.
We cannot solve our problems through the barrel of a gun, or knives, or stones, or any other form of violence. No-one deserves to die through mob justice.
I agree with the sentiments that those who come into the country must enter legally and be documented. Every country must know how many citizens it has, so that planning can be done accordingly.
I’m totally against people taking the law into their own hands. If we allow those who are not members of law enforcement agencies or the police to go into people’s homes and properties and arrest those they suspect to be criminals, we are in real trouble as a country.
Lastly, we call upon church and religious leaders to unite our people and stop the ever-escalating division between foreign nationals and South Africans.
We cannot be bystanders while our people and communities tear themselves apart under our watch. This is a moment to take our rightful place as the church and bring peace and reconciliation in our land.
We wish all Christians around the world a blessed weekend celebrating Easter.
• Pastor McCauley is president of Rhema Family Churches and chair of the National Religious Leaders Council
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