Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of the Anglican Church delivered a pointed Easter sermon at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, addressing the growth of online gambling, the challenge posed to President Cyril Ramaphosa by corruption among leaders of the police service and the conflict in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has said that while Easter should be a time of celebration, renewal and hope, that is a hard sell, given not only the current state of the world but also the political state of the nation, in his Easter sermon at St. George's Cathedral.
The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town addressed the growth of online gambling, the challenge posed to President Cyril Ramaphosa by corruption among leaders of the police service and the conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
“The Middle East is consumed by war, and those celebrating Easter in Jerusalem and other cities and towns across the region do so under the threat of drones and missiles. Not only that, the conflict threatens to spread, and its effects – especially the restrictions on oil and gas exports – are being experienced across the globe.
“Escalating petrol and especially diesel prices raise the spectre of rationing, speed restrictions and higher food prices. The war in Ukraine continues, with South Africans unwittingly and tragically dragged into it under false pretences,” Makgoba said.
“In Sudan, we are seeing a repeat of the genocide of 20 years ago, apparently perpetrated by largely the same actors. We are navigating a world filled with destruction and fear, not only abroad but at home.”
Makgoba said that when waking up in the morning, it is almost a surprise “not to read about a new corruption scandal involving those who pervert politics for self-serving ends”.
He said whistle-blowers, witnesses and lawyers are assassinated in brazen attempts to escape the consequences of taking bribes from tenderpreneurs.
“In Cape Town, teenagers are killed, victims of gang violence, with frightening regularity and domestic violence continues to stalk households. Perhaps worst of all, the confusing spectacle of claim and counter-claim we are seeing before Justice Madlanga and his fellow commissioners leaves the average South African unable to judge which police general is honest and who is controlled by a crime syndicate.
“Although we must wait for the Commission to sort the truth from the lies, it is already clear that the public cannot rely on the police service’s leadership, considered as a whole, to end the violence and criminality which has percolated to the top of society,” Makgoba said.
“At the same time, we need to celebrate those officers in police stations across the country who do serve the public with dedication and empathy.”
He also criticised online gambling as an “evil which is not getting enough attention”, given how easily accessible it is, and how it is ruining people’s lives.
“In a recent discussion paper on online and interactive gambling, the National Treasury reported that annual betting revenue in South Africa has skyrocketed by 390% in the past five years – from around R10.6 billion to R52 billion, with online betting estimated to generate more than R44 billion a year.
“At a recent meeting, Anglican bishops from across Southern Africa gave accounts ranging from pensioners in South Africa gambling away their SASSA grants to students squandering financial aid for their studies,” Makgoba said.
“We heard of graduates who can’t find work borrowing money to gamble with in the hope of making a living, and of young people committing suicide in despair as a result of losing everything.
“The crisis that harmful gambling represents for society must be addressed urgently across government and civil society. We need to treat gambling the way we dealt with smoking and alcohol, and consider banning – or at least imposing strict restrictions on – gambling advertising,” Makgoba said.
He did end his sermon on an optimistic note, and how like the resurrection of Jesus brought hope, “so we are seeing clear signs of hope in South Africa today”.
“Matric pass rates are improving. The media continues to play a crucial role in exposing bad governance. Our Finance Minister tells us that levels of government debt are stabilising.
“There is growing recognition that blindly enforcing the prescriptions of ideologues, whether on the left or the right, will not help our country to grow. Instead, we are seeing the tens of thousands of highly-qualified graduates emerging from our universities looking for more pragmatic solutions to our problems.
“Thirty years ago, Desmond Tutu used to say that our country’s festering wounds needed to be opened, cleaned and cauterised before we would see healing. Today, I believe the Madlanga Commission can perform that role – as long as its report is followed by strong and courageous action to root out the rot in our justice system.
“Make no mistake, friends, the challenges we face are enormous, but turning around the ship of state in South Africa is more like altering the course of a supertanker than that of a speedboat – it will take time.”
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za