God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

06/14/2020 • 11:58 am 1

Time to realign…

What the elections of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have indicated looking at how they came to power; what the refugee drama in Europe with the most famous quote of Angela Merkel “Wir schaffen das” has suggested, what “black lives matter” are yearning for since years again and again –  Covid-19 now has confirmed and is confirming in all mightiness:
Our systems are not really holding water not withstanding the dawn of technology and interconnectivity, the human race has not caught up with the challenges it faces in the new millennium on so many levels. It has lost direction and momentum and like on a sinking ship everybody tries to save what he or she deemed important in the times of confusion.
It is not the year 2000 with the magic of heralding a new time in number but the year 2020 which will determine which direction the global village will take and whether it entails a unified human race abolishing the selfishness on so many levels:

As a human race – we have to decide whether we acknowledge each other as equals, or we continue to fight each other as black and white and all the colours in between.
As humans, we have to decide whether we acknowledge being part of the world around us, part of planet earth or whether we want to try to continue pretending to be master of the universe.
As societies, seeing our brokenness we have to decide how we deal with the past, with hurt, pain and memory of the sometimes unspeakable.
As countries, we have to check in again how we are governed and what forms part of our contract between those, we give the power to be our leaders for a period of time.
As individuals, we have to re-assess our values, our commitments, our belief system and our ways of life.

Politicians love to speak of moments in history, of historical times – and I guess, those who have an interest in history have asked themselves often when reading about upheaval of historic proportion how people might have felt or whether they understood the severity of their times. I guess, now we know if we pay attention.

Systems and technology alone will not save us, mighty wannabe leaders with pseudo-messianic aura will turn out like the Pied Piper of Hamelin – there is hard work to do and it has to done on all levels of societies with a strong input of civil societies and religious bodies.
It is time to unite in diversity, to listen to each other, to keep silent with each other to be able to find a sensitive way forward acknowledging the past without being prisoner of what lies behind us. A real new dawn carries the pain and errors of the past like scars, visible but not hurtful anymore, forgiven, but not forgotten.
We need to connect to our roots as the human race while stretching to touch the stars of hope and destiny leading the way forward.

It is a monumental task we are facing as the human race – but there is no alternative. We either face it or we humans will one day in spite of all cleverness be only a footnote in the history of the blue planet living on without us.

 

 

Filed under: Africa, General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

06/03/2020 • 8:23 am Comments Off on Sheer irrational government decisions

Sheer irrational government decisions

It happened again – yesterday a court came to the rescue of millions of South Africans trapped into regulations partly defying any common-sense or logic. The North Gauteng High Court declared the rules and regulations of level 4 and current level 3 irrational and set aside – giving government 2 weeks to change the way they conduct business in the Covid-19 crisis.

For somebody, who has questioned sharply the thoughts and authoritarian behaviour of Cele, Mbalula and Dlamini-Zuma, but also other ministers and governmental bodies in the last week it comes not as a surprise, but still as a relief that judges share the sentiment, that many of the rules are arbitrary and serve nothing else than a hidden agenda – but not the fight against Corona or the protection of people.  “Sheer irrational” were the regulations when it came to Corona – sheer rational when you look at it as a tool to satisfy ideology and the temptation of power.

This all adds to the advice of the medical advisory council that our current level does not serve any further health purpose and as Dr Gray spelled it out, even before many rules were simply not justified at all.

The state capture of a different nature we witnessed in the last weeks has been brought to a hold – one day in the future, people will realise how much they own the courts to uphold the constitution and protect them against politicians who with all their greed for power and their feeling for entitlement on so many levels, keeping the masses depending on their handouts.

The new South Africa will only start to prosper when old mechanisms and ideologies are left behind and the ruling party starts to understand themselves as a political party amongst others and not as the masters of South Africa’s destiny with a birthright of power because they contributed heavily to the freedom of all in the country. Truth is: Many forces came together – many sacrifices were made in so many ways – many lives lost – and the greatness of liberators is not measured in the power they keep but the humanity and humbleness with which they serve the people and with the openness for changes in a democratic political system where there is no enemy but a struggle of minds within a clear set of constitutional rules.

Filed under: Africa, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

06/01/2020 • 8:13 am Comments Off on Middle ground or hiding incompetence – South Africa, quo vadis?

Middle ground or hiding incompetence – South Africa, quo vadis?

The chaos continues in South Africa:
Take the opening of schools through Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga – aimed to happen today – announcement last week, shifted several times and ended almost at one point in time in announcing, that students, who should be at school on Monday, 1st of June at 8 am would be advised by the Minister at 11 am the same day whether they have to go to school 3 hours earlier. Makes sense? No, but it reflects an incompetence, which could drive people crazy in our challenging times.
At the same time President Ramaphosa, who always repeated to adhere to the advice of the health professionals revealed, that the scientists, who advised government, told the minister to go from Level 4 lockdown to Level 1, as the lockdown measures have lost their meaning. The possible unconstitutional Covid-19 Central Command decided to ignore the advice and again lost no time in wasting time to write up new rules and regulations and giving ministers the opportunity to live out their authoritarian habits.
Looking at sciences and the experience of especially Germany, where the Pentecost weekend saw masses on the streets again and going on holidays, the infection figure did not rise. According to those in the medical field, there are some factors contributing to the surprisingly low numbers: wearing of a face mask and being able to be outside during the day. It seems more and more clear, that not the distance alone, but being in a confined space triggers more infections – the face mask and fresh air are the tools to avoid catching Covid-19. The aerosol factor in closed rooms become more and more important in transmission.
Also clear is that the virus will remain with us for a while and that most of us will go through an infection – healthy lifestyle, a safe working environment and again, fresh air and a face mask are the tools remaining powerful in slowing down or keeping down infections till a vaccine is found.

It is beyond understanding, that the government of South Africa, instead  of doing what it promised again and again to do – to adhere to medical advice and at the same time strengthen the economy and avoiding more poverty, hunger, despair and job loss simply ignore their own promises and keep on concentrating on making up rules for levels with no health benefits. Looking at the disaster of opening the schools in a meaningful way, realising how the transport system is not ready as Minister Mbalula had to admit mentioning unprepared PRASA; having the whole ESKOM and SAA dilemma not sorted out, the middle ground is nothing but hiding the incompetence of preparing the country for the new normal. Instead, fighting against booze and cigarettes, supporting a black market with benefits for people certainly “connected”, discerning for days which T-shirt can be bought in which level was the order of the days.

It is not a coincidence that the very same days, people worry about corruption looking at the billions made available for assisting those in need, amaBhungane and its #GuptaLeaks partners publish another lot about corruption and kickback history, reminding South Africa, where we are coming from and that the very same people, who let this happen, are still sitting in government and parliament. Talk is on to take the pension funds of millions of hard-working South Africans to bail the country out and make money available and there is the fear, that we end up like other African countries when all monetary wealth is gone and there is nothing left to loot.

Establishing the Fraud protection unit for the stimulus packet, opening up the country for business again and concentrating on the medical advised tools of face masks, distancing and a safe working environment; this is the only way forward to avoid more harm and more despair for South Africa. Adding a real effort to have enough testing material, hunting down infection hot spots and stopping to abuse the crisis for ideological driven agendas would bring this country back on track and create another new beginning. Covid-19 has shown us that we are all in for it – the virus does not discriminate, but has laid bare the woes of societies. It invites us to open a new chapter of understanding the world and each other and the connectivity between all living. Humility should be the answer, not ideology, common sense, not politics. We can come stronger out of this crisis if we as a society learn the lessons given to us, but for this to happen, we have to get our acts together in a transparent and honest way.  It is up to us to chose wisely – our leaders, our path and our destiny.

Filed under: Africa, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

05/27/2020 • 7:19 am Comments Off on Churches, but no hotels, restaurants

Churches, but no hotels, restaurants

Yesterday evening again President Ramaphosa appeared on TV to introduce a day of prayer for South Africa, but also declared religious leaders essential worker and opened up church services under level 3. He did this obviously under strict conditions and with limitations to the amount of people attending.

I feel this decision is health wise premature and when there is one lesson to learn from other countries opening up for church services then it is that those are becoming the hotspots and origin of new clusters. And this in countries where religion is much more organised while here in South Africa every self-declared prophet can open up a church. Adding to the concerns is that in the traditional churches, the age group of worshippers is more and more moving to those which government want to stay home: the over 60.

Obviously we all know that mega churches and some African-Christian churches are a political factor in South Africa – and the push to open up for business again and bring money in the kitty was obvious after the meeting between religious leaders and government last week.

With this decision government leaves again the grounds of the rational decisions  and shows, that all their talk about science and taking advice from other countries is more of a smoke screen.

Most traditional churches were very quiet during the lockdown – while some pastors tried to mitigate poverty and hunger, the official representatives lacked somehow the “option for the poor”  in words and deeds.
The kairos of Covid-19, the reflection of this sign of the times and the chances it offered for a review of worship practice, theological considerations and house churches was often wasted and replaced by video and zoom maintaining status quo.

I missed the voice of churches in the last weeks and months, I also have not seen really lots of theological discernment here in South Africa. And I fear that the opening of places of worship trigger more hotspots than the opening of hotels and restaurants could ever have done. It has to do with the nature of the beast:
Religious ceremonies are not about distancing, they are about hugging, singing, touching, speaking in voices and trance if you are pentecostal – you simply can’t degree a thousand years all practice to change with the 1st of June.

I guess it is a choice of emotions and not science if politics or society allow for worship again – but then justice demands that also other sectors, where indeed livelihoods hang in the balance, can be open under the same strict measures to allow to earn the money, the religious leaders certainly will claim now again from their faithful.

Filed under: General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

05/23/2020 • 1:17 pm Comments Off on Too harsh or justified?

Too harsh or justified?

People reading my posts often make contact and ask: Are you not judging the situation too harsh? Does it even help the situation?

And my answer is: Seeing the plight of the people in areas HOPE Cape Town works; seeing the anxiety levels of our staff working in the health sector (and the Western Province is still the best) and quite frankly seeing the abuse of a crisis for an advancement of political ideology one cannot stay silent.

I am also aware that I am in a privileged position to voice discontent publicly; a lot of people fear that saying what they want to say would result in disadvantage for them or their families. Therefore, most criticism you find in WhatsApp groups and close-circuit conversations or anonymous on social media.

As a human being I have to be concerned about the hunger, the poverty, the hopelessness and the suffering of my fellow human beings.
As a priest I have to insist on solidarity against power abuse of those in power, I have to keep God’s promise of a life in dignity for all alive in the hearts and minds of the people.
As a political activist I have to insist that democratic rules are followed and neither politicians nor police or military ignore the rule of law and the law of the land.

This pandemic has opened our eyes to see the gaps between most freedom fighters turned politicians and the “normal” people they rule.  The crisis has shown how little South Africans have moved away from Apartheid times in so many instances: the brutality of the military and police in townships and the snitching in the so-called affluent areas give witness to it.
Politicians like Cele, Mbalula and Dlamini-Zuma have made it clear that the ruling party need much more liberation from their own ideology, and the movement will have a long way still to go to really transform into a political party serving the people.

But having said that all: every crisis, every challenge is also an opportunity. And maybe showing these opportunities were in shortage in my blogs in the last weeks.

The opportunity to understand how deeply entrenched the divide within society is when it comes to wealth and poverty – and it is not black / white; this scenario has changed since the introduction of BEE, eloquently used by those in power.
The opportunity to see all the possibilities again, civil society movements can achieve when there is a time of need.
The opportunity to invest more in understanding how democracy is not only a mechanism, but must be filled with the spirit and understanding, it deserves.
The opportunity to really unite letting skin-colour simply not coming into one’s way while assisting hands on.

And lastly how much we depend on each other, as fellow human beings, as a society, but also as a country on the goodwill of others, as citizens of a global village – realising that we are part of creation, the world as such, not master of the universe, but part of something much bigger. It should make us humble – all of us, independent where our place is in society.

A crisis time can also be a time of healing – but for this to happen an honest discourse has to happen, sometimes wounds have to be opened again to heal proper. In a crisis often honesty starts creeping in because there is no time for long discernment.

Filed under: Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, South Africa, , , , , , , , , ,

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