Friday, 22 September 2023

At UN, Archbishop Makgoba urges G20 to boost spending on combatting HIV/Aids among children

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has called on the G20 group of nations to boost their spending on combatting HIV and Aids among the world's children.

Speaking on the sidelines of United Nations meetings in New York, he said the coronavirus and war in Europe had taken attention away from the plight of children infected by HIV and Aids.

“Right now, the main focus in relations between the world's most powerful nations on the one hand, and the countries of Africa on the other, is on that which is negative: on military interventions, on the export of weapons and mercenaries to Africa, and on the economic exploitation of our raw materials,” he said.

“If the economic powers of the world wish to improve their image in Africa, they could do no better than boosting their aid in the health arena. Specifically, the United States should reauthorize PEPFAR, and their European and Asian counterparts in the G20 group should follow their example.”

PEPFAR is the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an initiative launched in 2003. Since then, the American government has spent $100 billion on its global HIV/AIDS response. The US Congress currently faces a vote on whether to continue the programme.

Excerpts from Archbishop Makgoba's address on Thursday follow:

“In an era when world attention has been distracted by Covid, and then by war in Europe, keeping a focus on ending the scourge of HIV/Aids is of critical importance. Especially tragic is the way in which the coronavirus pandemic and international tensions have taken attention away from the plight of children in this health crisis...

“Right now, the main focus in relations between the world's most powerful nations on the one hand, and the countries of Africa on the other, is on that which is negative: on military interventions, on the export of weapons and mercenaries to Africa, and on the economic exploitation of our raw materials.

“When President George W Bush introduced PEPFAR, with bipartisan support in Congress, he promoted the image of Americans as caring and compassionate people, people who saved millions of lives in Africa. No American programme has saved more lives of mothers and babies than PEPFAR. There is nothing more pro-life than PEPFAR.

“But that image of the United States now threatens to be replaced by one in which you present yourselves as primarily a military power, only interested in Africa as a battleground in your fight against international terrorism.

“But you and your partners in the G20 nations in Europe and Asia can turn this around. If the economic powers of the world wish to improve their image in Africa, they could do no better than boosting their aid in the health arena. Specifically, the United States should reauthorize PEPFAR, and their European and Asian counterparts in the G20 group should follow their example.”

The full text of the address can be found here:
https://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2023/09/prioritizing-children-in-hiv-response.html

(This is the text of a news release issued by the church.)

Read more here:



UNAIDS, the Governments of Botswana and the United States of America, together with the European Commission have joined global partners to urge world leaders to get on the path that ends AIDS. This, they say, will also accelerate progress to reach many other of the Sustainable Development Goals. [UNAIDS photo] 





Thursday, 21 September 2023

“Prioritizing Children in the HIV Response”

 Prioritizing Children in the HIV Response”

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

Communities of Faith Breakfast: Building Partnerships for a One-Community Response to HIV

Thursday, 21 September 2023, 7:45 am


My warm thanks to UNAIDS, PEPFAR and your faith community partners for the invitation to join you. In an era when world attention has been distracted by Covid, and then by war in Europe, keeping a focus on ending the scourge of HIV/Aids is of critical importance.

Especially tragic is the way in which the coronavirus pandemic and international tensions have taken attention away from the plight of children in this health crisis.

Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Celebrating Global HIV Progress to End AIDS and Advance the SDGs

 “Celebrating Global HIV Progress to End AIDS and Advance the SDGs”

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

UNGA high-level event

Wednesday September 20, 2023


Your Excellencies, dignitaries and friends in the fight against HIV and Aids, my respectful greetings and greatful thanks to all those Presidents, ministers and global leaders, who have accepted the invitation to be here. Your faith and your  commitment to end HIV by 2030 are good news. Your leadership is exactly the kind of commitment that God expects of each of us. Blessings.

Saturday, 16 September 2023

Homily preached at the funeral of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi OSC

 The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba

Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Homily for the funeral of

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi OSC

Diocese of Zululand

September 16, 2023


May I speak in the name of God, who is Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen.


Members of the Royal Family,

Members of the Buthelezi family,

Your Excellency, Mr President,

Your Excellencies, Presidents Obasanjo, Mbeki, Motlanthe and Zuma,

Madame Premier,

Ministers, MECs and Mayors,

KwaZulu/Natal and national Church leaders, including Bishop Vikinduku Mculwane of Zululand,

Members of the amaZulu nation,

Fellow South Africans,

Friday, 15 September 2023

Sermon preached at a Memorial Service for Steve Biko

 

Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Diocese of Grahamstown

Bantu Stephen Biko Memorial Service

St Andrew’s, Ginsberg

The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba

Archbishop and Metropolitan

Sunday, 10th September 2023

Readings: Philippians 3:7-11; Ps 126; Matthew 10: 16-22


Saturday, 9 September 2023

Archbishop conveys condolences to the family of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi OSC

On behalf of my family, the Synod of Bishops and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died in the early hours of today at the age of 95. 

Apart from being a towering figure in the life of the Zulu nation and South Africa, Prince Buthelezi was a lay minister of our church who often represented his parish, the Diocese of Zululand and ACSA in church forums, and was a member of the Order of Simon of Cyrene. Funeral details will be announced later. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba
Archbishop of Cape Town and
Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa