I've been in and out
of the Eastern Cape in recent weeks – soon after returning from the
meeting of the world's Anglican Primates in Rome, then the SACC's
National Day of Prayer for the elections, held in Johannesburg, I was
in Gqeberha at the Nelson Mandela University for a public lecture we
sponsor, then in Makhanda for the celebrations of DSG's 150th
anniversary.
After returning to
Cape Town for office commitments – and another lecture at the
University of the Western Cape – it was back to my old stomping
ground in Komani (which used to be Queenstown, and where I was based
as suffragan in the Diocese of Grahamstown) for the election of a new
Bishop of Khahlamba. In one of a series of successful elections in
dioceses recently, the assembly elected the Very Revd Siyabonga
Sibeko as their next bishop, in the sixth ballot on the first day.
Back to Cape Town,
then last Friday it was off to the Dioceses of Mzimvubu, Mthatha and
Mbhashe for the weekend, and today I return home after briefly calling
on Canon Ntshingwa, who is not well at all, in the Diocese of
Grahamstown.
I have enjoyed the
countryside, where we've travelled on both good and bad roads,
passing through both decaying and thriving rural communities and
towns.
In Kokstad on
Saturday, the bishops consecrated the new Bishop of Mzimvubu, the
Right Revd Phumzile Cetywayo, in the incomplete cathedral structure.
The original “eco-cathedral” was
burned down but there is still a bare altar and evidence of the
fire. It was cold, and the tent-covered structure within the
cathedral was far less glamorous than our vestments and altar
elements! But the service and the music was godly and brought all of
us “nearer” to God. The meal afterwards was particularly special,
although of as a pescatarian, I could eat only the veggies and samp.
At 14:30 we took the
N2 and detoured to Tabankulu, a town I have been yearning to visit.
When in the 1990s I was counselling mine workers suffering from
crushed spines in rockfalls, many were from Mozambique and Lesotho
but a lot of the injured came from here, giving me a deep spiritual
need to see the area. We drove towards its mountainous background
until we reached the town and stopped at the local Anglican Church.
We then had the
option of returning to the N2, or going via Flagstaff, another
special place where my mother-in-law was born. But on the advice of
the lady petrol attendant, we went back to the N2. As we arrived in
Mthatha, it was drizzling. We slept there and the rain poured gently
through the night.
On Sunday, the final
results of the country's national and provincial elections were
coming through, with the country again becoming abuzz with noise and
energy. Our governing party for the last 30 years has the most votes,
but not enough to give them a majority in the national parliament.
The same day, Orlando Pirates, my favourite soccer team, won 2-1 over
Sundowns to clinch the Nedbank Cup! But nobody won these elections
with that kind of margin. Three colleagues and friends wrote to
remind me that a while ago I called for a government of national
unity. With no party having a majority, something like that seems
necessary. What might it look like?
In Mthatha, I
presided over a Canon
14:4 consultation with various diocesan officials, an open and
democratic process before we extend, or not, the tenure of their
incumbent bishop. It is not an election but it involves listening,
engagement and looking at the needs of a diocese and its people. At
14:00, St Bede’s Hall at the Diocesan Centre was packed. It turned
out to be a great worship occasion and after the consultations I
retired to my room and enjoyed the gentle rain outside. I wondered
whether there was anything from the consecration on Saturday, the
Canon 14:4 process, and the handing over of toilet facilities to a
school in Mbashe Diocese that was to come, that could inform
political parties as they consult on the formation of a new
government.
This morning, we
were due in Mbhashe Diocese, at a school in Centane to donate toilet
facilities. The donation is possible from a collaboration of the
Makgoba Trust, the
Sibanye-Stillwater
mining company's
foundation and the Diocese's of social responsibility
outreach. This will conclude my three-week long journeys to the six
dioceses in the Eastern Cape.
This afternoon,
before I board the plane back to Cape Town, I will meet via Zoom the
praesidium of the SACC (in my capacity as president of the council).
I made my
call for a government of national unity at a time when it looked
as though President Ramaphosa might lose support over the scandal
around money stored at his Phala Phala game farm. Now, what can we
add as the ecumenical family to the discussion of how the country
should be governed? Just a few weeks ago, on eNCA, I said former
President Zuma must retire, but now his party is a key element in the
political arena. I also asked whether Archbishop Emeritus Desmond
Tutu's warning that the country might turn against the ANC would come
true. Is this where we are?
We must pray that in
the coming days, all will make their decisions on the basis of what
will promote stability, peace, development, equality, security and
the common good.
God bless.
††Thabo Cape Town
