Durban – Religious leaders on Sunday, during a meeting with ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe at the Durban City Hall, said more needed to be done to investigate the murders that had been committed during the recent unrest.
Mantashe led a team of members of the National Executive Committee on a clean-up and rebuilding programme in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal following days of violent looting and vandalism.
Some religious leaders raised their concern at how the government leadership was dealing with a number of issues, including the killing of more than 25 people in Phoenix, north of Durban.
“In Phoenix, residents are carrying rifles in public, which is illegal,” said one pastor.
“All of you did not speak with us properly. We are sick and tired because of you damaging the ANC and when situations become bad or when the elections are coming you remember us. If you have a problem with former president Zuma you need to address it urgently. In Phoenix people are carrying guns, and black people who are innocent were killed,” said another pastor.
Another church leader said that since the lockdown started churches had been vandalised. A different pastor thanked Mantashe for attending to them as religious communities.
“Can churches be taken seriously? Can we not ignore socio-economic issues, there is poverty, some people looted shops because they were hungry,” he said. We sympathise with the incarceration of Zuma, but we need proper leadership. We must go back and retract some stupid things we said as pastors,” he said.
Mantashe said that since they were engaging with people, they needed to talk to the religious interfaith movement because it had congregations.
Gwede Mantashe, ANC national chairperson, had talks with people in KZN and attended a religious interfaith meeting. He said religious leaders raised important issues. Video: Ntombi Nkosi/ IOL Political Bureau
He said religious leaders had raised important issues, and that they were welcome to express their views.
Political Bureau