Administrative Board Meeting.

The Administrative Board of the SACBC met from the 8^th-9^th May at Bertoni Centre, Pretoria. This board, which is the Standing Committee of the Conference, is made out of the Presidential Troika and the Chairpersons of the Departments.

The Presidential Troika are Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town(President), Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo OMI of Bloemfontein(First Vice-President) and Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha (Second Vice President).

The Chairpersons of departments are: Bishops Edward Risi OMI of Keimos-Upington (Christian Formation, Liturgy and Culture), Graham Rose of Dundee (Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue), Abel Gabuza of Kimberly (Justice and Peace), Jan de Groef  M.Afr (Evangelization), Dabula Mpako of Queenstown (Seminaries) and Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban (Finance).  Besides being the chairperson of Finance Department, Cardinal Napier is an ex officio member of the Board by virtue of being a Cardinal.

The board heard and reviewed the reports and proposals from different departments, offices, desks, projects and associate bodies and set the programme for the next Bishops’ Plenary Session to be held on the 31 July to the 7^th August in Mariannhill. Read the rest of At Khanya House: May 2013 »

An Explanation is Urgently Needed

The government owes South Africans a thorough, and quick, explanation for the apparent misuse of state property and personnel by those associated with the Gupta family wedding.

The deployment of the police flying squad and other elements of the security forces, the use of an air-force base by a privately-chartered jet, and the fact that the customs and excise authorities were kept in the dark, all point to some extremely irregular decision-making at a very high level.

The situation has not been helped by the way in which various government spokespeople, including the Presidential spokesperson, have either declined to comment, or have merely disclaimed responsibility. This only serves to heighten suspicions about who ultimately authorised such special treatment for a private wedding-party.

This whole episode merely reinforces the perception that people who are well-connected politically do not have to observe the same rules as ordinary citizens.

It is of particular concern that – according to newspaper reports – some 60 police officers were involved in escorting guests and equipment to Sun City, and that specialist police officers remained at the venue as protection for the visitors.

The SA Police Services should busy itself with combating crime, for which there is a crying need, not with providing a private security service at taxpayers’ expense.

We are encouraged to note that political parties across the board have spoken out strongly against these irregularities, and we hope that government will act promptly to discipline whoever was responsible for them. We cannot afford to gain the reputation of being a country where it is ‘who you know’ that counts, and where wealth can buy privileged treatment from the authorities.

+ Stephen Brislin
Archbishop of Cape Town
President, Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference