Special Hearings — Faith Community Hearings — 1997-11-17

REV WESLEY MABUZA: If it's long, then we won't be asked further questions,   sir. Let me just say that I think we are focusing on one direction, and we are   focusing on the poor. But I think that we also need to focus on the wealthy   and the greed in this country and therefore all that needs to be taken into   account. I think it should be a holistic approach. There is enough to share.   Secondly, ICT is presently engaged in a very, very in-depth study, research   study, done on the ground on the situation of poverty, because we realise that   poverty could not just be a question of money, it could also be a structural   thing. And so, these we believe could be of assistance to the churches in terms   of you have to go to the source in order to be able to come back with a proper   response. If I may give you a brief example, sir. The brief example is that   if you look at taxi violence for instance, which constitutes that kind of in   the drivers, you have to go to the source and say it was the removal of people   from their places of work and cramping people together, no transport and so   forth. So you've got to look at those kinds of things and say how do you address   that kind of thing? So we are busy working on that kind of thing.

CHAIRPERSON: Maybe, box me after this ...[inaudible].

<UNKNOWN>: Just to add Chairperson, we have recently had a workshop and   what was coming through at that workshop on the theological side, the biblical   side, was that Jesus did not only focus on what people would eat, but he focused   on de-wealthing the wealthy and His injunction was to challenge them to share,   to give and so forth. And we though we would take that seriously. There is a   publication coming up, including that, but incorporating also the case studies   that are being done in communities. And apart from that we thought we would   join those who are calling for the establishment of a bank by the churches.   That is what people are calling for at an international level, but we want to   take that seriously as the nation here in South Africa. And lastly, at the AGM   it was decided recently, the AGM of the institute has decided recently that   we should in fact begin to look at ways of combating poverty, but focusing on   ...[inaudible] Yes, there are campaigns that are put in place. The question   of looking at the credit bureaux and all those things, but also more importantly,   what the government can do about restructuring the debt and also joining the   campaign for the jubilee when we get to 2 000. Because there's a huge debt internally   but there's a huge debt also externally. How do they restructure the internal   apartheid debt? How do we lobby for the rolling of the debt overseas?

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very, very much. There are some points that we would   correct in your views about the commission, but we are thankful that you have   got this point about life after the TRC, because the TRC has a very short shelf   life, and we hope very much, I mean the churches and religious communities and   others in civil society will realise that reconciliation and all that is really   a national project. It isn't something that's going to be done when we hand   in the report to the President on the 31st July. We won't then say to him that   the country is reconciled. Some contribution will have been made towards this.   Thank you very much. Let us take tea and maybe a 15-minute break. What - I beg   yours? You want to make an announcement? Please just wait. The original conveyor   wants to make an [intervention]

<UNKNOWN>: Chairperson, we have prepared tea for 100 people, but we have   in this hall more than 100 people. We would request that we all have tea, if   it's possible, but we give first preference if it's possible to those people   who are quests, coming to make submissions to the TRC today and tomorrow and   Wednesday, and if there is tea remaining, then we have ...[inaudible]

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.