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

S MOLISIWA: I would like to thank the Chairperson for the opportunity   that is offered to us as CAIC to make our own first time presentation in 100   years. I say in 100 years because actually the church I am about to speak about   is 100 years old. This church was first founded by Reverend ...[inaudible],   Reverend James Dwane, Reverend Mkoni, in the process Reverend Shembe and Reverend   Engenas Lekganyane. 
I am very disturbed because some of our living ancestors that I - because of   the contact that we have with the TRC, we were hoping that they would be here   in our presentation. My Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane and thanks that he had arrived,   so I have heard from the report, and Bishop Modise, because in fact these two   churches to us, they are a church that was founded 100 years ago. The founders   of this movement of CAIC was not to divide Africans, it was to unite Africans.   It was to unite Africans as a church in ecumenism, it was to unite Africans   as faith in the inter faith. And now that we make our presentation in the absence   of the two we feel the opportunity has not been quite positive, but we are happy   that they are able to come.
Actually, our vision within the broader ecumenical family of churches has been   citing the absence of ZCC and the IPC and other churches that are not participating   in the household of one church in this country. And I'm glad that the moment   had come that this issue be tackled as it is. The Council of African Instituted   Churches was formed in 1976 and thanks to the Chairperson of the TRC, Archbishop   Desmond Mbilo Tutu, and Doctor Dominee Beyers Naude, and several others that   were there to help to bring together the independent churches. We are the former   Council of African Independent Churches that actually was able to change from   independent rather as a council but opted for the word "Instituted"   as one church of God with the other churches. We don't see relevance in being   independent in the changing South Africa and the challenges of the changing   world. The presentation that we would want to make in a formal way is definitely   going to be faxed or sent to the TRC. We would want our presentation, our submission,   to be made on record with the others, but from what we have, we are proud to   say that we speak as victims. We speak as victims of apartheid. As a church,   we are thankful for the elections of 1994 because actually the elections of   1994 covered the whole kind of nightmares that we as Africans had in this country,   that were caused to us by the Afrikaner colonials. It is only twenty or less   percent, that the religion is to tackle, and that is to come together. We need   to come together and face the socio-economic religion and political matters   of this country and together we will make it.
I am not going to dwell too much on what we would want to put forward as prejudices   and injustices that were done to us. Much as was our President in prison and   other colleagues, initiatives of an African were all at halt. Those which managed   to get through either were puppetry somehow or other, but everything came to   a standstill once we were inwe tried throughout the year, but those who   were not legitimate and proper initiatives that a black person had to take and   thanks to these actions, now that we are able as group of small churches under   the bridges of our country, under the trees of our country in the diningrooms,   in the sitting rooms, everywhere where a black person would find a shelter to   bring together a number of people to worship. We are able to speak as one sitting   together and calling on other brothers that according to us, are the "haves"   we need to club together with them and prepare a motion and to prepare a council   that will be able to speak for the independent churches. The Deputy State President   has introduced to the nation a concept of African Renaissance. And we are for   it and also say to ourselves that it is time that we as a church, we must begin   to start up programmes for South African Renaissance. To be able to work together   and move forward to the whole continent. We believe that it is time that the   independent church, I refer to independent for other people to really know where   we come from. Actually we remain instituted churches, it is time for us for   these churches to send missionaries to Africa. Missionaries to the world. When   are we going to begin if we are unable to work together and build a strong fellowship   on ourselves that will be able to relate to matters that trouble an ordinary   human being. We are unable to address matters that are very, very hard pressing   individuals and ordinary people. Homelessness, we can't speak as a church about   homelessness, because it is our people who are homeless and we are unable to   come together and utilise resources and address those matters, so I will repeatedly   say that we certainly were the victims. We were the victims of forced removals,   of imprisonment, of massacres, of rapes on black women, of denials of basic   education. You name them all, we in my President's words, are able to say, sorry   to those - to a lesser degree, to a much more degree, atrocities were done to   us. We should be a forum that people come to us and apologise to us. But indeed,   together in the fellowship we have accept and welcome that people should come   forward and tell the world what they did to Africans. Those injustices were   done to us. I am not going to take too much time, Chairperson, I am calling   on for these big churches and saying to them, "Come, let us work as one".   As we approach the next millennium. My last word would be once people start   talking to each other, misconceptions are eradicated and better friendships   are forged. Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much. Is there anything that your other colleagues   wanted to say or will they participate in the question and answer? Thank you   very much. Virginia?

UNKNOWN: Thank you Chair. I will start with you Bishop, I have just been   reminded to refer to you as Archbishop. I am from a tradition where we don't   have the hierarchy of Bishops. I would like to ask you, you spoke about he struggle   you went through as your congregation, but you did not give us a history of   how your church was formed. [SIDE 2]Archbishop, I did not hear you talking about   the foundation of your church. If you could briefly tell us.

ARCHBISHOP T W NTONGANA: It is a very long story. However, I though that the   Secretary had told you in English because he talked about ...[inaudible]. I   was under the perception that he covered all that up.

UNKNOWN: I thought that you would tell us that you were from white churches   and started your own as the black man.

ARCHBISHOP T W NTONGANA: She speaks English, she's from KZL. Some of the churches   that emanated from the white church, some of us were actually chased away from   the white church saying that they could not go on in the way that they did.   Some were working under white priests who had immigrated into South Africa.   They would collect money from the black congregation and they would take this   money from the black congregation and give it to the white people and the black   man would not get anything. 
Ngwenya realised that he must be independent. He then started his own church.   However, most of us black people were referred to as heathens. Our people said   they would be independent and do their own thing at the side.