Methodist Church of Southern Africa presiding bishop Pumla Nzimande has called on Christian women to become “builders, healers and architects of transformation”.
Addressing the Mthatha Central 1765 Circuit gala dinner on Friday, Nzimande said August should be more than a month of commemorations and speeches, urging women and men to work together to confront gender-based violence, poverty and social division.
“Welcome to August. It is the month when new growth begins.
“My prayer is that the work we do this month will produce buds of courage, resilience, agency and collaboration for the building, healing and transformation of society.”
The gala dinner, held under the theme “The Role of Christian Women in Building, Healing and Transforming Society”, was attended by retired deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Eastern Cape acting judge president Zamani Nhlangulela, labour and employment minister Nomakhosazana Meth, traditional leaders, clergy and members of the John Wesley Society.
Nzimande reminded guests that while the Methodist Church observed International Women’s Month in March, SA commemorated Women’s Month in August.
“This month touches all of us. It touches men and women because we are required to work together to build a safe and healthy nation,” she said.
“Let us not see this month as an event, but as a process of nurturing. A process that must produce fruit, not just flowers.”
She urged society to reflect on the legacy of the 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9 1956 in protest against the pass laws, saying their courage had laid the foundation for many of the rights enjoyed by women today.
“They brought the demands of the nation to those in power through the Women’s Charter.
“And then, the historians tell us, they stood in silence for 30 minutes.”
She said the march’s leaders, including Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, had demonstrated that women could unite around a common cause.
“That day they proved that the idea that women are always fighting each other is a myth.
“It is a stereotype used to divide and conquer, because it is easier to deal with women who are squabbling than to deal with the real issues that affect women.”
Turning to present-day SA, Nzimande said Christian women should not be passive observers while communities grappled with gender-based violence, unemployment and poverty.
“Healing is not passive.
“It requires us to confront injustice, to speak truth and to create spaces where the broken can be restored.
“The church must lead by example.”
She said men also had a responsibility to help build safer communities.
“This is not a women’s issue alone. It is a human issue. A national issue.”
Madlanga focused his address on the country’s gender-based violence crisis, saying too many women lived in fear and were often killed by those expected to love and protect them.
“These stories bring to the fore the reality that women in South Africa are not safe anywhere, at home, at work, not restaurants, not at schools, not at universities.”
He said alarmingly high levels of gender-based violence continued to occur in SA and urged men to change their attitudes towards women.
“It has been reported that as compared to other countries, South Africa has extremely high levels of GBV,” he said.
Madlanga appealed to men to respect women and play their part in ending violence against women and children.
Nzimande also criticised absent fathers, saying too many women were carrying the burden of raising children alone.
She concluded by urging churches, the government, traditional leaders and communities to work together to tackle social challenges.
“The problems we face will not be solved in silos.
“If we are serious about building and healing, then church, state and community must work together,” she said.
Western Mpondoland King Ndamase Ndamase and AmaMpondomise King Zwelozuko Matiwane echoed the call, urging traditional leaders to make the fight against gender-based violence a daily priority rather than limiting it to Women’s Month.
Daily Dispatch