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The Importance of Tolerance (June 2009)




Tolerance is a very important concept. It is based on actually respecting what others hold dear. This is what I have learnt growing up within organizations that valued diversity in all its forms.
Strategic mobilization in Mbekweni meant understanding that there are many people who go to church and thus a conscious attempt at all times to bring them into the Mass democratic movement fold and not alienate them. Mass meetings were called in a way that they did not clash with the church programs and notices were in fact sent to the churches notifying people of community programs. There was a clear understanding that the church is an important social structure in the community. I did not belong to any church and did not even believe in God but I always had respect for faith based organizations. Many things could be burned down in Mbekweni but I can’t recall ever hearing of a church being deliberately destroyed. A number of events and occasions could be disrupted but never a church service. The current State President and the President of the ANC Jacob Zuma recently told the Rhema Church that “When our leaders in the ANC and the church said to successive apartheid regimes; "Let My People Go", we knew that God would be on our side until our freedom was attained. Since its formation in 1912 the African National Congress understood this liberation mission of the Church and the word of God, and aligned itself with it.” This understanding also guided us in Mbekweni. An Islamic Mosque operated in the township for a couple of years and was accorded the same respect.
It is with this background that I got dismayed with what happened over the last weekend in Kraaifontein when a church that I now am a part of met in a community hall. These were people from Paarl, Stellenbosch, Kraaifontein and Eerste Rivier who planned to worship together The Sunday morning service was disrupted when a crowd of people who wanted to discus housing issues demanded to use the hall. Some church leaders from that community convinced them to use another structure that was nearby. Another group from the community came back singing and brandishing sticks and threatening to throw chairs around. Some were shouting the slogan ‘down with the church”. This happened whilst the church had booked and paid for using the hall from Friday to Sunday. There was no way of reasoning with this crowd and the church members had to hurriedly vacate the hall as they felt that their safety was being threatened. This was unbelievable for me as I could not fathom the level of animosity directed at a church because of a misunderstanding between a community and its leaders.
I sympathize with a community that is frustrated by what they see as lack of service delivery. I also understand that in your anger you must not antagonize everyone. Religious fundamentalists pounce upon such things and start preaching that this is the beginning of a war against the church. I have always countered attempts of pitting the church against a community in which it operates. I do not believe that this is a strategically orchestrated attack on the church in general but I see a crowd that allowed themselves to be controlled by anger. I also do not believe that we are entering a stage of the biblical “triple six” as some preachers are prone to interpret these uncomfortable interactions. The South African constitutional democracy promotes a society where people respect each other and tolerate the beliefs of everyone as long as they do not harm others. I am encouraged by the following words of the State President, “Our moral vision embodies the values of a just and caring society. We need the support of the church and all faith-based organisations, so that together, we can release our people from the slavery of poverty and its manifestations. Government should open its doors to enable interaction with faith-based organisations on policy and implementation. There are many programmes that require collaboration with faith-based organizations”


I am convinced that violent prone people will be isolated and the fundamental human rights in the constitution protected. Tolerance and unity in diversity continues to be our guiding motto.

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