As the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture prepares to begin its work next week, African National Congress (ANC) Chairperson Gwede Mantashe advised churches to point out faults in the ruling party and government to avoid mistakes.
Mantashe was addressing the launch of the Inkululeko Yesizwe Association, a convergence of diverse churches.
He says it is wrong to equate State Capture with the ANC because it was individuals who were corrupt.
The ANC too was founded in a tiny Free State church and has always had strong ties with the church.
The churches still have a vital role to play in civil society and state.
Gwede Mantashe says: “All kingdoms have a prophet because they need a moral compass, when the church distances itself from us it deprives us of the moral compass.”
The Church often holds a mirror up to the state. During the anti-apartheid struggle clerics like Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Beyers Naude were leading lights.
In the recent past churches have weighed in on the controversial issue of state capture.
“Some people equate State Capture with the ANC but it is individuals who are corrupt. The church has a right to go to the ANC and the government and tell us that you are out of the way. The church can’t relegate its role to criticizing, it must advise.”
