A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CRIME, VIOLENCE AND LAWLESSNESS

Issued by: Office of the President

26 September 1996

Recent events have highlighted the reality of crime within our communities. To ensure a peaceful community, where everyone can feel free, it is up to every member of the community to be actively involved in the pursuit of this ideal.

To this end, we make some practical suggestions as to how we as Christians can respond:

1. PRAYER VIGILS

Arrange for prayer vigils to be held in all congregations for one day per week. We suggest that these are held from 07h00 - 19h00 daily. Use this time to pray for:

• an end to crime, lawlessness and violence, and
• the establishment of peace, justice and the rule of law
• President Nelson Mandela
• Justice Minister, Dullah Omar
• Minister of Safety & Security, Sidney Mufamadi
• Minister of Correctional Services, Sipho Mzimela
• Provincial Ministers of the three departments.

Join hands with ministers fraternals, clergy fellowships, inter-church fellowships. Endeavour to cover every day of the week in these prayer vigils. Remember, crime does not respect any boundaries.

2. PERSONAL RESPONSES

The President has appealed to all religious leaders to mobilise their people in the fight against crime and in building a new society. We urge our people to work actively for a crime-free, drug-free, and gun-free society.

We should also work towards raising the moral tone of our society. To this end we suggest the following:

• commit yourself to being law-abiding on the roads; keep to speed limits, observe traffic signals; show courtesy.
• renounce unlawful practices in the work place, such as pilfering from the company, cheating customers, doing shoddy work, being absent without legitimate cause.
• refuse to accept any goods which are offered to you cheaply which you suspect may be stolen.
• refuse to watch, on television or at the cinema, films which promote violence and the overt misuse of sex. Remember, such programmes help corrupt our moral fibre and send wrong messages to our youth.
• work for a clean environment. Throw rubbish into bins. Go the extra mile and join others in picking up garbage and setting an example in the community.
• set yourself the goal of improving the quality of your own family life. Work on issues of mutual respect of husbands and wives, parents and children. Work to eliminate abuse and domestic violence. Pray for the healing of family members and friends who are afflicted by substance abuse.
• their trust in Him
• stop giving toy guns to children and grandchildren.

3. ALONGSIDE OTHERS

There are many things we can do alongside others in our congregations and the community to work towards a safer community, free from crime and violence.

Some suggestions include:

• set up anti-crime groups in every congregation to plan local initiatives. Send representatives to the United Front Against Crime, Western Cape Anti-Crime Forum, NICRO, Community-Police Forums, etc.
• make a special effort to mobilise young people in organised activity against crime as an alternative to joining gangs as a place of fellowship and belonging.
• organise opposition to the death penalty, which is being called for in some quarters. If we want respect for human life, society must set the example. Let us work for stronger deterrents through longer prison sentences.
• mobilise people to participate in local RDP projects, recognising that poverty, bad housing, unemployment and poor social conditions are a major cause of crime in our society.
• visit school principals in a supportive way and ask how the community can assist in eliminating drugs and violence from schools. Active participation in Parent-Teacher organisations may provide a particular platform where this issue can be addressed.
• oppose any applications for township taverns and shebeens which may be made to the local authorities.

We urge our people to link all activities with the United Front Against Crime. This is recommended so that we do not have independent initiatives dividing us in the struggle against crime. The churches do have a strong base from which to mobilise people and we are aware of the potential that lies untapped when people stand together.

We are pursuing a meeting with PAGAD but do not feel we can support this initiative unless there is a radical shift in its method. We would urge PAGAD to join the United Front Against Crime instead. We are also seeking ways of working with the justice system to strengthen the hand of the authorities so that they can enforce the law.