INKULULEKO YESIZWE IS NOT JUST ABOUT SOUTH AFRICANS COMING TOGETHER BUT IT IS ABOUT AFRICA COMING TOGETHER

                                                                                BISHOP JOHANNES NDANGA

I am excited about today’s event – the launch of Inkululeko Yesizwe – Freedom of the Nation.  It is a momentous occasion coming at the time that Africa celebrates its freedom, the Africa Day. Yesterday, May 25, was Africa Day.  

It has been unfortunate that Africa is not united as it should because African politics is going on its own direction and African religion has also taken its own direction, yet the two have a relationship of the spirit and the body where the two should go along together.  If the two do not go together as they are supposed to, as spirit and body, that pronounces Africa dead.  Africa is dead when the body and the spirit are not together.  

We therefore need to create a situation where the church and the politics actually collaborate and have a way of coming to the table and working together.  Inkululeko Yesizwe is a platform where we are all coming together to support the regrouping of Africa.  The religion and the politics of the continent has got to move together with us.

It is a concern that even though Africa is no longer under colonial rule, we see colonial patterns as far as religion is concerned, re-emerging.  We have noted such disturbing patterns.  The thing that really needs to be taken note of is that such are an inheritance kind of things where African governments inherit what the colonial governments have done in the past.  And, if such persists, it spells out danger for African politics because our politics cannot be divorced from religion.  So, African politicians have got to make a paradigm shift from the colonial perspective and the colonial approach so much so that they embrace every sector, particularly, religion.  

We really need to strive to avoid what happened in Zambia in the 50s when former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda was Prime Minister designate.  He was used by the colonial government to massacre his own people because they had some differences with the church.  The colonial government gave Kaunda a go ahead to kill his own people.  But that has got to be rectified especially now that Kaunda is still alive.  Such painful incidences should not be swept under the table.  They ought to be addressed to make sure they do not happen again.  

In the days of old, even in ancient Israel, Prophets were killed.  We have a lot of Prophets who were killed and the bible has examples of the killings of prophets that took place.  Even Prophets who were captured to stay in Babylon from Jerusalem.  A lot of things happened in the past as far as Prophets are concerned.

This is Africa’s time.  Africa always had Prophets from the beginning of time.  We had Prophets that God placed in different place all the time.  Today, we have Dr Prophet Samuel Radebe.  He is one of our great African Prophets.  The ball is in our hands now, to build a strong foundation regarding the history of the Prophets of Africa.  We really have to work towards that, conscientization of the continent and the world on the importance of African spirituality.  

For me to have travelled from Zimbabwe to attend the launch of Inkululeko Yesizwe, it is really to endorse and confirm that Inkululeko Yesizwe is not just a South African organization or South Africans coming together but it is the whole of Africa coming together.  This means, the Association is already present in Zimbabwe.  By accepting to come and take part here, I am confirming that Inkululeko Yesizwe is well accepted in Zimbabwe.  The conscientization of everybody will gain momentum because we want everybody to understand the cause of Inkululeko Yesizwe in Zimbabwe.

We look forward to a successful and active Inkululeko Yesizwe throughout Africa and the world.

Bishop Johannes Ndanga is the President of the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe