Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has denied reports that he warned religious leaders to stay away from politics and insists he simply cautioned against the church getting involved in political squabbles.
This comes after the Anglican Church’s Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba rejected what he said were calls by Zuma for religious leaders to stay out of politics. Makgoba said the move was reminiscent of the apartheid era.
Makgoba was speaking to congregants during a Christmas mass in response to comments made by the president during the annual Twelve Apostles Church in Christ’s International Thanksgiving Day celebrations in Durban on December 4.
Zuma had said he was saddened to see church leaders getting involved in matters of politics instead of praying for leaders.
“Can you believe it? A president of a democratic South Africa telling the church to stay out of politics?” asked Makgoba. “You would be forgiven for thinking you had climbed into a time machine and gone back 30 years, when apartheid presidents said the same thing.
“As we look ahead to 2017, we see a ruling party at war with itself, crippled by division to the degree that some serving members of the cabinet believe the president must step down. People of faith need to begin asking: At what stage do we, as churches, as mosques, as synagogues, withdraw our moral support for a democratically-elected government?”
In a statement on Tuesday the presidency said Zuma only cautioned religious leaders to avoid being drawn into "divisive party political squabbles". “They should ideally strive to be above such and unite all the people in the pursuit of justice, righteousness and the common good.”