Cape Town - South Africa has lost its sense of self-worth, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Thursday.
“The world was thrilled when freedom came to our land and we pray that SA will recover its own sense of worth of every single human being,” he said at a ceremony in Cape Town to celebrate winning the Templeton prize.
“[I pray] we will recover our 'ubuntu' and become a generous, gentle, caring, and compassionate society.”
He said South Africa became the “flavour of the month” when apartheid was abolished in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up, and citizens were riding on the victory at the Rugby World Cup.
“We can't pretend we have remained at the same heights and that's why I say please, for goodness sake, recover the spirit that made us great.”
When asked where exactly the country was failing, Tutu focused on violence and inequality.
“Very simply, we are aware we've become one of the most violent societies. It's not what we were, even under apartheid,” he said.
Rape, murder, and the high number of road accidents, especially over the holiday season, were worrisome.
One did not have to look at statistics to see that South Africa was one of the most unequal societies in the world, and the problem was underpinned by a lack of spirituality.
“This is why we ought to be saying it is utterly blasphemous that we should still have people who live in shacks. It's not politics, it's religion.”
Sapa