WATCH: Cape interfaith leaders participate in silent peace march

Faith leaders and peace-loving members of the public participated in the Silent Peace and Prayer March on Thursday, on the eve of the International Day of Peace. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency.

Faith leaders and peace-loving members of the public participated in the Silent Peace and Prayer March on Thursday, on the eve of the International Day of Peace. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency.

Published Sep 21, 2018

Share

Cape Town - Fed-up with crime, corruption and the negative mood in the country, religious leaders and their congregants marched to Parliament on Thursday, demanding that the government address these issues.

Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, chairperson Berry Behr said they were united in love and commitment to the Constitution of South Africa which was celebrated when it was promulgated by former president Nelson Mandela on December 18, 1996.

Behr said the march to Parliament was intended to lead the country back to the hope and optimism experienced during the time of Mandela.

A key point in the memorandum is a proposal that the government host a summit where all role-players and stakeholders engage at the highest level to find solutions to South Africa’s current ills.

Faith leaders and peace-loving members of the public participated in the Silent Peace and Prayer March on Thursday, on the eve of the International Day of Peace. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency.

Faith leaders and peace-loving members of the public participated in the Silent Peace and Prayer March on Thursday, on the eve of the International Day of Peace. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency.

The marchers said, the summit would see the private sector, government and public sector address issues like unemployment, crime, violence against women and children, social injustices, gangsterism, drugs, poverty, lack of equality, unfair and unbalanced deployment of police resources and criminal profiling of young children.

United Public Safety Front founder John Cloete said the protection of the vulnerable in society, such as women, children and the elderly, was an issue that needed to be addressed urgently.

“Known criminals in our communities are arrested but released within a short time, with no charges being laid despite eye-witness evidence,” said Cloete.

He said law enforcement agencies including the judiciary were failing and needed to be remotivated and recommitted to performing the task for which they exist.

MARCH TO PARLIAMENT: Religious leaders and their congregants marched to parliament, demanding the government to address the injustices that are contributing to the mood of despair in their communities. Video: Sisonke Mlamla/Cape Argus

Reacting to the national crime statistics release by Minister of Police Bheki Cele recently, Bishop Templeton Mbekwa of the SA Religious Forum said: “We as the faith community... we join fellow South Africans in expressing deep concern about the state of our country and the serious impact crime and violence has on our communities.”

He said as faith leaders they had joined hands to support communities against all forms of crime and violence.

Charles Ford, Regional head in the Office of the Presidency, received the memorandum, and has promised to hand it over to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Faith leaders and peace-loving members of the public participated in the Silent Peace and Prayer March on Thursday, on the eve of the International Day of Peace. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency.

@SISONKE_MD

[email protected]

Cape Argus

Related Topics:

Protests