Religious leaders have called on all communities to join their Silent Peace Prayer March to Parliament on Thursday to hand over a memorandum protesting against crime and violence in the country.
A representative group of about 12 religious and traditional leaders and representatives of organisations, including Reverend Chris Nissen of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), made the announcement at the Castle of Good Hope yesterday.
The march, according to them, starts at 10 am at Keizersgracht in District 6, then moves to Parliament in prayerful silence to emphasise the calm so absent from the daily lives of communities plagued by crime and violence.
The march comes in the wake of last week's release of the country's national crime statistics by Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The religious leaders said: “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 have on our communities.
“As faith leaders we have joined hands and united to stand up for our communities against all forms of crime and violence, calling on our communities to join us in a Silent Peace Prayer March on Thursday.
“We will hand over our memorandum to the relevant government representatives. We need to raise the slogan of peace, love, compassion and mercy against all the evil in our community.”
Nissen said: “The South African Human Rights Commission is humble in supporting the faith leaders to break down the cycle of violence in South Africa. We appeal to the media to become a partner in supporting the fight against crime.”
Cape Town Interfaith Initiative chairperson Berry Behr said: “The injustices happening out there is unbelievable and it’s time to come together to stop it for the benefit of our children.”
Bishop Tutu Sam accused the government of not caring about the elderly and urged it to protect the aged, who get robbed when getting their pension payout.
The religious leaders' statement added: “This march is the next in a series of events sparked by the African Leaders of Peace Summit in August, which led directly to the August 29 faith leaders’ peace and prayer march from St George’s Cathedral to the Castle.
“Faith leaders of Cape Town are committed to a sustained campaign for peace which transcends the artificial barriers of our religious, social and economic diversity, and connects instead to the universal human rights of equality, dignity, life, freedom, justice and security.”