Grahamstown Diocesan Archbishop Ebenezer Ntlali said the South African government is a secular state but it should respect the Bill of Rights section regarding freedom of religion, belief and opinion which is entrenched in the constitution of the country.
Grahamstown Diocesan Archbishop Ebenezer Ntlali said the South African government is a secular state but it should respect the Bill of Rights section regarding freedom of religion, belief and opinion which is entrenched in the constitution of the country.
He was responding to the proposal by the Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities to scrap two Christian holidays from the calendar as they were discriminating and excluding other religious denominations.
Ntlali said they have not yet been consulted about the scrapping of Good Friday and Christmas. We are waiting to be consulted. Also we understand that our country is a secular state, but again it allows for the Bill of Rights and freedom of religion and worship.
We think that when there is a proper dialogue or discussion about this, we hope they will respect our special days, Ntlali said, adding that when the proposal is further discussed in parliament they will respond as a collective, but at this stage he was responding in his personal capacity.
We as the Anglican Church have these special days for specific purposes. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have observed families come together [in church]for this celebration and after the service they continue celebrating in their homes enjoying this day. Easter is when we celebrate Christ's victory over sin, death, disease and all forms of evil, and we have seen people coming to celebrate and live the life, norms and values of Jesus Christ, Ntlali said.
The Archbishop said that due to common values he believes that different religions can share special days. We have observed other religions celebrate Christmas and Good Friday in their sacred spaces. We also participate in their [celebrations]because of the common values. Christmas and Easter are world movements. They are historical and are the heritage of our church.
Ntlali said Good Friday was part of the calendar to show South Africans they are all created in the image of God and this victory over evil would also help in the eradication of corruption and evil in our country.
Both these holidays, the coming together of individuals, promotes Ubuntu and love for one another and the working class as they have limited time to spend with their families. They have a chance to celebrate God and humanity, he said.
Upon receiving a memorandum from 100 protesters led by African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Rev Kenneth Meshoe, Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor said she had not received anything from the Commission and wished the protesters a jolly festive season. She received the memorandum from the group of concerned Christians at the gates of the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein, Johannesburg last Saturday.
The ACDP organised the protest march following the consultative community hearings to review public holidays by the Commission. The Department of Home Affairs oversees the determination of public holidays in the country.
