Archbishop Makgoba raises concerns about distrust in government

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Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has warned that government failures and corruption threaten to turn South Africans against the democratic system.

In his annual Christmas midnight mass and the St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town, Makgoba said a recent survey has shown that trust in government and state institutions has dropped significantly in the past decade.

He has also reinforced the message that in order to gain their freedom back South Africans need to get themselves vaccinated.

It has become customary for the head of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa to use his Christmas sermon to address some of the political, social and economic ills that afflict the country.

Like last year, this year’s service was very toned down.

A limited number of pre-registered congregants were allowed and strict COVID-19 protocols enforced.

Makgoba called on politicians to start prioritising the interests of the people if they are to win back the trust of the electorate.

He says the recent survey by Afrobarometer shows that less than 30% of people trust the ANC, the opposition parties, parliament and provincial legislatures.

Trust in the President is also sitting at less that 40%.

“Many factors contributed to the rioting and looting that swept KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July. But can there be any doubt that the lack of trust in state institutions has undermined the authority and legitimacy of our government? In fact the only institutions which enjoyed the trust of most South Africans were the media – which has distinguished itself in recent years by exposing public and private sector corruption.”

Makgoba said it is clear that the country’s economy benefits only a few with the majority of the people marginalised.

He said this could lead to a situation similar to what happened in other African countries where authoritarian rule was accepted by the population.

He said the outcome of the local government elections point to this lack of trust.

“Other findings of the Afrobarometer survey was that two-thirds of South Africans would be willing to sacrifice regular elections if a non-elected government or leader could impose law and order, and deliver houses and jobs; moreover the most trusted government institution after the Department of Health was the army. The message is clear: if coalition politics do not improve people’s lives, then there is a real danger that South Africans will turn away from democracy to authoritarian rule.”

Makgoba once again encouraged South Africans to have themselves vaccinated.

He says while the Omicron variant is not as deadly as Delta it spreads much faster.

“While it has not so far made people as ill as Delta has, one study in Hong Kong says it is 70 times more contagious than Delta. It reinforces the need for all who want to move around freely in our community to be vaccinated not only for their protection but for the protection of others – a need our church’s Provincial Synod has underlined by making vaccination mandatory for clergy.”

 

 

2 years ago