Nosimo Balindlela, at the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) Prayer Meeting
3 December 2007
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council present
Members of the District Council
Ladies and gentlemen
Comrades and friends
I am glad I could make it to this occasion for a prayer meeting. As you all
know I have just come back from Queenstown where the President of the Republic
of South Africa, the honourable Thabo Mbeki was conferred with the Freedom of
Lukhanji this morning. However, because of the importance of this prayer
meeting, particularly at this juncture of our political life in South Africa, I
felt I needed to be here with you as we together pray for our land.
You will know that both the government and the ANC believe strongly in
forming partnerships with a broad front of stakeholders to fight poverty and
bring back the dignity of our people. The church is a major player in these
socio-political issues. I have been very impressed with the role that the
church is playing in our province to work with government to fight poverty and
the scourge of HIV and AIDS.
The Multisectoral HIV and AIDS Partnership that we established in this
province at the beginning of January is actually winning the war against AIDS.
What the church is publicly saying is that AIDS is not only for those who
decide not to go to church. Linked to that is the acts of the clergy to take
the AIDS tests publicly. It is an indication to ordinary people that no one is
safe from the disease. The partnership that helped us to resist and win over
apartheid needs to continue and be intensified to achieve the objectives of our
Provincial Growth and Development Plan which share the same values with the
Millennium Development Goals.
As we in the campaign against women and child abuse we need to work together
to say that we will not tolerate the demeaning and belittling of our women to
be treated as subhuman. I call on you to pray harder than before for our
country as well as our province. The political situation we are facing needs
more than the wisdom of man. Pray for Limpopo and that before and after it,
peace will still remain and that the party that liberated South Africa will
remain strong.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
3 December 2007
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za)
