Open letter to new premier
AN OPEN letter to the newly elected premier of the Eastern Cape, Phumulo Masualle:
The Interdenominational African Ministers’ Association of Southern Africa, Interdominational African Ministers’ Wives’ Association of Southern Africa and Interdenominational Youth Association of Southern Africa are Christian or religious revolutionary movements that seek to promote reconciliation within the churches, society and broader community.
We declare apartheid as a heresy because South African society was based on white racism, maintained by violence and oppression. We fought against these societal ills. We used the pulpit to teach our communities to disobey the apartheid regime and pray for the fall of the regime.
Based on this background, we take this opportunity to congratulate, as sixth premier of the Eastern Cape, Phumulo Masualle.
The ANC deploy you as leader in government to implement the manifesto to the people of the Eastern Cape province. You need to address the following issues as soon as possible:
- Infrastructure development: eg rural school development, clinics and hospitals, access roads and dams.
- Education: teacher availability in all schools, school governing body monitoring and proper accountability, and school feeding implementation and proper accountability in terms of financial management and procurement management.
- Municipalities: to promote participatory democracy, eg election of ward committee by communities, promotion of Batho Pele from councillors to officials and land availability to churches and NGOs.
- Social development in your term should be a real department for social change to address poverty and hunger.
Premier, we think you know better than us the challenges of the province. Deal with them now. We will pray for you and cabinet.
Rev Dr Xolani Tengo, spokesman of Idamasa Eastern Cape Chapter
