black South Africans have still not seen the social benefits of the post-apartheid era, suggests Rev. Msukelwa Jan Shabangu (40), Senior Pastor of Greater Love Christian Fellowship.
"While these outward signs are encouraging, levels of poverty and disempowerment are still unacceptable high,” explains Shabangu in an interview with BosNewsLife. He says it is time for Christians to help the outcasts who often live without hope because of Aids, addiction or other social ills.
Shabangu’s mission oriented church, which he founded last year, is reporting an urgent need in Soweto, where thousands of squatters became homeless this week after they were evicted by police forces from their homes.
DREAMS NOT REALIZED
The incidents are seen as a sign of further tensions in volatile Soweto, which Rev. Shabangu describes as "an African melting pot" with up to 3 million impoverished people of dozens of different ethnic groups, about 20 kilometres south of Johannesburg.
It hurts Shabangu that Soweto was set up in 1904 only to become "the government’s dumping ground for unwanted black" from the 1940’s. Many homes still resemble the overcrowded first houses made of tins and wood in the city, which received its bricks in 1933.
"For many township dwellers, the pace of change in South African society is far too slow," Shabangu says. "Dreams of a good education, a reasonable job, and a chance to climb upward in life remain a pipe-dream for the majority of people."
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT
The high rate of unemployment prompted Greater Love Christian Fellowship to establish a hand craft project which he says "provides economic sustenance to families."
The job creation program is called the Ndebele Artwork Centre, named after his own indigenous group which the pastor notes was "marginalised" under years of apartheid.
"Its arts and cultural activities were not in the public eye," he adds. However Shabangu believes that "the abolishing of apartheid laws and the notion of free enterprise, presented an opportunity of stepping into the bright colour ideology of the Ndebele nation."
He says his centre has so far created eight jobs and outsourced business to four independent companies.
AGES AND RACE
"Women, men and youth of all ages and race," can participate in the centre’s activities, that include making pottery products, design of clothing and bedding making. "A white woman is owning the business of firing our pottery products," explains Shabangu.
In addition Greater Love Christian Fellowship plans other work projects such as a laundry service, a vegetable garden to grow vegetables to feed the needy, computer training and early childhood learning programs.
Shabangu was inspired by a 1997 to the United States where he saw that almost every church he visited was somehow involved in community work. The pastor, who claims to have had "a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ" in 1977, points out that the social programs are a vehicle to spread the Gospel.
He says his church wants "to reach people for Jesus Christ through people-oriented ministries that have the central focus on meeting the real needs." These evangelistic activities also ‘Reach out Ministries’ and ‘Healing Ministries’.
Our aim for 2002 is to find an organization, a church family or an individual to partner with and fund the multi-purposed building to house our church family and its activities."
SPIRITUAL CRISIS
His appeal comes at a time of what is apparently an unprecedented spiritual crisis in South Africa. Rev. Shabangu suggests he has to compete with "traditional healers who see themselves as providing a helpful service to the community but who are involved in the activities of witches."
Shabangu: "The service provided by the ‘Sangomas’ is to "smell" and detect witches and wizards in the community." He adds that such "accusatory activities often lead to conflict and violence, with suspected witches falling victim to severe mob justice."
This situation has also lead to increased alcoholism, drug addiction and a high divorce rate. The pastor warns that "Satanism provides an even deeper alliance with the devil." Shabangu fears that the number of Satanists is growing "and they include a few students at local schools."
SOWETO’S CULT GROUPS
He is also concerned about a number of cult groups in Soweto. "With the adoption of a new constitution and under the governance of the (ruling) African National Congress, Christianity has lost its exclusive position of dominance in the country. The playing field has been levelled, with other religions enjoying new-found exposure, " reports Shabangu.
"South Africa has changed from being a Christian country into a ‘religious’ country." However while church leaders are indicating a need for what the pastor calls "a spiritual revival," little has been done to achieve that aim.
The pastor: "It is generally believed that churches are not effectively influencing the township for Jesus. Most churches do not approach church growth from a strategic mindset due to unlimited church income as the majority of their members are not working. The majority of pastors carry jobs on side to supplement their pastoral salaries."
TOWNSHIPS FOR CHRIST
Yet despite these difficulties, he wants to win Soweto and other townships for Christ, with the support from his wife Nomhle and their three children. Although Shabangu, who has contacts with American and Australian Christians believes in miracles, he makes clear his family and staff can not do the job alone.
He adds his church-ministry urgently requires daily prayer and financial support to finance the job creation program and other ministry activities. "We face an Enemy who has laid claim to Soweto," he says about the devil.
"The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work," adds Shabangu, referring to John 3:8. But he admits that "reaching Soweto for Jesus Christ is no light undertaking."
