President Cyril Ramaphosa says a compact between the government and the country’s faith-based communities can help ‘develop positive values that advance our country to the South Africa we want’.
He was commenting on his meeting with religious leaders at the Union Buildings last week. The meeting was attended by religious leaders from a ‘broad range of denominations and African traditional religions’, according to presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko.
Diko said in a statement: ‘The President further welcomed the call for an action-oriented partnership and an enduring social compact with the religious sector to address hurtful social challenges such as unemployment, inequality, gender-based violence, crime and lawlessness and violence against foreign nationals.’
The meeting ‘explored pathways of sustainable and meaningful collaboration between the religious community, the Presidency and government in tackling socio-economic challenges and advancing societal renewal’.
The statement quoted Ramaphosa as saying: ‘Faith is a vehicle for social emancipation, for the upliftment of the human condition and a catalyst for change.’