ADDRESS BY ANC PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA AT THE RHEMA CHURCH PRAYER SERVICE, RANDBURG, JOHANNESBURG, MARCH 15 2009

Pastor, Raymond McCauley,
Fellow congregants,

I am honoured to be part of this prayer service here today, just a few weeks before Easter.

Our Constitution enshrines the freedom of religion, belief and opinion. It allows religious diversity in our multicultural society.

The ANC has its roots in the Christian faith, but celebrates and supports all beliefs in its broad membership and support base. We also recognise that while there is extensive religious diversity, the majority of South Africans are Christians.

One of my favourite books in the Bible is the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament.

In Exodus 3, the Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey''.

In Exodus 5, Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and said to him: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: "Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert".

The Exodus from Egypt has always symbolised the liberatory character of the church. The story of Moses and his mission as a man of God inspired many an oppressed people and made them realise that indeed God is on the side of the poor and the oppressed.

The call "Let my People Go'' is not far removed from our organisation's vision. It is not surprising that the phrase is the title of the biography of our illustrious ANC former President, Inkosi Albert Luthuli.

When our leaders in the ANC and the church said to successive apartheid regimes; "Let My People Go", we knew that God would be on our side until our freedom was attained.

Since its formation in 1912 the African National Congress understood this liberation mission of the Church and the word of God, and aligned itself with it.

Our icon and founding president of the democratic Republic, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, traces the relationship between the ANC and the church to the 1870s when the Ethiopian Church Movement was formed as a response to the rapid land dispossession from the 1800s.

The African clergy sought to free themselves from the fetters of the missionaries by establishing African Independent Churches that came to be known as Ethiopian Churches.

The leaders and products of these churches were among the founders of the various Native Congresses, which were formed during the first decade of the twentieth century. These congresses culminated bin the formation of the South African National Native Congress (SANNAC) in 1912, which was, renamed African National Congress in 1912.

The founding president of the ANC, Dr John Langalibalele Dube was a priest and Ethiopian Christian. Rev. Henry Reed Ngcayiya, the first chaplain general of the ANC and Charlotte Maxeke, a lay preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, were among the founders of the ANC.

There are many other examples, which illustrate that the historical association of the ANC and the Church cannot be doubted.

The ANC practically derived its moral vision from the church amongst other sources. That also explains the key role played by the religious sector in the struggle for freedom in our country.

In the post-2009 election administration, we will work for a continued partnership with the faith-based sector to give practical meaning to the ANC's moral vision, based on our country's Constitution. Our moral vision embodies the values of a just and caring society.

We need the support of the church and all faith-based organisations, so that together, we can release our people from the slavery of poverty and its manifestations.

Government should open its doors to enable interaction with faith-based organisations on policy and implementation. There are many programmes that require collaboration with faith-based organisations.

One is health which we have made a priority, especially HIV and AIDS. The social impact is massive.

The 2001 national census found that the country had more than 248 000 child headed households, mostly as a result of the pandemic. Children as young as 15 have taken over the role of parenthood and look after their siblings.

If the parents died of AIDS related illnesses, children face more hostility due to the stigma that is still attached to the disease. Working together we must do more to remove the stigma. We must promote neighbour and community support for those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS through more effective public education.

I know that Rhema Ministries has support programmes for orphans and children living in the streets. You provide bursaries for needy children, soup kitchens for those in need and psycho-social support for those in emotional distress. We thank you for being part of building a caring society.

As you are aware, we have made education a priority for the next five years. We want to promote a new culture of effective learning and teaching, and adherence to norms and standards in our education system.  The church has historically played a key role in education, and we hope to receive support in the transformation of education.

Other national priorities are rural development, the fight against crime, health as well as to create decent jobs.

The fight against crime is everybody's business. We must do more together to prevent crime, deal with its consequences and to assist the police to catch perpetrators.

We are convinced that the anti-crime plans that we are developing will be effective. With stronger community support through street committees and community safety forums, we will make our neighbourhoods much safer.

Churches are the only institutions that are found in every corner of the country, even remote rural areas. The church will therefore be a key partner in our proposed rural development initiative.

Fellow congregants, we would also like to see a more active role of the church in strengthening and deepening democracy. For example, the church is better placed to popularise the Constitution and the values it promotes including the Bill of Rights.

We know that we cannot rule out occasional friction between the Church and the State, especially relating to policy development. Some laws considered to be progressive and necessary by politicians and administrators, would be viewed as problematic by the church.

An example is the termination of pregnancy legislation or enabling legislation for civil unions by people of the same sex. The solution is to have open dialogue and discussion. Such openness will allow affected parties to share ideas and exhaust issues. Where no common ground is found, we will be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

Our democracy allows the space for peaceful coexistence and tolerance.

We believe in the power of prayer, and urge the church to pray for peaceful, free and fair elections and a smooth transition to the new administration after April 22.

We must pray for nation building, and together work to make all South Africans feel at home in their country, regardless of their colour, language, gender or creed.

Together we will make this country work. We must pray for huge projects such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup to succeed.

Working together we can definitely do more, to make South Africa a land of milk and honey.

May God Bless you all and your loved ones. I thank you.

Issued by the African National Congress March 15 2009

Click here to sign up to receive the Politicsweb free daily headline email newsletter