Programme Directors;
Bishop Marcelo Pires, Mrs Pires, and the entire Leadership of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God;
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Ms Faith Mazibuko here present;
Deputy Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Loyiso Masuku;
Leaders of Government;
Deputy Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Steve Letsike;
Member of the African National Congress National Executive Committee (ANC NEC), Comrade Bathabile Dlamini, and Leaders of the ANC in Johannesburg and Gauteng, led by Mam Winnie Ngwenya;
Religious Leaders;
Fellow South Africans.
Bazalwane!
I greet you all in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ngiyanibingelela nonke egameni elihle leNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu).
I stand before you today deeply conscious of my roots in the church. I grew up in a Christian household where faith was a way of life. My father was a Bishop, and as children we were all expected to serve.
I myself served as a church secretary and a Sunday school teacher. In fact, all of us were given names inspired by the great leaders of the Bible, hence my name, Paulus.
These foundations shaped my values, my understanding of service, and my respect for the role of the church in society.
It is from this foundation that I speak today with honesty and responsibility about the challenges our people face, particularly in local government service delivery.
In many communities, infrastructure is deteriorating, services are unreliable, and trust in local leadership has been weakened. This reality calls for renewal, practical renewal, ethical renewal, and leadership renewal.
As Government, we are committed to a programme of renewal at the local level, and we know that this work cannot succeed without the people.
We therefore reaffirm our commitment to work closely with the church, communities, and social partners to resolve service delivery challenges and restore dignity and accountability.
Central to this renewal is leadership that serves. We are committed to appointing mayoral candidates and councillors who are ethical, capable, and rooted in their communities.
Leaders who resonate with the people and who work with communities to solve problems. Local government must once again become responsive, credible, and people centered.
Our message is clear: we will fix local government together with the people.
This gathering reminds us that renewal begins with service. As the Gospel of Matthew teaches us, true leadership is not about being served but about serving others with humility and sacrifice.
On this Good Friday, we stand before the Cross—a powerful symbol of renewal. Through sacrifice came redemption; through suffering came restoration; through death came new life. This message speaks directly to our national renewal.
South Africa’s freedom was secured by leaders who understood that renewal requires courage and selflessness.
President Nelson Mandela taught us that progress is not born of comfort but of unwavering commitment to justice and service.
Today, our task is to renew that commitment by confronting poverty, unemployment, corruption, Gender Based Violence and Femicide, and the breakdown of families and communities. These challenges require moral clarity and collective effort.
Your theme, “The Family at the Foot of the Cross," calls us to renew the family as the first site of care, discipline, and healing. Strong families remain the foundation of resilient communities and a stable nation.
The church is central to this renewal—as a moral compass, a source of healing, and a defender of the vulnerable. It must continue to speak out against violence, abuse, and injustice, while offering guidance, mentorship, and hope, especially to women and young people.
As Government, we value partnership with the church that is constructive and principled. The church must remain an independent moral voice, speaking truth to power while working with us in the shared task of nation building.
Allow me to conclude by urging you to pray for renewal of hearts, of leadership, of communities, and of our nation.
Together, let us pray for peace in South Africa, across Africa, and throughout the world.
On this Good Friday, may we leave here renewed in purpose, committed to service, and united in action to build a better South Africa.
Amandla Ngawethu.
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