South Africa news: Racial healing, report on migrant tensions

News from the Peace and Reconciliation Network

Hope for racial healing in South Africa

South African pastor Takalani Isaac shares his journey of discovering the power of God to heal the wounds, anger, and trauma caused by apartheid and torture in a new episode of the All Things Reconciled podcast. Anke Hiestermann, descendant of European missionaries, also joins the conversation and together they reflect on the hope of living a reconciled future despite fractured pasts. → THEEFC.CA/ALL-THINGS-RECONCILED

Report on migrant tensions

A delegation of African Evangelicals published a report in July on South Africa’s tensions over foreign nationals. It draws on a June 16–19 field mission to Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal by the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa and the Africa Church Transformation Forum.

The visits were a response to a June 30 deadline set by civic groups demanding the removal of foreign nationals – a deadline that carried no legal force, but had already produced serious humanitarian consequences.

The report calls on civil society to create dialogue forums and counter misinformation; on churches to build structured relationships with migrant congregations; on the government to close the gap between policy and ground-level protection; and on the AEA to plan a follow-up mission and develop continental humanitarian capacity.

The mission was accompanied by calls for prayer, fasting and peace, urging communities to reject scapegoating and violence while acknowledging the legitimacy of citizens’ economic grievances. → WORLDEA.ORG

The World Evangelical Alliance Peace & Reconciliation Network does its work through the generosity of donors. Connect with the PRN or donate. Invite Joel Zantingh of Guelph, Ont., or global PRN director Phil Wagler of Kelowna, B.C., as a speaker. Read more of these blog posts at FaithToday.ca/AllThingsReconciled. Photo by PRN Europe: Bethany Serengheu of PRN Europe (right) and her son Sebastian (tallest) meet Gogo Elisa (second from right) and her family.