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(6 October 2012)

Since 1994 South African elections were held on the basis of proportional representation (pr). Voters cast their ballots for a list of candidates nominated by a political party of their choice rather than for individual candidates. The PR system provides all parties no matter how small, with representation in the national legislature proportional to their electorate. The PR provides for the representation of South Africa's racial minorities and people with particular interests without resorting to the creation of reserved seats and separate voters rolls for different racial groups, as in some countries. The PR system is thus a non –racial system to facilitate racial representation, if parties would as expected, draw the most of their support from different racial and ethnic groups. This is a good system for an emerging democracy as ours, with its race and racial issues. The system is also good for a nation in transition. This however, the current political system fails to really empower the electorate. We have no power to hold the elected officials accountable for their performance and delivery.
This system does not allow legislators to be held accountable individually. The electorate can do nothing to effect change in the interim to the next election. Legislators are protected by their parties, because their parties nominate them and send them to parliament in some cases. These representatives don't even know what the needs of their local communities are and deal with it. Despite minor reforms that were made to the system, such as assigning members of the National Assembly to areas, where they don't even reside, does not suffice. Because these legislators are not representing defined geographic areas and communities, they are not accessible to members of the public. The PR weakens the vital link between government and the public/ electorate that are the essence of democracy. It is not surprising that all the major parties endorsed the continuation of this system, because it places power in their hands and disempowering the electorate.

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(6 October 2012)

2. This General Synod of URCSA in session at Okahandja in Namibia:
Has noted with deep concern and shock the high incidence of the so-called corrective rape of women of lesbian orientation in South Africa's townships. We also note that this vicious practice is further accompanied by extreme violence to the victims of these assaults.
3 This Church unreservedly declare our full support for the victims. We identify with their plight. We fully reject this horrendous practice and urge our congregations and communities to protect and support these women.
4. We make a special call on the SA government to fulfill its obligations through the security forces to do everything in their power to protect the rights and humanity of our sisters.

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(6 October 2012)

The General Synod of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa took note with serious concern of the critical economic conditions of its membership and the population of the Southern African Region. The Church felt to express itself and to address this economic injustice in the Southern African context. The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) believes that involvement in politics is one of the honourable positions that a Christian can occupy in public life. God, in whom we believe, gives His people the responsibility to govern the earth in the fullest sense of governance as it was given to them in the Book of Genesis. We created by this Creator God, have therefore received a divine command to govern the earth responsibly. The URCSA, therefore, does not conform to the notion that politics is dirty, we believe however, what soils this honourable profession is dishonest politicians who occupies political office in our country. These politicians are responsible for the fact that corruption, mismanagement of the resources and self enrichment are rife in South Africa. Resources that are supposed to be channelled to the upliftment of South Africa's poor, disappears in the pockets of those who are well connected to political power. After eighteen years of democracy, South Africa's struggle for justice, economically and politically for the apartheid' poor and oppressed, seems to be an illusion. This is a situation Synod laments.

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(6 October 2012)

Mindful of Psalm 24 verse 1, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it: for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters," the General Synod of the Uniting Reformed Church recognises and confesses, that the earth is our home, in which we live, but that have not build. Although God has given us dominion and responsibility over the fish of the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle on the hill, the resources in the earth, God have not given us the right to misuse and exploit the earth for our own selfish purposes or the endangerment of the health of Human and beast, but we do.
We as a Church therefore, confess our and humanity's constant misunderstanding of the privilege and responsibility to the earth and all who live on and in it. We confess our mismanagement of the treasure God has created. We confess that we lack the appreciation for God's Lordship over the earth when we act irresponsible in our home, the earth. We confess our lack of trustworthiness in caring for the earth and all its inhabitants. We confess our lack of love for one another, when we act in the environment in such a way, that our actions endanger the health of people.

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(11 February 2011)

The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa has learned with great concern and sadness of the misuse of religion for the umpteenth time, by the African National Congress (ANC), solely for cheap political ends. It was not long ago, as recently as 2008, that another leader in the ANC, the Premier of the Free State, Mr. Ace Magashule, according to newspaper reports, said that: "Zuma suffers like Jesus." Mr. Magashule then said, "Jesus was prosecuted. He was called names and was betrayed. This is the same kind of suffering that Mr. Zuma had to endure in recent times…"
According to newspaper reports, Mr. Zuma, President of the ANC, among other things, said on an electioneering campaign, "When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork (the devil)… who cooks people. When you get up there (heaven), there are different cards used, but when you have an ANC card, you will go to heaven."

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