17 July 2007

REMINDER FOR THE BISHOP’S CHARITIES GOLF DAY

I hope this letter finds you in good health and prosperous in your business. I continue to think of you each time I pray for the people under my care, asking God to look graciously upon you and your efforts of serving him through business.

This year the Bishop’s Charities Golf Day returns to the Irene Country Club with a lot of excitement and curiosity. Did you know that the course has been redesigned by Mr Phil Jacobs - one of Gary Player’s co-designers? It is more challenging than it was over the past years and very beautiful. The fairways and the greens are in excellent condition with bunkers where you do not expect them. So, if you are not careful you can get a hole in one - in a big one instead of the actual hole!

Last year we asked that you pencil in the date and the course - hope you did, if not, please diarise it right away.

Date: 5 October 2007
Course: Irene Country Club
Province: Gauteng

We look forward to golfing with you – enjoying the fellowship and nature. And now may God who gives all good gifts bless you and prosper your work.

Sincerely,
The Right Rev’d Dr Jo Seoka D Min; DD
Anglican Bishop of Pretoria

PS: This event has not only become prestigious but very popular - last year people had to be turned away. So, book early!

3 November 2006

 

There must be something drastically wrong with our nation that our children have turned places of imparting knowledge into battlefields and raping grounds.

If this is democracy then democracy is bad. But I believe that democracy is good and that it works for the common good of all citizens and therefore it must be protected. The lack of moral values in our society has eroded the very fabric of our nation. Therefore there is need to provide leadership before things fall apart.

The violent behaviour of our people, which is now manifesting itself among the youth, is an indictment to all of us as citizens. We need to ask hard questions as to what is the Moral Regeneration Programme doing? And the Heartlines programme does not seem to have touched the hearts of the people. This tells us that there is something that we are |not doing right as a nation, something that has turned our democracy into anarchy.

It seems there is no longer a safe place in our society when even schools have become slaughterhouses. It has always been safe to send children to school because parents knew that they were in good hands in the care of the teachers. The same cannot be said today as more and more schools experience violence, leaving fear among both students and parents.

The question I am asking parents is simple: What are we doing to stop our children's schools from becoming turfs for gangs, places for drug trafficking and money laundering?

This is not what schools are built for; they are meant to be safe educational places where pupils are prepared to be good citizens who will make valuable contributions to the country's development.
Why do parents of pupils in these schools talk to the Press anonymously if they are concerned about the safety of their children?

Parents need to speak out and be heard so that we can come together and devise a strategy to deal with the problem. Another issue of concern is the |rape of young girls which most people keep secret because they see it as a disgrace. This should not be the case, but rather an opportunity to shame the perpetrator and save the children. As a spiritual leader, I urge people who have experienced such human violations to speak out and be heard for the sake of peace and security.

If we don't, very soon our schools will be controlled by gangs who use children as agents of corrupt businesses such as drug pushing. Parents must work with the schools and police to restore discipline and |turn the schools once again to places where the learners feel protected and safe. If I get positive response to this article I will be pleased to call a meeting in which we can work together to form a tripartite structure to help teachers normalise our schools.

Meanwhile, I encourage local clergy to adopt a school and visit the principal so that rejuvenation of schools can start and we can seek solutions to resolve the problem of violence.

This approach will improve the situation in our schools - not transferring problems to other schools because running away for the problem is not a solution. 

20 October 2006

 

The Anglican Bishop of Pretoria, Dr Jo Seoka, has called on parliamentarians involved in the Travelgate scandal to resign.

Seoka said yesterday that while he could not question the legal procedures followed in dealing with Members of the Parliament who stole public funds, the results were “morally unsatisfactory”. Seoka said the MPs had misused public money. “As Anglican bishop of our capital city, a place where the President and his Cabinet meet, it is incumbent on me to speak out on moral issues,” said Seoka. “The Members of Parliament involved were duly elected by the people to represent their interests and honesty would be an essential requirement for all such members. “Regrettably, honesty in the use of public money has not been shown by those involved. “If they remain as Members of Parliament, there is the possibility or even probability that the integrity of Parliament will be permanently tainted. “This means that the moral pronouncements of our State President will be compromised,” said Seoka. From a moral point of view, he said, parliamentarians involved in the misuse of taxpayers’ money should resign immediately for the sake of democracy.
 
Seoka said most of the Members of Parliament admitted that they had stolen from the government. 
“We all know that stealing is a crime and in terms of the Labour Relations Act, those involved are subject to dismissal.”  Another benefit of their dismissal would be the clear signal sent to provincial and local governments about the need to obey strict moral principles, he said. If the parliamentarians stayed in office this would suggest it was normal to steal money that could have been used to help the poor, he said.