Johannesburg, 11 November, 2023 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Leaders of various Christian denominations in South Africa have urged young people in the country to register for the 2024 elections, and to start engaging those who will be contesting for various political positions in order to understand their values.
In a statement issued Wednesday, November 8, members of the National Church Leaders’ Consultation (NCLC) underlined the importance of understanding the candidates’ key priorities in the country that they said is experiencing “worsening political, economic and social conditions.”
They urged “all eligible citizens, but especially our young people, to register for the 2024 elections, and to engage with all political candidates and parties in a robust way.”
The Church leaders said that in such engagements, those seeking political seats must “clarify their foundational values and key priorities to change the dire and worsening political, economic and social conditions in our democracy.”
The NCLC members further called for “robust participation in South Africa’s upcoming elections, saying “As church leaders we encourage all citizens to register and participate in the coming elections, using the values of the Gospel as a guideline that human dignity, the fundamental equality of all people created in God's image, preference for the poor, the destitute and the marginalized, and life in abundance for all (leaving no one behind) should guide our choices and actions,” NCLC members said.
