An open letter from Nelson Mandela Bay Church Leaders to all ANC parliamentarians Honourable ANC Members of Parliament We, Faith leaders from the Nelson Mandela Metropole, address this open letter to you at this crucial moment in the history of our country. We do so independent of any party-political affiliation or interest. ANC members of Parliament, we remind you of your high calling to protect the Constitution and to serve the interest of our citizens, especially the vulnerable and the poor. You literally hold the future of our country in your hands. You stand at crossroads where you can either choose to continue to put the country through its current trauma or you can choose to focus on the common good by ensuring that the president is impeached as soon as possible. We believe that the good within you is stronger than self-interest and for this reason we now make this appeal to you. Our President, Mr. Jacob Zuma, has failed in his high duty to the country as a whole in the following areas. Illustrating our fury about the disorder in our country: • Morally: Indispensable values such as honesty, transparency, upholding the truth, respect for family and sexual values have been violated. • Constitutionally: The President is the custodian of our constitution and freedom. He, however, violated the constitution and his solemn oath to protect it at all cost. • Financially: Government finances, state corporations and state assets are I a disarray. Under our President a culture of corruption and greed has been institutionalised. Attention to mass poverty, unemployment and huge inequality is threatened by the enrichment of a few by capturing the fiscus and other state resources. • Safety and security: Impunity reigns, and this give criminal syndicates licence to do what they are doing and thereby terrorising so many of our people • Land: The land question is a critical issue to focus on and resolve. • Socially: The President needs to unite the country behind our national goals of nation-building, servanthood and the flourishing of all. To the contrary, our President sows disunity, and tears society apart by his undisciplined words and actions. President Zuma and the national executive have failed to address the most pressing issues in any serious or systematic fashion. The constant distraction by our President clearly demonstrates his lack of will and understanding of the needs of the people of South Africa and his role to serve our democracy and constitution. The ANC has a long history of excellent, servant leaders who have sacrificially led this country for over a century. President Zuma is not one of those. His actions make a mockery of the sacrifice of so many. His actions are also giving people across the continent reason to pause and to lose hope. We address you as ANC members of parliament who were elected 3 years ago to serve the people of South Africa, the ANC and the constitution. Many of us have consistently voted for the ANC but if something very urgent is not done about this president, you will give us no option but to desire that others serve us in Parliament. You need to understand the gravity of this moment. We, the church, will find ways to memorialise the names of those who stood up against the President from within his own party. We will honour and thank you for doing what is right and within the national interest. We expect you to do the right thing. We trust and pray that you will hear our appeal and respond to it in the best traditions of the movement which you serve. We wish for our veterans to be at peace, and we ask that you take them out of their misery into which this President has plunged them. Please hear the call from us, from them and from those who have gone before us. Bishop Vincent Zungu: Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth Bishop Bethlehem Nopece: Anglican Church of SA (Grahamstown District) Bishop Andile Mbete: Methodist Church of SA (Grahamstown District) Apostle Neville Goldman: Ebenezer International – Assemblies of God Pastor Johannes Welskit: Regional Head EC Apostolic Faith Mission Ds Danie Mouton: Direkteur Sinode – NG Kerk Oos-Kaap Rev Sipho Ncapayi: Moderator Presbyterian Church (Central and Southern Cape) Pastor Daan Botha: Harvest Christian Church Pastor Mvusi Gwam: Chairperson: NMB Transformation Christian Network Rev Howard Hans: Chairperson: NB SACC