South Africa’s service-delivery crisis: From contextual understanding to diaconal response

Swart, Ignatius

doi:10.4102/hts.v69i2.1996

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A decade later, the issues outlined in Swart's paper have not only failed to improve but have, in fact, worsened. Further and contrary to Swart's (2013:2) claim that the challenges in South Africa stem from social factors beyond the direct influence of the Christian church, I argue in this article the opposite: that the challenges in South Africa are within the direct influence of the Christian church. Since the majority of South Africans, including leaders in business, government, and civil society, are predominantly Christians, it is posited that the country's current state is a direct outcome of their collective actions or inactions as the majority.…”

Section: Moral Decaycontrasting

confidence: 75%

Breaking the silence: Is the church failing to address South Africa’s sociopolitical problems?

Mkhize

2024

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article investigates why the Ecumenical Church in South Africa has not responded effectively to social issues such as bad governance, corruption, inequality, crime, and ethical decline. It uses contextual and comparative analysis to examine the historical, political, and theological factors that influence the church’s role and identity. It draws on missiology, practical theology, and ecclesiology to argue that the church is neglecting its moral and prophetic duty to uphold human dignity and value, and to offer hope and healing to all. The investigation identified six reasons for the church’s social failure and proposes some practical and theological ways to improve its social responsibility and witness.Contribution: This article challenges the church to be a prophetic voice and witness for social transformation in South Africa. It calls for a national convention of Christian leaders to craft a unified vision for the country’s future and foster dialogue, cooperation, and social responsibility among diverse and complex churches.

show abstract

Section: Moral Decaycontrasting

confidence: 75%

Breaking the silence: Is the church failing to address South Africa’s sociopolitical problems?

Mkhize

2024

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Protests are being carried out by impoverished communities due to their discontentment (cf. CSR 2009;Managa 2012;Swart 2013). Instead of positing a singular cause, a nexus of interconnected causes can be discerned to account for this collective fury, specifically elucidating why a significant number of the nation's most impoverished communities are agitated and thus engaging in protests that have escalated to violence.…”

Section: A ('Very Brief') Socio-economic and Socio-political South Af...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Proposing a Social Justice Approach to Diaconia for a South African Context

Beukes,

Beukes

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

South Africa, although a “young” democracy, has quickly become one of the most economically uneven nations due to its history of segregation and discrimination as contributing factors. South Africans have seen an increase in the number of protests over the past several years because of the frustration that has been caused by unbearable living circumstances, a lack of service delivery, and empty promises made by the government. Poverty, unemployment, and social injustice are seen by the South African government as the most important obstacles that need to be overcome to construct a prosperous nation. Despite the government’s commitment to a “better life for all” since 1994, the post-apartheid South African government has predominantly prioritised civil and political rights in its efforts to address social injustices, while the socio-economic needs of the country’s impoverished and marginalised populations have remained largely unfulfilled. The degradation of human dignity that results from conditions such as poverty and unemployment is significant. A violation of one’s dignity can also occur when one is excluded from efforts to combat issues such as poverty and unemployment, which should be considered. Amidst all of this, the church is criticised for remaining silent and doing little to address the situation. This article proposes social justice as an ideal approach to diaconia and development. Therefore, it seeks to understand and include social justice principles as a means of empowering people to ensure effective development. The objective of long-term poverty reduction cannot be accomplished unless there is an emphasis placed on social justice. This article conducts an in-depth analysis of a variety of social justice theories to rationalise a social justice approach to diaconia.

show abstract

“…Several authors have, furthermore, stressed the aspects of empowerment and transformation in the context of ecumenical diaconia. Examples are Carlos' Hams monograph Empowering Diakonia (Ham 2015), which heavily draws on the conceptual apparatus of empowerment, or the contributions by Ignatius Swart and Nadine Bowers-Du Toit calling for a transformational and political approach to diaconia (Swart 2013;Bowers-Du Toit 2016) along the lines of Phiri and Kim's second dimension.…”

Section: Ecumenical Diaconiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Diaconia and Development: The Study of Religious Social Practice as Lead Discipline in the Religion and Development Debate

Öhlmann

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, I argue that the research field of religion and development and diaconal studies, the study of Christian social practice, share a common subject of inquiry: the social impact of religion. The field of religion and development investigates this mainly with a focus on the Global South and within the discursive framework of the concept of development, while diaconal studies has thus far taken a Christian perspective and a historic focus on the Global North. Recent paradigm shifts in the development discourse (post-development critique, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a global framework, critique of the secularist approach) put the field of religion and development under pressure to broaden its scope. Moreover, there is no clear lead discipline in the religion and development debate yet, raising questions about its disciplinary location in academic institutions and curricula. The field of diaconal studies is challenged by increasing religious pluralism and under pressure to consider perspectives from the Global South. Impulses from the recent advances in the conceptualisation of ecumenical diaconia as a new paradigm of Christian social service push the field to move beyond its historic focus on assistance and care. The aim of this article is to juxtapose these two fields of academic study and to bring them into mutual dialogue. The article reflects on both fields and their respective advantages and disadvantages and highlights areas of overlap. It goes on to propose a broadened discipline of diaconal studies, reshaped as the Study of Religious Social Practice, as a new academic field. The focus of this field would be the impact of religion on society in global perspective, across religious traditions and geographic contexts.

show abstract

South Africa’s service-delivery crisis: From contextual understanding to diaconal response

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Breaking the silence: Is the church failing to address South Africa’s sociopolitical problems?

Breaking the silence: Is the church failing to address South Africa’s sociopolitical problems?

Proposing a Social Justice Approach to Diaconia for a South African Context

Diaconia and Development: The Study of Religious Social Practice as Lead Discipline in the Religion and Development Debate

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About