Minister Calls on Faith Groups to Expand Service Delivery for South Africa's Most Vulnerab

Social Development Minister Dina Pule opened the Church Leaders Gathering in Unity (CLGU) at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria in Gauteng on Saturday with a direct call: faith communities must deepen their operational role in delivering services to vulnerable populations across South Africa. Speaking on behalf of Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Pule outlined both the existing delivery infrastructure that churches provide and the expanded capacity the country needs going forward. The gathering coincided with South Africa’s 30-year commemoration of the Constitution.

Pule acknowledged the established track record. Through coordinated work with the Department of Social Development and other government institutions, many churches already operate feeding schemes, community outreach programmes, shelters, substance-abuse interventions and support services for children, older individuals and people living with disabilities. These organisations have worked alongside healthcare workers and government departments to provide care, counselling, awareness programmes and support to individuals and families. That collaborative infrastructure, Pule said, remains essential as the country confronts persistent social challenges.

The scale of those challenges is not small. Poverty, unemployment, inequality, gender-based violence, substance abuse, crime and the erosion of moral values continue to place pressure on communities across the country. “These challenges require more than government intervention alone; they require a united society, anchored in compassion, ethical leadership and active citizenship,” Pule said. Addressing unemployment, she added, requires a collective effort to create opportunities, support skills development and encourage entrepreneurship, positioning churches as active participants in that broader economic delivery effort.

On the ground, Pule called on churches to remain active partners in reaching vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, reducing stigma and strengthening prevention and treatment efforts. She urged faith communities to support people struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, drawing on the Christian teaching of “loving one’s neighbour” as a framework for community responsibility. She also called for stronger accountability, stating plainly that no one should be above consequence, including those who occupy positions of religious leadership.

Meanwhile, Pule addressed the role of faith institutions in violence prevention directly. Reflecting on a recent Spring Day celebration that resulted in the death of a young man, she described it as a painful reminder of the need for greater community responsibility. “I must state this clearly: No one deserves to die at the hands of another person, regardless of the circumstances. Equally, no one should take the law into their own hands,” she said. Churches, she argued, must reinforce the message that violence is never an acceptable response to conflict and that every person deserves to be treated with respect.

Pule also situated the current moment within a longer history of delivery. Church leaders played a critical role during South Africa’s transition to democracy, helping to foster reconciliation, peace-building and nation-building at a pivotal moment. “At a critical moment in our history, churches and faith-based organisations came together with community structures and political leaders to promote reconciliation, peacebuilding and nation-building,” she said. That spirit of collaboration, she emphasised, is not a relic.

Yet the Minister was candid about the gap between past collaboration and present need. “Regardless of the past successful collaboration, much still needs to be done to improve the living condition of our people. South Africa continues to navigate a complex social and economic landscape,” she said. The question now is whether faith communities can scale their operational presence to match the depth of that landscape.

For more information on community resilience initiatives, see https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/churches-urged-help-build-resilient-communities.