Why is this a “giant”?
The racism that was integral to apartheid has not been erased in the few short years of our democracy. Racism continues to drive wedges in our society that undermine our national progress, advancement, and security.

What are the realities?
Everyone can think of specific violent examples that demonstrate that we are not yet free from racism:
* The rash of murders in Mpumalanga in February 2002 that were racially motivated
* The October 2002 attack of Zimbabwean immigrants living in Gauteng, in which 74 shacks were burned to the ground
* Or this testimonial from a middle-aged black woman from KZN: “The farmer was on the riverbank. When I got to him I crossed the river to the fence separating us. The farmer was standing on the steeper side. He had a big stone in his hand, and he put it on top of a big pole and asked me to cross to his side of the fence and asked me where I was going. I said I was going to my neighbor and he then said ‘when are you going to leave the farm.’ And I said I would not leave because the previous farm owner said we should stay on the farm. He then crossed the fence to my side and grabbed me and started assaulting me. He was hitting me until I fell to the ground and then he pressed me to the ground and started banging my head against the ground and strangling me. Then he tried to pull me to the river down the steep bank, saying ‘today I am going to kill you.’ I was sure I was going to die anyway so I pulled at him and started screaming; he let go and I could run away.... I ran to my neighbors’ bleeding and told them he had assaulted me. The following day I went to the police station and reported the case. They took a statement and came back with police officers to the farm. When we got there the farmer said he had never seen me. The police wanted him to come to the police station, and he said ‘no, I am busy with my accounts.’ Some of the other workers had heard me screaming, but when I later went to the police station to see what had happened with the case, the investigating officer said the farmer had come to cancel the case with several workers from the farm who were witnesses for him saying they had heard nothing.” 1999, Human Rights Watch

What does this mean?
It took decades to foster the racism that drove apartheid; it will certainly take decades to have individuals and churches fight all the bigotry that persists, both visible and invisible. In the past, racism was supported by our educational, political, and religious systems. Apart from the very violent symptoms of racial prejudice and discrimination, there are daily hurts and divisions which continue to mar our society.

What is being done?
Both the South African Constitution and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (2000) are key legal tools for preventing, discouraging, and punishing racial discrimination. The government is launching its National Action Plan against Racism, and all sectors of society are able to be involved in that initiative which is led by the Department of Justice and the SA Human Rights Commission. The SA Human Rights Commission has launched the Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign to address the increasing level of racism and xenophobia against refugees and immigrants.

What is our responsibility?
As a religious community, how are we working to challenge members of our congregations to unearth the conscious and unconscious biases that prevent us from being a unified nation? Are we asking our churches to face decades of discrimination and intolerance in our teachings? How can we make our worship services and our congregations open to all people and therein serve as a witness of racial harmony?