It’s a foolish thought I know but Jesus teaches such outrageous concepts. The only way to bring about change in our world splintered by hatred, greed, war and suffering is not with a pile of guns and bombs and a bunch of threatening words in a diplomatic showdown. The only way to truly bring about lasting transformation, reconciliation and peace is with a towel and a bowl and a massive dose of humility. This is the most valuable lesson I observed at Amahoro and it’s taken me this long to word it the way I need to express.
On day 3 of Amahoro we had some workshops we could attend. One of them was a panel called ‘the legacy of the truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) and the reformation of South African society’. The panel was to comment on and discuss the TRC, a commission set up post aparteid in the bid to seek the truth about the many injustices people suffered under apartheid and to hopefully begin to bring about reconciliation among the people of South Africa.
On the panel were the following people: Trevor Nthlola (from Soweto, chair of teh discussion), Rene August (from Cape Town), Moss Nthla (from Johannesburg), Adriaan Vlok (Afrikan former minister of police and former minister of correctional services under apartheid), Sarafina (Adriaan’s former housemaid) and Sean Callaghan (from UK formerly of South Africa)
As Trevor introduced the panel the conversationbetween Adriaan and Trevor was amazing. Adriaan talked about being a ‘Christian’ all his life in that he tick the box for statistical purposes, went to church on Sunday but left the sermon in the pew and went about his business which was about hunting down the ‘communists’ and dealing with them under aparthied law. He says he became a true christian 3 years ago when God transformed his heart. Before he went on to tell too much more of the story Trevor interupted and said, ‘you know if it wasn’t for the Lord Jesus Christ I would not be sitting here and you would not be sitting there…we would still be emenies today and i want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ that we can be sitting here together as brothers.’ It was an amazing scene, a black South African from Soweto sitting with an Afrikan formerly a man of great power who exercised it with all it’s consequenses under apartheid, having a constructive conversation about reconciliation in the name of Christ. An unheard of scene 15 years ago and a priviledge to bear witness to. Adriaan agreed with Trevor and returned the compliment of calling him brother because if it wasn’t for the Lord he wouldn’t be sitting there. He said that the transformation that happened within him was not posible with the spirit of the world in him. It was only by the Holy Spirit that he could change. An amazing testimony.
It was amazing to listen to Adriaan and his story, but what was also fasinating was to observe the reactions of the others on the panel as he spoke. He talked of teh ‘unofficial war’ they waged against each other and it was a war because they were killing each other, black against white and the white seemed to weild the power. He said you couldn’t knock on a door in Soweto and expect to be greeted with a cup of tea, this was war and they were killing each other. As he began to say things like this Moss and Trevor began to snicker and laugh and i imagine because we were comparing the realities of not so long ago to the reality of what we were observing on that stage, this mixed group of people united in Christ reflecting on the stories that had them killing each other.
Adriaan talked of going before the TRC recently to seek amnesty for his ‘crimes’ and to ask the people of South Africa for forgiveness but he said amazingly no-one seemed to hear him, it seemed to him that it was all a bit ‘tokenistic’. It wasn’t until he stood before Franciscani (I have no idea how to spell his name) and 9 black African women that he finally felt he was heard.
Franciscani was a leader of an apostolic pentecostal church (black congregation) who stood against the injustice of apartheid. Adriaan’s administration was responsible for jailing him because he visited accused ‘communists’ in jail, but he would say he was doing the work of the Holy Spirit by standing against injustice and with teh oppressed. The police attempted to poison him (which he survived) and there was an elaborate plan to bomb a church builing to kill much of tehblack congregation and render the building useless but that failed as well. Adriaan spoke of his part in all of this, the balance between law and secret plans on the side that would serve other agendas. The whoel time he was telling these stories Moss and Trevor’s snickers became under the breathe snorts until finally on the punch line (the failed attack) they would break out in laughter because they were all convinced that God had a miraculous hand in the outcomes of these events which is why they all sit on the stag together on that day. Adriaan said the bomb that was supposed to demolish the entire building and kill many only managed to damage part of the building and didn’t even injure a single person and the black congregation continued to meet there.
Then Adriaan told of his house maid Sarafina and she told her story of working for this wonderful man and having no idea what he did outside the walls of his home because he treated her so well. Adriaan said that if he was going to truly seek forgiveness for his actions and the way he had conducted himself for so many years reconciliation needed to start in the home. He was deeply moved and shaped by the text from John 13 where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. He said to himself, this is what he must do, it was the ultimate act of humility and service. So one day he asked to wash the feet of his housemaid Sarafina. She was amazed! He then told a story about how he gained teh courage to go to the office of Franciscani and he washed his feet. It was an action Adriaan nearly backed out of but he said he had to seize the moment, it was now or never.
When Adriaan had finished (we had been sitting for over an hour listening to stories) Trevor was about to wrap up but Sean (who was sitting next to Adriaan) said he needed to say something. You could say he was seizing a moment because it was now or never. He addressed Adriaan Vlok by telling him that when Sean was only 17 he was conscripted to the apartheid regeime where he was sent to work with the death sqaud. They were told that those against apartheid were terrorists and were to be hunted down and ‘dealt’ with. Sean told Adriaan how he has suffered from the trauma of this time since the end of apartheid and that he too had sought amnesty. But his therapist said he couldn’t blame a system for his pain he needed to blame a person and he looked Adriaan in the eye and said, ‘I blamed you’. He said everytime he needed to curse in his home he didin’t curse using God’s name he used the name ‘Vlok’ and a curse word.
Sean turned to Adriaan and asked his forgiveness right there on that stage. Adriaan accepted and in turn asked Sean to forgive him and then Adriaan did an amazing thing. He asked Sean if he could wash his feet. Sean accepted and asked Adriaan the same. So they used the glasses of water they were using to drink out of and right there on the stage before all of us witnesses from around teh world we witnessed this amazing history making event. 2 men formerly in positions of great power using apartheid to mame and persecute the black community of South Africa, now suffering their own pain and shame, were transfigured by the power of the Holy Spirit are actively seeking forgiveness and reconciliation of a broad scale and practicing that very act rigth in front of us with ‘a towel and a bowl’.
Adriaan washing Sean's feet
I could not believe what I was able to have the privilege to witness in that room that day. But I know this, God is working in amazing ways with people of influence in South Africa. 15 years on after apartheid the atmosphere may be far from ideal but there is hope in South Africa. the hope resides in simple acts of compassion, humility and service, the powerful act of reconciliation through the use fo a towel and a bowl. So simple yet so difficult.
Shalom
Mark
This is by no means an exhaustive account of historical events in South Africa but it is a reflection on an experience of a foreign visitor to a conference in South Africa. I apologize for gapping holes or misinterpretations. It is purely a reflective blog to share a story of hope
