Churches in mine hosting communities should be at the centre of the post mining economy

Thabang Thembani

Mine-hosting communication needs moral regeneration economic revival and economic paradigm shift. They serve as popular institutions that mobilize communities to form social cohesion. In Nyakallong, churches have crowds from different social and economic classes. However, according to a member of the church committee, Ms MaChaka of the African Church is called the Jerusalem Apostolic church. he said that the churches face various challenges regarding addressing social and economic issues such as unemployment issues, including people living with disabilities, teen pregnancy and health problems. We need to do more and not be willing to join the conversation to help.

This proves that churches are not only places of faith but also places that have the power to rub the moral and economic conversations of society and they make it easier to access different identities of society for inclusive involvement. There is a need for youth mobilization in this community since there lot of people in this
community are not working at 69.5 % unemployment rate. We see this in churches when we do church outreach programs, a lot of people are living in very poor conditions and that makes them lose faith in the power of churches to help them since churches are known for spiritual upliftment and social good’ The chairperson of youth committee in Jerusalem church, Lindani lamented. We can create developing communities through alliances of churches that would have apolitical
principles and concentrate more on civic development. Moreover, there is a clear indication that churches have a moral obligation to do this and a social will to improve the communities they exist in.

They become pragmatic solutions because they are not profit-orientated but their motive is always based on spiritual revival and empowering people of God. It’s clear that in principle churches have people’s interests at heart and make it easy to mobilize for community involvement and inclusive solutions. We need to give churches a platform to be involved in conversations of just transitions.