The Voice of Faith in National Dialogue: We must sacrifice now for the future generations

South Africa is at a crossroads. Our people are hurting, our institutions are strained, and trust in leadership has eroded. Over the past weeks at the National Convention and in countless conversations across our land, I have personally heard the deep pain of communities who feel excluded, unheard, and left to carry burdens alone.

As the church community, we represent tens of thousands of faith-based institutions across the country. From churches and traditional faith structures, we stand rooted in every village, township, and city. This gives us not only a broad reach, but also something government often lacks: trust.

Trust was not built overnight. It was forged during crises. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when churches were shut down and communities were cut off, we innovated. We trained township churches to use technology, and we mobilised to distribute R100 million worth of food to starving families.

That is why the voice of faith is indispensable in this National Dialogue. However, this dialogue must not devolve into the all-too-familiar endless monologue. South Africans do not need more speeches, promises, or frameworks that gather dust. We need leaders who listen — truly listen — and then act. If this process is only about words, then we risk emerging twelve months later with nothing to show but frustration.

Implementation

We must move from vision to implementation. Our country’s most urgent challenges are not mysteries. They are visible: crippling debt, unemployment, hunger, crime, and broken families. What is lacking is the political will and the long-term commitment to fix them. Short-term relief, handouts, and quick fixes cannot replace the hard work of sustainable nation-building.

The faith community is ready to help lead this work. We can provide trusted spaces for dialogues, trained facilitators in multiple languages, and networks that reach the furthest corners of South Africa. We can mobilise millions of South Africans to participate meaningfully. Most importantly, we can carry the voice of ordinary people — voices too often ignored in policy debates — into the national conversation.

But dialogue alone will not heal our nation. We must be prepared to sacrifice in the present so that the next generation may inherit a better South Africa. That begins with rebuilding the family, restoring moral values, and strengthening communities from the ground up.

As a nation, we have a choice. We can continue to drift, borrowing more, dividing further, and hoping for miracles. Or we can act now, together — faith leaders, government, civil society, and citizens — to rebuild trust, restore hope, and secure the future.

The time for words has passed. The time for action is now.

Pretorius is Senior Pastor at 3C Church and President of the South African Community of Faith-based Fraternals and Federations (SACOFF).