The Archbishop's challenges

“It’s like building an aeroplane while flying.” That’s how the new Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Thabo Makgoba, described his first six months in office.

The change from having 200 parishioners, as bishop of Grahamstown, to more than three million under his leadership has been made even more challenging by society’s moral decay.

Commenting on this week’s crime statistics, Makgoba said South Africa needed a moral voice, “instead of values of greed, materialism, competition and a lack of sharing”.

“The xenophobic attacks have pained me, they have been an embarrassment.”

The poverty divide in South Africa is one of his major concerns , dating back to when he practised as a psychologist among mine workers.

“The wealth divide concerns me. We are the most unequal country in the world. We need to create a strong middle class,” said Makgoba.

His congregation incorporates South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia Mozambique and St Helena island, regions where, for the most part, HIV/Aids is rife.

Makgoba holds a BSc and a master’s degree in applied psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand and will submit his PhD in business administration next month at the University of Cape Town.

“For me, studying is lifelong. I call it my intellectual vocation,” he said.

At the age of 47, he is the youngest person to be elected archbishop of Cape Town.

The Archbishop’s challenges
The Times, South Africa -