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The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing:
A Theological Analysis of the Morality of Some Sections of
the “Rainbow Nation”
Abraham Modisa Mkhondo Mzondi, Senior Academic, South African
Theological Seminary
Abstract
This article posits that the Commission for the Promotion and Protection
of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (known
as the CRL Commission) and the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into
Allegations of State Capture (known as the Zondo Commission) provide
a plausible theological basis to analyse the morality of some sections
of the post-apartheid South African nation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu
called the post-apartheid South African nation the “Rainbow People
of God,” hereafter called the “Rainbow Nation.” More so, the ANC-
led government adopted to advocate for the “RDP of the soul” through
the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) to address the new nation’s
moral challenges as it was embarking on the implementation of the
Reconstruction and Development Plan (RDP) to address the socio-
economic-political conditions of the “Rainbow Nation.” The article
uses literature analysis as a framework to provide an analysis of how
the moral regeneration initiative placed alongside the quest to attain
human ourishing permeated some sections of the “Rainbow Nation.”
The analysis points out that the Moral Regeneration Initiative did not aim
to stir some sections of the “Rainbow Nation” to internalise the moral
values the Moral Regeneration Movement promotes.
1. Introduction
Archbishop Desmond Tutu enthusiastically promoted the spirituality
of the new democratic nation and christened it the “Rainbow People of
God” (Tutu 1994; Tutu & Allen 1999). As a Christian leader, it seemed
natural for him to place God at the centre of the new democratic state and
make God the moral compass of the “Rainbow Nation.” All sections of
the new nation seemingly embraced the idea that God was their moral
compass, as they used the name “Rainbow Nation” to describe the new
democratic dispensation. Eorts to place God as the moral compass
culminated in the establishment of a multi-sectoral body called the Moral
Regeneration Movement (MRM), which aims at promoting the “RDP of
the soul” (Mandela 1999; Mkhatshwa 2005:5). West (n.d.:4) mentions
The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing: A Theological
Analysis of the Morality of Some Sections of the “Rainbow Nation”
The South African Baptist Journal of Theology
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that the “RDP of the soul” is a national moral initiative that begins with
an individual. Hence, this article argues that it is plausible to use the
Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural,
Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL commission) and the
Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (known
as the Zondo commission) as a basis to analyse the morality of some
sections of the “Rainbow Nation.” The article applies literature analysis
to achieve the intended objective (Cooper 1998). It is thus divided into
six main sections, namely, (1)human ourishing, morality and Ubuntu;
(2) the moral regeneration initiative and human ourishing; (3) the poor,
black elite and human ourishing; (4) the CRL commission, morality
and human ourishing; (5) the Zondo commission, morality and human
ourishing; and (6) the church and human ourishing.
2. Human Flourishing, Morality and Ubuntu
Rasmussen (1999:1,2,3) states that “human ourishing” is associated
with Aristotle’s worldview and mentions a neo-Aristotle version that
“oers a view of the human good that is (1) objective, (2) inclusive, (3)
individualised, (4) agent-relative, (5) self-directed, and (6) social.” Thus,
human ourishing elevates the idea that human beings seek to ourish in
all aspects of human life. Hence, this article analyses the quest for human
ourishing in the “Rainbow Nation.” Two South African Christian leaders
and theologians helped to view morality and human ourishing in the
“Rainbow Nation,” namely, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a Professor
of Philosophy, Augustine Shutte. They both argue that God should be the
moral compass of the “Rainbow Nation” for it to ourish. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu epitomised making God the moral compass of the “Rainbow
Nation” through his unwavering commitment to Ubuntu to achieve the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) objective. This is so as he
had opted to ground his theology on the notion of Ubuntu by advocating
for forgiveness and reconciliation (Tutu 1999; cf Meiring 2015:2) to attain
human ourishing for the “Rainbow People of God” (Tutu & Allen 1999).
His position owed from his commitment to answer people’s existential
questions and helping the poor and suering to experience God within the
Ubuntu worldview rather than answering theoretical theological questions
(Maluleke 2019).
Shutte (2001:204) also introduces the metaphysical in his advocacy for
Ubuntu and maintains that:
48
in a religion with Ubuntu the unlimited transcendent power that is the
ground of my being is present in all I am or do, in my life as a whole and
each particular part of it
He also (2001:30) links Ubuntu with human ourishing by saying that:
[t]he morality of Ubuntu is intrinsically related to human happiness
and fullment. It derives from our nature as human persons, not
merely conventional or simple obedience to society’s arbitrary norms.
Our most profound moral obligation is to become more fully human.
And this means entering more and more deeply into community with
others. So, although the goal is personal, selshness is excluded.
Interestingly, Banda later echoed the same sentiments, arguing that Ubuntu
promotes human ourishing. He (2019:218) writes:
ubuntu should be conceptualised as human ourishing can also be
discerned from the fact that at an individual personal level, the African
quest for ubuntu is often a quest for dignied human existence.
To this end, it is noticed that one cannot talk about morality without
addressing the quest to attain a ourishing “Rainbow Nation” in the
context of Ubuntu.
3. The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing
The ANC’s quest to seek a ourishing “Rainbow Nation” is noticed in
connecting its spirituality with the socio-economic-political spheres of
the country. This connection occurred when Nelson Mandela visited the
grave of the rst president of the African National Congress, Langalibalele
Dube, on 27 April 1994, before casting his rst democratic vote in Ohlange
Institute in Inanda, northern Kwazulu-Natal. Mandela is reported to have
said “Mr President, I have come to report to you that South Africa is free
today” (Khumalo 2015). As the rst democratically elected president of
a new democratic government, he instituted the process of the “RDP of
the soul” (Mandela 1999) and later created space for the establishment of
the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) to address the nation’s moral
issues. The Moral Regeneration Movement “is a networking platform
that facilitates and coordinates all processes and initiatives to combat
moral degeneration.” (MRM n.d.). A few years later, the founding leader
and patron of the MRM, Fr Smagaliso Mkhatswha, described Shutte’s
book “Ubuntu: An ethic for a New South Africa” as “a contribution for
The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing: A Theological
Analysis of the Morality of Some Sections of the “Rainbow Nation”
The South African Baptist Journal of Theology
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overcoming what our President (then Thabo Mbeki) has called the ‘moral
vacuum’ that presently threatens South Africa” (Shutte, 2001).
Mandela’s successor, the former president Thabo Mbeki, later requested
the church to be part of eorts to assist the ANC in attaining a ourishing
“Rainbow Nation” (Battersby 2015). Following the recommendation
of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC 2002), he allowed a
project that would invoke the presence of the ancestors in the “Rainbow
Nation.” The Department of Arts and Culture led by former minister, Pallo
Jordaan, was tasked to build the Freedom Park Memorial in Salvokop,
Tshwane. Ngaka Wali wa Serote oversaw the construction of the rst
phase of the memorial precinct called “isivivane” (Young & Prinsloo
2020:96) in 2003 and its opening in 2004. The precinct is a resting place
for the spirits of those who died during the struggle for freedom in South
Africa. Completing the rst phase coincided with celebrating a decade of
political freedom and democracy. The park also fulls Nelson Mandela’s
1999 dream that:
the day should not be far o, when we shall have a people’s shrine, a
freedom park, where we shall honour those who endured pain with all
the dignity they deserve, so we should experience the joy of freedom
(Nelson Mandela Foundation 2009).
Nelson Mandela’s desire to have a shrine and the appointment of ngaka
Wally wa Serote to oversee the “isivivane” phase directly reects the
inuence of the aspect of appealing to the supernatural for intervention to
attain a ourishing “Rainbow Nation.” This development echoes Banda’s
(2019:218) view that Ubuntu promotes human ourishing. Hence,
Mothibe and Sibanda (2019: section 8, par 4) summarise the spirituality
of the park as follows:
[i]n SA, the government has erected a memorial, the Freedom Park in
Pretoria [sic] (current Tshwane) in recognition of the role of ancestors to
the living. Within the park, several sacred sites are assigned the meaning
and importance of the park
4. The Poor, Black Elite and Human Flourishing
The “Rainbow Nation” is a new non-racial, non-sexist and secular
democratic country founded on the new 1996 constitution (The
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996). This country is in a
socio-economic-religious transition that aims to disassociate itself from
50
apartheid South Africa. One of its challenges is that STATS SA has rated
the “Rainbow Nation” as one of the most unequal societies in the world
(STATS SA 2017; 2018, 2020) with a huge rich-poor gap with a high
youth unemployment rate accompanied by a shrinking economy (STATS
SA 2023).
Living in a country with the world’s highest gap between the rich and
the poor, challenges the internalisation of the moral values, the Moral
Regeneration Movement promotes among the poor. The poor nd
promises of a better life elusive and opt to seek to attain human ourishing
in the religious practices of the New Prophetic Movement leaders (Banda
2019a:35,37).
A dierent picture emerges among the middle class, the elite, the rich, and
politicians as several moral scandals also point out that they also need to
show an attempt to internalise the moral values promoted by the Moral
Regeneration Movement. An example is Schwella’s (2013: 78) work
identifying corruption in sports and political circles. Additionally, several
commissions were established to investigate some of these scandals.
Scandals associated with the black elite caused Boesak (2004:69) to
lament that:
The gap between the new black elite and the poor black masses is as
wide as any gap that ever existed, only more pain-lled. And in the
impoverished rural areas and the teeming squatter camps, where the
pain was always greatest, they still hear that they must ‘tighten their
belts’ while parliamentarians voted in by the loyalty and hopes of the
poor, vote themselves two salary increases in one year.
The black elite were also mentioned in allegations of corrupt practices
and actions mentioned at the Zondo commission. The recent Special
Investigating Unit’s (SIU) revelation of disturbing and extremely shocking
corruption identied in some PPE COVID-19 tenders (Sedimba 2021)
depicts how corruption scandals are eating away at the moral bre of the
“Rainbow Nation.” Voster (2012) correctly states:
While South Africa is in the nation-building process, the corruption
culture endangers society’s social bre and inhibits moral renewal.
Corruption promotes a general lack of trust in institutions and leadership
and stimulates a perpetual culture of corruption that invades all spheres
of life.
The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing: A Theological
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Sadly, this trend has also found it way among some section of African
township Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches (Banda 2019a; CRL 2017;
Kgatle 2017).
Accordingly, the author opts to focus only on two commissions, namely,
the CRL commission and the Zondo commission because they suit the
intended theological moral analysis of some sections of the “Rainbow
Nation” as its citizens attempt to attain human ourishing. This attempt
is placed alongside the initiatives to internalise the moral values the
Moral Regeneration Movement promotes. The rst commission involves
the conduct of some leaders of a section of the Christian faith, the New
Prophetic Movement. The second commission involves the conduct of
some leaders of the private and public sectors.
5. The CRL Commission, Morality and Human Flourishing
Padayachy (2014:53) mentions moral decay as one of the scourges that
face the South African church, and says:
Today’s church in South Africa is characterised by modernity and
post-modernity, the scourge of unemployment, a young and fragile
democracy, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, moral decay and poverty.
The church is expected to reect ideal moral standards and practises by
being the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:14) and seek to promote
the prosperity of its members. Instead, between 2010 and 2022, the South
African media reported disturbing praxis of some Pentecostal-Charismatic
Church leaders that ended in the CRL commission conducting a formal
investigation into the commercialisation of religion (CRL 2017; Kgatle
2017:1). These leaders are criticised for promoting their interest instead of
those of church members (Mashau & Kgatle 2019:6-8). Kgatle (2020:26-
27) classies them into a group he calls New Prophetic Movement and
explains that they:
idolise the miraculous, healing, deliverance, success and the enactment
of bizarre church performances often performed by charismatic and
highly inuential spiritual leaders.” (Kgatle 2021:1)
Resane (2018:348) lists some Pentecostal-Charismatic leaders outside
Kgatle’s category.
These leaders include South Africans and foreign nationals (Mashau
52
& Kgatle 2019:3, 8; Kgatle 2017:6) whom Ramatshwana (2019:6-8)
argues that they are preying on people. Resane (2021) critique them for
promoting a celebrity cult, lacking basic theological training, displaying
poor management abilities and not complying with the Non-Prot
Organisation Act (Resane 2018:356–357).
The moral behaviour of some New Prophetic Movement leaders caused
Resane (2020:4) to lament that “secular culture” has aected the church
instead of the church aecting “secular culture.” He further argues that
they do not demonstrate accountability (Resane 2018:349–350). Although
professing to be prophetic, these leaders do not come near the praxis of
anti-apartheid church leaders who challenged the injustices and oppression
the apartheid regime perpetuated. For them, being prophetic mainly
involves predicting the future, ministering healing and deliverance to
church members (cf Resane 2017:8-9), and ignoring the socio-economic
plight of church members (Mashau & Kgatle 2019). In their work, “The
abuse of the Spirit in some New Prophetic Churches in South African
Pentecostalism,” Kgatle and Anderson (2020), details how these leaders
abuse their religious standing to exploit and abuse church members. These
developments in these churches show that some of the leaders seem not to
have a moral compass as they opt to pursue nancial gain and popularity
by any available means; instead of making God their moral compass and
ensuring their members ourish. These developments led Mashau and
Kgatle (2019:6) to point out that “[o]ne of the causalities of the prosperity
gospel is economic justice. Instead of ghting the triple challenges of
unemployment, poverty and inequality, prosperity gospel perpetrates such
challenges.” because only the pastor benets (Mashau & Kgatle 2019: 5).
Banda (2020:3) laments the commercialisation of religion by pointing that
some of these leaders promote strange practices to syphon money from
church members and non-members attending these churches; practice
tax evasion, out banking laws and using the names of church members
to acquire property (cf. CRL 2017). Some of these leaders reect poor
marriage moral standing (Resane 2018: 348,358-359). Others are accused
of sexual violation (Maviya 2018), others have displayed a share lack
of adherence to basic human rights (Mokhoathi & Rembe 2017:7) and
basic health practice by convincing congregants to eat grass, drink petrol
and detergents as well as eating rodents (Resane 2017:6-7). Some fake
miracles to prove their unique spiritual abilities so that church members
return to the church (Ramatshwana 2019:7).
The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing: A Theological
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The praxis of some New Prophetic Movement leaders reects that church
members (poor and middle class) do not engage in a critical reection and
application of the Scriptures (cf Mashau & Kgatle 2019:8) and are willing
to pay for the perceived spiritual service the leaders provide (Ramatshwana
2019:6). What matters is attaining personal human ourishing even in
dubious and life-threatening environments. They deliberately follow
some New Prophetic Movement leaders who seem not to care about the
ethics of their actions (Kgatle 2020:137-145). Above all, the poor trust
them and are desperate to nd solutions to unemployment, poverty and
hunger (Banda 2019a:8); and view them as mediators between them and
God (Asamoah-Gyadu 2005:236–237).
In his work, Maluleke (2015:36-39) paints a picture of the questionable
actions of some Christian leaders Christ would nd should he have
returned a few years ago. He mentions the ordination of Jacob Zuma as a
pastor by a group of some leaders from the New Prophetic Movement and
further questions Paseka Motsoeneng’s ethics of one of the leaders from
New Prophetic Movement.
On the contrary Banda (2020: 3) construes some of Motsoeneng’s
actions to pray for God ‘s intervention in a married couple experiencing
sexual problems as attempts to assist church members to ourish. Banda
(2019a:10) also introduces the quest for human ourishing among people
experiencing poverty by saying the poor live in:
context riddled with high economic inequality and powerlessness,
religion is a powerful tool for the poor and powerless. The high levels
of poverty, corruption, crime and violence, high costs of living and
medical care and poor service delivery mean that many poor people
turn to religion as a strategy of survival and existence.
Arguably, the actions of some leaders of the New Prophetic Movement
are blatant corruption. Hence, the author presents Voster’s (2012:140-
144) three steps to ght corruption in all spheres including the church.
These are to: raise awareness of the problem and its eects, deal with
self-interest, and call for social justice. The rst step builds on the view
that the church is a moral agent, the second step advocates that the interest
of others comes rst, and the third step reiterates the view that the church
must be the voice of the poor, marginalised and the oppressed. The above
steps show that Voster’s approach promotes the quest to assist the poor to
54
attain human ourishing.
Additionally, Mashau and Kgatle (2019:6-8) show the eorts of some
theologians who advocate for promoting human ourishing among the
New Prophetic Movement. They apply Ubuntu to propose a practical
antithesis to malpractices identied among some New Prophetic Movement
leaders; and list ve key practices, they called theologies: (a) theology
of life, (b) theology of care, (c) theology of solidarity, (d) theology of
economic justice, and (e) theology of hope and accompaniment. The rst
encapsulates the promotion of good human life (human ourishing in
this article), the second emphasises the promotion of care of the church
members to enable other to reach a state of happiness, the third elevates
the notion of promoting community so that church members benet
instead of the only pastor beneting, the fourth advocate for the promotion
of seeking economic emancipation and justice that benet the church
members and the fth underscore the promotion of hope and ourishing
of church members by pastors considering the need of church members.
6.The Zondo Commission, Morality and Human Flourishing
The ANC’s wish to improve the lives and conditions of the poor is
emphasised in the resolution of its Mangaung 2012 conference that states:
We are boldly entering the second phase of the transition from
apartheid colonialism to a national democratic society. This
phase will be characterised by decisive action to eect economic
transformation and democratic consolidation, critical to improving
all South Africans’ quality of life and promoting nation-building and
social cohesion.
The objective to improve all South Africans’ quality of life and promote
nation-building and social cohesion implies the desire to attain a ourishing
“Rainbow Nation.” This resolution formed the basis to conceptualise and
development state that promotes an inclusive economic growth (ANC
2017) as expressed in the National Development Plan (NDP), that set to
reduce poverty and inequality by 2030 (NDP 2011:14). To achieve this
objective, the ANC introduced and used a preferential system through
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) initiatives to fast track a ourishing
“Rainbow Nation” (cf Madonsela 2018:118). Later, the black elite and
political elite, consisting of connected politicians and senior managers
at State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), became part of a complex network
The Moral Regeneration Initiative and Human Flourishing: A Theological
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that ensured procurement processes at SOEs like SAA, Eskom, Denel,
Transnet and Prasa beneted those connected to them instead of the
intended target groups (Khambule 2021:6). Freidman (2019:12) explains
that this development set the stage for the political elite and black elite and
business to control access to the resources of SOEs and from the business
sector; thus, resulting patronage between these two groups of elites and
business (Khambule 2021:8).
The manifestation of this patronage ended in members of the civil society
beginning to question the ethics of the former president of the country
and the ANC, Jacob Zuma; further pressed that he be held accountable
and demanded that he be removed as the president of the ANC and the
country (Khambule 2021:8-9). Subsequently, a formal complaint was
made to the Public Protector (PP) to investigate irregularities in Jacob
Zuma’s administration (Madonsela 2016; Public Protector 2016). The PP
found violations of the Code of Ethics and recommended establishing
a formal judicial inquiry to investigate the allegations (Public Protector
2016). Accordingly, the Zondo commission was established in 2018 to
investigate allegations of state occupation during the administration of
former president and African National Congress (ANC), Jacob Zuma
(Bohler-Muller et al., 2022: ii).
State capture occurs where an individual or family exerts inuence on
running the state and its economy through a complex network (Martins &
Solomon 2016, 21). Corruptions benet a few connected individuals who
want to ourish by any means and rob the poor to attain human ourishing.
It manifests through nepotism, bribery, and fraud among others (Webb
2009:9).
The Zondo commission unearthed sophisticated forms of corruption in
the private and public sectors. A senior ocial at the national Treasury
testied at the Zondo commission that signs of state capture emerged at
Eskom (Van Niekerk, Valiquette L’Heureux & Holtzhausen 2022:5). The
rst politicians, Barbara Horgan and Pravin Gordan, testied and explained
at the Zondo commission that the emergence of an illegal procurement
process was used to weaken state institutions and to loot state funds (Van
Niekerk, Valiquette L’Heureux & Holtzhausen 2022:5).
The ndings of the Zondo commission established that:
The evidence shows that goods and services were often procured
56
when they were not needed, and often in duplication of work already
done (Bohler-Muller et al.,2022 :165).
The evidence received by the Commission demonstrates that in many
cases, and fundamental respects, the Boards of many SOEs have shirked
their responsibilities, or worse, used their powers to corrupt the SOEs that
they have been appointed to protect. (Bohler-Muller, et al., 2022:173
The abuse of centralised procurement processes often evidenced this
collective misconduct, so the approval authority for high-value tenders
became concentrated in the hands of a small group of top executives and
Board members. (Bohler-Muller et al., 2022:173).
The conduct of the black elites, black politicians, and business cited by
the Zondo Commission demonstrates that all three groups have lost their
moral compass, depriving the poor of the opportunity for the prosperity
that the NDP wants. They (a) are an antithesis to Desmond Tutu’s and
Augustine Shutte’s ourishing “Rainbow Nation” inuenced by Ubuntu;
and (b) display self-interest.
Worse, they display no sign of internalising the moral values of the Moral
Regeneration Movement. They stooped too low to amass large sums of
money.
7. The Church and Human Flourishing
The Zondo commission’s nal report presents an opportunity for the church
to challenge corruption (Theron & Lotter 2012:98) and to collaborate with
civil society to ght it so that the poor may attain human ourishing. This
view implies that the church should embrace a hermeneutic that advocates
for transforming human lives in contemporary contexts of the “Rainbow
nation” (cf Nürnberger 2004:7).
Such collaboration will enable local churches to promote leadership
centred on people instead of self-interest (Koegelenberg 1992:343).
Manila (2010:524) adds that such leadership “needs to manifest God’s
will in the world, and the Church must warn authorities and government
ocials against corruption.” While Vorster (2012:139) avers and states
that local churches should support the government’s eorts to combat
corruption and provide alternative measures to ght in the public and
private sectors. Finally, this collaboration requires that church leaders and
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congregants to be role models (Kruger and de Klerk 2016:156) and to
commit to Myers’s (2000:65) concept of transformational development
that promotes just and peaceful relationships within the community and
with God, reconciliation, sharing and embracing others as well caring for
creation.
Embracing collaboration, transformation development and challenging
corruption is noticed in du Plessis and Breed’s (2013:1-6) work
investigating corruption in the Aurora Group of Mines and developing
the “Touching Africa” model based on I Corinthians. The model proposes
ve principles to address corruption in the private and public sectors:
changing minute settings, unifying vision, integrating roles, and focusing
on the ultimate user and identity as a starting point (du Plessis & Breed
2013: 7-8). In addition, they recommend establishing a well-coordinated
programme to combat corruption in the country (2013:9).
8. Conclusion
As noticed in this article, Desmond Tutu and Augustine Shutte envisaged
a ourishing “Rainbow Nation” grounded on God as its moral campus and
promoting Ubuntu. The new administration of the ANC wished to assist
the “Rainbow Nation” to ourish by promoting the “RDP of the soul”
project with the Moral Regeneration Movement leading the initiative
to stir citizens of the “Rainbow Nation” to internalise its moral values.
However, the CRL and the Zondo Commission show that some sections
of the church, the public and private sectors have not been inuenced
to internalise the moral values of the Moral Regeneration Movement.
Thus, reecting that these sections of the “Rainbow Nation” are morally
decient as their actions promoted self interest instead of promoting that
the poor attain human ourishing. Furthermore, the Zondo commission
report creates an opportunity for the church to challenge corruption in the
public and private sectors and to work with civil society to ght it so that
the poor may attain human ourishing instead of a section of the nation.
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Author’s Declaration
The author declares that there is no nancial gain or personal relationship(s)
that inappropriately inuenced him in the writing of this article.
Email: modisa@sats.ac.za