4 March 2025

“Let there be no waste!” (John 6:12) Devotion and welcome The brand new SACC Climate Commission was officially launched by General Secretary Rev Mzwandile Molo on the 25th of February at St. Stephen’s Ethiopian Episcopal Church, Mendi Avenue, Langa. The event was held in partnership with the Langa Spiritual Leaders Fraternal The event started with a devotion led by Climate Commissioner for the Uniting Presbyterian Church in SA  Rev Mzwamadoda Mfene who unpacked the theme from John 6:12. After Jesus had fed the 5000, he called upon his disciples to collect up all the people, saying, “let there be no waste”. This challenges us all as individuals as communities and challenges  the municipality to re-think how we handle waste Rev Siyabulela Tshatshu, chair of the Langa spiritual leaders fraternal welcomed us. The fraternal is  strong body with representatives from 44 churches! Why we are here! Rev Canon Rachel Mash, who is the convenor of the SACC Climate Commission and representative of the Anglican Church  explained the purpose of the gathering. The SACC Climate Commission has a three year plan  – the first year is waste, the second a tree growing campaign, and the third year will be looking at preparedness for climate disasters. Reflecting on the need for tree planting she said that the difference in temperature between our ‘leafy suburbs’ and a shack with no trees and no insulation may be as high as 15 degrees! Messages of support Messages of support were brought  from the Western Cape Council of Churches, and SAFCEI (Southern Africa Faith Communities Environmental Institute). We are very grateful for the support of SAFCEI for this event!. Messages were brought by  local Fraternals, the City of Cape Town – Climate Change directorate and the local Community Policing Forum. It was shocking to hear how crime spikes during hot temperatures! An encouraging  message of support was sent from Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay General Secretary World Council of Churches. “ From contextual eco-spiritual reflections to agro-ecological projects to engaging in social dialogue on alternative mining and Just Transitions, churches in South Africa have been leading the way and have much more to contribute to the growing faith-based movement for climate justice. We especially applaud the young people for their commitment in calling out ecological inequities and in co-creating alternatives for a flourishing planet. Once again, many congratulations to the new SACC Climate Commission! We pray that the SACC Climate Commission be blessed with wisdom, imagination, and boldness as it moves forward. The climate emergency demands all hands, feet, and hearts on board. Together, as a global ecumenical family, let us build a more just, peaceful and sustainable planet! The impact of plastic pollution in our communities Zainab Adams  from  Environmental Humanities- UCT  led an interactive discussion on “The Impact of Plastic on Communities”. The impacts are severe – attracting flies and rats, blocking drains which leads to flooding. Burning plastic causes toxic fumes and the production of plastic creates carbon emissions.  She invited the churches of Langa to join an initiative called the “Critical zones ‘ project The official launch Rev. Mzwandile Molo  the SACC General Secretary then led us  in a challenging message : when the church leaders are committed then everything is possible – we can act out of hope. He reminded us of the words of the song Mercy Mercy me “ things aint what they used to be  – where did all the blue sky go, poison in the air – how much more abuse from man can Mother Earth stand.”  Humanity must confess our arrogance -we don’t take care of Nature  it is Nature that takes care of us . The issue is not the survival of nature – nature will survive – the issue is the survival of the human species. Nature will spit us out and survive again. The SACC Conference chose the theme of Choose Life – and knew that at the centre of God’s creation is the earth – we are late comers. God so loved the whole world! When we talk about salvation we need to understand that also involved Creation. Gods eschatalogical future – God’s ultimate victory is not the victory of human beings but it is a new Earth. We need to get our theology right . The church must be involved in behaviour change, starting with our hymns and preaching. Rev Molo then lit a candle to symbolise the launch of the SACC climate Commission with Rev Mfene, Major Phore, Rev Rachel Mash, who represented the other Commissioners who are in different parts of the country Clean up in the streets of Langa Major Phore SACC Climate Commissioner representative of the  Salvation Army  then prayed for us and  sent us out to the streets of Langa for a clean up , moving from the Ethiopian church to the New Holy Apostolic Jerusalem Church of SA in Langa where Bishop. Makalusa gave us the final blessing The Clean up effort  was supported by the Litterboom Project who are working in the Community of Langa and are interested to form partnerships with the Churches. They collected over 1.2 tonnes of waste during the two days! Let there be no waste!