CARDINAL NAPIER: Explained Nothing

Letter to

As a proud and practicing Catholic I was saddened and hurt with the interview I read with Cardinal Wilfred Napier in the Mail and Guardian of 12-18 April 2013. The interview was entitled “An explanation for everything”, except that Cardinal Napier explains nothing and indeed adds to the confusion.  The interview clearly displayed the Head of the Catholic Church in South Africa as a man out of touch with his own Church on the ground.  What His Holiness, Pope Francis I is trying to do, Cardinal Napier is almost nullifying.  Instead of coming out to the streets with the people, as Francis I is trying to do, Napier continues to sit on his backward-looking stance.

As the most important, largest and most relevant Christian Church, the time is over for semantics and technicalities when it comes to the horrifying abuse by Priests.  The Cardinal needs to move away from his legalistic stance.   If an abused person seeks comfort from the Church because one of its shepherds has used his position to abuse its flock; the Church needs to take it seriously and needs to investigate it; irrespective whether the abused person choses to formally report it with the Police or not.

It is true that the Church, in South Africa in particular, is doing much on this issue.  As a result such cases are dealt with quickly and efficiently.  This is the sad irony.  From the Mail and Guardian interview, for anyone who doesn’t know better, one would think very little is actually done.

The reality is that although Cardinal Napier is indeed the correct man theologically to lead our Church in South Africa, he is not a great communicator.

The Church needs men, or women, who are able to relay the Church’s message on issues in an easy-to-understand, modern and uncluttered manner.

Justifying and “explaining” paedophilia simply makes it worse.  Resorting to the oldest, greyest and most uninspiring trick in the communications book; blaming the media for misinterpreting or claiming to be quoted “out of context” is a thousand times worse.

The Church should simply, matter-of-factly explain and communicate what it is concretely doing on these matters.  Simple.

Proof that Home Affairs is in the dark when bringing in skills to SA

Since 2009 the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has not published a list of scarce and critical skills. This is a requirement stated in the Immigration Act. As this is now the norm, this department simply disregards the law and even its own legislation. In questions for written reply the Minister, indicated that her department intends to publish this list “in the near future”. No one knows what this means and leaves the DHA to do what it does best: drag its feet! This is an important component is ensuring that our economy grows; we need foreign skills, which are lacking locally, so that we can grow at an acceptable rate and compete globally.

In the Minister’s reply she indicated that a total of 6 217 of these quota permits have been issued up to and including 5 March 2013. Considering that the target set by the department itself is 50 000 it has a long way to go. Experience also shows us that at the speed (or lack thereof) that Home Affairs works on this it may well take many years to reach their target. 

The most disturbing aspect of this is the Minister’s admission that the department’s “Track and Trace system is currently not configured to register and capture individual occupations and categories of work permit applications.” If this is the case then how is monitoring done. How do we know what skills are coming into the country and if we are deficient in another skill, for example? The Minister answered the question for us: we don’t! The Minister claims that he department supports the National Development Plan; but if this is the case how is she monitoring that the objectives within this plan are being met and at what stage Home Affairs are in meeting the objectives.

We are in the dark. I will be tabling this issue in Parliament so Minister Pandor can explain.