Faith needs no Public Holiday

The second half of the year has just began and it is downhill towards the festive season, but now rumours started to emerge that Christmas and Easter days might be numbered. It is not the first time such rumours have been circulating, and honestly it will not be the last. This has been a discussion point or attempted discussion point since the early 2000’s (in the past there were also protest against this) and the recent opening of a can of worms is all thanks to The Herald in May 2015 – subsequently leading to a few other media outlets jumping on the bandwagon – without doing the necessary research and if they did, it was not included in the article.

So let’s state the fact that there is currently no attempt by the current government to scrap Christian holidays or even some of it.

The latest rumour comes following a discussion document by the South African Law Reform Commission to the department of Homes Affairs.

It is however important to know that the SALRC is tasked with revising the South African statute book by identifying and recommending for repeal or amendment of legislation or provisions in legislation that are inconsistent with the equality clause in the Constitution, are redundant or obsolete. Also note that the commission has no power to change any legislation, for that we have the legislator.

The SALRC did release a discussion paper that is administered by the department of Home Affairs, for general information and comment and part of the document – on page 56 – the Public Holiday’s Act is discussed and the commission recommends to the department “that since there is an element of unequal treatment, the section should be reviewed. It is also suggested that either these holidays be reviewed or that equal weight be given to religious holiday of other faiths”.

With the above said I find it mind boggling anyone would come to the conclusion that there is a recommendation that religious holidays be cancelled.

Something we so easily forget is that only the Christian religion is included in the twelve existing public holidays, excluding important religious days for the Islam-, Jewish-, Bahá’í- and other religions.

Apart from the twelve days, the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday. From time to time the President of the Republic is generous and we get once-off Public Holidays like with a General election and on:

• 31 December 1999 and 2 and 3 January 2000,

• 2 May 2008

• 27 December 2008

Taking all the above into consideration, then yes our Public Holidays are unequal for a democracy and we discriminating against our neighbours, friends and family who serve a different religion.

I am a Christian, having and still continue to play an active role within my church and grew up with strict conservative religious values. Thus as a Christian who spread the word of love and believe that we are all equal I fully support the call for the review of our public holidays as per the Public Holiday’s Act of 1994.

Before I’m stoned for being a Christian turning on my Christian values – take a second and think what if those current Christian holiday’s on the calendar were any other religion, how would you as Christian have felt and how badly would you have wanted it to change?

How many of those who appear upset over this, attended church every single Sunday the past six months, or are they amongst those who only attend church on Good Friday and Christmas?

Yes 79% of South Africans are Christians but a day being declared a public holiday or not does not make you more or less a Christian.

Whether Easter and/or Christmas appear on the Public Holidays Act does not mean you will not have the right to celebrate it.

I am a Christian who believes preaching should not just happen between the four walls of a building on a Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas morning, but preaching is everyday with not only our words but our actions.

A true Christian is one who remains committed to his/her values and live their faith – irrespective of public holidays.

Reconciliation: it's up to us!

Reconciliation Day (a public holiday) is significant to both the Afrikaner and African cultures. The holiday came into effect in 1994 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity. The day is also the de facto start of the South African summer holiday period being the first of four public holidays to fall in a sixteen-day period at the height of summer. (The other days are Christmas Day, Family Day (commonly called Boxing Day) and New Year’s Day).

For Afrikaners, 16 December was commemorated as the Day of the Vow, also known as Day of the Covenant or Dingaan's Day. The Day of the Vow was a religious holiday commemorating the Voortrekker victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838, and is still celebrated by some Afrikaners.

On the other side of the political spectrum, 16 December is also the anniversary of the 1961 founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the African National Congress.

During the first 16 December Reconciliation Day celebrations in 1995, the founding president of our democracy, the late Nelson Mandela said: This Day of Reconciliation celebrates the progress we have made; it reaffirms our commitment; and it measures the challenges. 

"Reconciliation however, does not mean forgetting or trying to bury the pain of conflict. Today we re-affirm our solemn constitutional compact to live together on the basis of equality and mutual respect.”

He concluded with Let us join hands and build a truly South African nation.