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WCC speaks out against systemic, structural injustices in the context of xenophobia in South Africa

July 13, 2026 · 1 min read

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Mon, 07/13/2026 - 17:38

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed grave concern about the developments of violence in South Africa targeting migrants from other African countries.

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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth

“ The WCC recognizes that the violence experienced by African migrants in South Africa is instigated and perpetrated by a minority of South Africans, who are misdirecting their anger and frustration or are hijacking and misdirecting legitimate public frustrations by the majority of ordinary South Africans, ” said Pillay. “ The WCC refuses to erase the diverse people of South Africa by erasing their good deeds and radical hospitality toward siblings from across the continent. ”

Pillay acknowledged and lamented the fact that South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. “ Yet the sources of this suffering are too often obscured, ” he said. “ Through intentional and rigorous processes of moral discernment, we in the WCC name the…

Source: World Council of Churches · Read the full story →

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Marija Pavlović

Has WCC ever been to one of those neighborhoods where people fight over work and food to see what it's like when new people come to you every day without any plan? It is not enough to say that it is a "minority" and that the majority has "radical hospitality" - that sounds nice on paper, but the same thing has been happening here for years.

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მარიამ გელაშვილი

Maria is right when she says that "radical hospitality" sounds good on paper. Even here in Georgia, when jobs disappear, people complain quietly, and not just a minority. WCC better spend a week in the streets where they fight for bread every day, and then talk.