European colonisers used theology to justify racial segregation, presenting oppression as divinely sanctioned. Yet, biblically, apartheid was always wrong: it was Christians oppressing other Christians, or, in blunt terms, “black converts treated as savages”. This distortion of scripture created what can be called political misidentification: the failure to recognise that true liberation requires both spiritual renewal and structural justice.
Post‑1994, the ANC government inherited this misidentification and deepened it by sidelining Christianity in favour of secular rhetoric. Nelson Mandela’s embrace of pluralism and Thabo Mbeki’s “African Renaissance” were attempts to unite Africans through cultural revival, but critics argue they ignored the fact that Christianity (and Islam in some regions) historically provided the strongest basis for unity against colonialism. The irony of democracy is that while rights expanded — especially gender rights — the majority remained trapped in the same constrained spaces of apartheid.
Townships, informal settlements, and overcrowded urban areas continue to define black life. Without physical liberation, rights become hollow. — Khotso KD Moleko, Mangaung
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