Guardian of Democracy

by Gunther Simmermacher · Published September 4, 2024 · Updated September 4, 2024

Dear Reader,

This year South Africa marked 30 years of democracy — three decades in which some things went well but many things also went wrong, many opportunities were squandered due to ineptitude, ideology and corruption, the gap between rich and poor grew, and the initial hopes for racial reconciliation gave way to growing division and bitterness.

Yet, our democracy has proven itself resilient, notwithstanding all these failures and even concerted attempts on highest levels to undermine it. The strength of our democracy has found expression in the peaceful manner in which seats of power are being handed over to political opponents without violent attempts to hang on to them, showing the respect political leaders have for the electoral process.

On our cover and interview article on page 10 this month, we feature one of the guardians of this country’s democracy — and he is a permanent deacon. As the chief electoral officer of the Independent Electoral Commission, Deacon Sy Mamabolo is in charge of ensuring that our elections are held freely, fairly and competently. As a nation, we owe him and his team a great vote of thanks.

In our article, Deacon Mamabolo tells us about his upbringing, faith journey and how his Catholicism guides him in how he interacts with others, especially in the workplace.

Accounts of faith journeys often include surprising turns. In this issue we meet a young woman who was a porn star when she travelled to Italy as a tourist — and returned as a convert to Christ. Stories such as those of Bree Solstad give us hope that even those whose lifestyles seem to exclude Christ — and that includes porn stars as well as business people who mercilessly exploit the poor — may yet open their hearts to him.

On page 14 we read about a miracle of a teenager named Jemina, who was healed of blindness during Mass while on pilgrimage to World Youth Day last year. The miracle is only one part of an impressive story. Another concerns the exemplary manner in which the recipient of the miracle handles the experience.

On page 21 we present nine actors who are Catholics. Obviously, we cannot vouch for it that their life and career choices are always in line with the teachings of the Church — but then, isn’t that the human condition, even for most Catholics? For the most part, it is intended to be an entertaining feature — it’s always fun to discover famous people sharing our faith.

But it is also faith-affirming to learn that a Catholic actress refuses to say words of blasphemy on film, or that a Catholic actor credits God with seeing him through tough times. We always need testimonies of faith — and we will have more next month, with the subject being Catholic singers.

Our vaults this month produce an issue of The Southern Cross from 100 years ago. Obviously, things have changed a lot since September 1924, when the world’s first dual highway opened and when it took 175 days to circle Earth (today the flying time would be 45-50 hours, plus refuelling).

One thing that hasn’t changed in the past century is the enduring presence of The Southern Cross. From the first weekly issue, published in October 1920, until the last one, published in September 2020 (digitally, because of Covid restrictions), and since the first issue of the monthly magazine came out in late September 2020, The Southern Cross has been a permanent fixture in the life of our country’s Catholic Church. Long may it continue to be so!

But that needs the engagement of the Catholic community in ensuring that growing numbers of Catholics buy the magazine, and that those who have the means support our Associates Campaign (digital.scross.co.za/associates-campaign). In short, for The Southern Cross — the magazine and our popular digital platforms — to survive, we do need our Catholic community’s help.

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross, and God bless,

Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)