Father Christmas, Capitalism and the Divine Gift of Ubuntu

By Fr Mathibela Sebothoma – Father Christmas, as we know him today, is largely a creation of capitalism. Yet generosity does not come from markets or money. It comes from a good heart. It is divine. It is ubuntu.

This Christmas, I have witnessed generosity not as a seasonal performance, but as a way of life, embodied in the quiet, consistent ministry of Fr Harry Maishe Bopape.

Fr Bopape is the parish priest responsible for Ekangala, Zithobeni, Dark City and Rethabiseng. Ekangala, where he resides near Bronkhorstspruit, was established in the early 1980s under apartheid as part of the KwaNdebele homeland policy. It was designed to house Black workers for the Ekandustria industrial area, resulting in forced removals from the East Rand and fierce resistance against forced incorporation and the loss of South African citizenship.

Today, in a free South Africa, these townships carry little pride beyond survival. Poverty, hunger and unemployment define daily life. Yet what remains alive is a glint of hope — and a stubborn generosity that refuses to die.

For two consecutive years, Fr Bopape and his communities have shared what little they have with the priests stationed at Phumula Priest House. Phumula itself is the last legacy project of the late Fr Karl Kuppelweiser, best known for charitable works and the founding the Sizanani Village Centre on the outskirts of Bronkhorstspruit.

The communities of Ekangala and surrounding areas donated essential groceries to the priest house. Fr Bopape understands a reality often overlooked: priests who are not parish priests do not enjoy certain privileges — Mass stipends, gratitude donations, groceries brought during offertory processions, or access to wealthy and influential benefactors.

Every Sunday, Fr Bopape receives grocery gifts from his parishioners: a box of matches, candles, soap, maize meal, soft drinks, etc. He uses what he needs and quietly distributes the rest to the poorest families in his community — without cameras, without social media, without applause. He does this throughout the year.

Yet, in what might seem audacious given the poverty around him, he also thinks of the priests next door. He is the most regular visitor to his fellow priests at Phumula. Without being told, he notices what is missing. He senses what is needed.

For more than a year, the living room at Phumula was dark because a globe had blown. For almost the same period, there was no minced meat or bacon. Through the generosity of Fr Bopape and his communities, dignity was restored. There is light again — important in an area where snakes are common — and meals no longer consist of chicken feet every second day.

Fr Bopape has further encouraged the Sacred Heart Sodality and the Catholic Women’s Association from St Bartholomew Pastoral District in Ekangala to donate food items to Phumula. As chaplain of the Daughters of St Anne (DOSA), he mobilised the diocesan sodality to support the priests.

According to the President of DOSA, Ms Pinky Dlamini:

“As Daughters of St Anne within the Pretoria Diocese, we proudly uphold our guiding motto: Charity, Understanding and Perseverance. In this spirit of service and solidarity, we were deeply honoured to extend a donation to our dedicated priests stationed at Phumula.”

She continues:

“We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all Baradi of the Pretoria Diocese for your remarkable generosity. Your unwavering support for our Church is both inspiring and impactful, and it does not go unnoticed.”

Because of South Africa’s long history of labour migration, many people work far from their families. Christmas is often the only time they can be together. It is a season when savings are stretched, 13th cheques are carefully planned, and family needs take priority. Yet even the poorest households become rich in generosity. There is always something to offer to anyone who enters their gate.

This generosity is not only ubuntu. It is also profoundly Christian.

The birth of Jesus was a revolution — one that continues to change the world for the better. Charity matters. Feeding the hungry matters. But it also exposes uncomfortable truths. Brazilian Archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara once said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” Charity is essential, but justice and transformation are equally demanded by the Gospel.

Fr Bopape reminds us:

“As priests, we must never forget those who are less privileged than us. There are priests who do not have what we have. There are many opportunities to support poor families in our communities while we continue to fight for justice and development in our country.”

During this season, Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Nicholas, and Saint Francis of Assisi are multiplied — not in legends or shopping malls, but in townships, farms, rural areas, squatter camps, priest houses, sodalities and small acts of faithful love.

This is Christmas beyond capitalism.
This is generosity rooted in God.
This is ubuntu made flesh.

Merry Christmas