City relaunches Moral Regeneration Movement

In a move aimed at addressing societal ills, Mogale City Local Municipality in partnership with the local churches and stakeholders recently joined hands to relaunch the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM), writes Sipho None.

According to Pastor Sipho Walter Hobbs, the chairperson of the MRM, the re-launch of the movement is multi-pronged. He says the high levels of crime and prostitution in and around Mogale City have prompted the members of the movement to act. While addressing the societal ills, his committee is looking forward to addressing issues that led to the demise of the previous MRM chapter. The relaunch is part of the regional resurgence process that addresses morality in our communities.

“The primary reason for the death of the Moral Regeneration Movement at the time was lack of support both in terms of resources and morally as the movement had no cohesive structure in terms of the local chapters, as well as the regional, provincial up to the national office,” Hobbs said.

“This on its own caused the discontentment that led to disillusionment. We thank God that structural deficiencies were addressed, hence the resurgence of the local chapters. The resurgence process took root not only in our area, but also in Randfontein, Westonaria and Merafong – this comprises our region,” he added.

The relaunch took place at the Banquet Hall in Mogale City, and it attracted more than three hundred people from a variety of sectors in the area, including faith-based organisations, business, traditional healers as well as young people.

Also in attendance were Mogale City councillors and members of the Mayoral Committee, Councillors Noluthando Mangole and Anna Setswalo-Moja. The success and the relaunch were made possible by the office of Mogale City Executive Mayor Koketso Calvin Seerane.

“The prevalent and undeniable evidence of prostitution in and around Krugersdorp as well as the scourge of blatant drug trafficking in and around our area including the life-destroying Nyaope in the townships are a cause for concern as well as the many other ills that affect and degenerate our moral fibre.

“This pose a serious challenge to the local church – which in principle is supposed to be the voice of reason – in its attempt to re-inculcate morality back into our community.”

While the MRM team is intending to address the societal ills through churches and various stakeholders across the West Rand, Hobbs says his team will work with the offices of the executive mayors across the West Rand as well.

The MRM is a networking platform mandated to facilitate and coordinate all processes and initiatives aimed at combating moral degeneration. Working with and through local structures in communities, the MRM seeks to promote local action and commitment from within the various communities of the country where they exist and operate.

As a civil society driven initiative supported by government, the MRM programme gives an opportunity to double the society’s efforts as a full partnership of the people, also to pay special attention to issues of development, social cohesion and nation building through the Moral Regeneration Movement, as well as traditional and cultural programmes.