(The Tablet. Marko Phiri).
South Africa’s Catholic bishops urged all politicians to accept the national election results announced on Sunday and to turn their attention to helping the country. The elections held on 29 May saw the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lose its outright majority, which it has retained since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Scores of newly-formed parties had contested the election as worsening economic inequality undermined the ANC’s support. In a statement issued on 3 June, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) called on all “parties to avoid utterances and behaviour that could lead to acts of violence, destruction, and loss of life”.