Open Letter to the South African President: Mr. Jacob Zuma

South African President Jacob Zuma and three of his wives

Dear Mr President,

This letter, I believe, is written to you at a time when this country is crying for proper governance. Before and ever since you have taken the presidential reigns of this lovely country South Africa, the press has had a field day with your presidential and private lifestyles — the facts are that you have made the headlines for mostly the wrong reasons. And more recently an article appeared in the Sunday Times newspaper titled: ‘It is time to talk about our moral code’ (February 21, 2010). This will also be addressed in this letter.

Mr President, it appears from the press and from many other well documented articles that fraud, crime and corruption are leprous illnesses that permeates the ruling party and government in general. What is saddening is that the citizens of South Africa go largely unprotected by the corrupt and insufficient governance that makes up the disorder of the day and they are the majority who are victims of the separatist elite’s non-performance and ever escalating sins of crime, fraud, greed, lawlessness and other evils that are polluting our society.

Mr President, it is time for the masses to hear the Truth and that will also include you, sir, and every civil servant of this nation.

While your party members want to protect your private life from the scrutiny of the public, what their shortsightedness and lack of understanding fails to comprehend is that when you chose to be a parliamentarian you became public domain. Mr President, you are accountable to those citizens who voted you into office and you are also accountable to those citizens who chose not to give you their democratic vote. You, sir, are therefore to rule impartially for all the peoples of South Africa and not only for the interests of your ANC comrades.

Mr President, recently stories of your ‘private sex life’ made public headlines, and you have acknowledged the facts that have become known. What is of great concern is the lack of morals that you are showing to a wide audience which includes our young generation — and also the international community who have also questioned your moral ethics. It is a fact that your rule is immoral and ungodly.

Mr President, you have acted immorally and without regard for the message that you are communicating to our children and as a public figure you should be the one who is to show respect of persons, morality and maturity in leading our nation. Your actions are in violation against Almighty God’s commands — and even if you or any other person does not want to believe in the One True God, you are still accountable to Him by your behaviour.

Mr President, there has been campaigns that have been instigated by government where parliamentarians have encouraged persons to ‘be-wise-and-condomise’ and then tell the people to abstain from sex to prevent HIV/AIDS — what is the true message you are sending out? Not only have you not heeded these ‘suggestions’ you are also making South Africa a nation of fornicators (those who have sex outside the bounds of marriage). Mr President, by your actions you are a fornicator. This can set a dangerous trend where: If the president does it why should those following him not do like wise?

The Word of God (The Holy Bible) is clear when it says:

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24).

From the Scripture references you will note that they are all in the singular — a man, his father, his mother, his wife, they [man and wife] shall become one flesh. From this you can see one man and one wife makes one marriage and you become one flesh. Mr President, to say your having many wives is your custom goes against what God says and it is a flagrant sin against Him as you are defying the Almighty’s rule of marriage. Mr President, The Bible says that man has invalidated the Word of God for the sake of your traditions (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:8). By your traditions you make the Word of God of no effect.

By taking more than one wife, Mr President, you are committing adultery and thereby you are breaking the Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Sir, you are also making your ‘wives’ adulteresses and by their willingness to enter into polygamous marriages, they, too, are committing adultery. Polygamy and being a polygamist are illegal acts. Mr President, playing your Zulu-custom card does not condone your sin and immoral acts. You might want to hold to your custom and ‘even expect others to tolerate and respect it’, but it is sin before an infinitely Holy and Righteous God. 1 John 3:4 reads –

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Jesus also said –

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. (John 8:34)

Mr President, it is at this very time that you, and every other person reading this letter, should consider how you will stand before Almighty God on the Day of Judgment, for there is a day that is approaching –

“… because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31, my emphasis)

Each and every person will have to give an accounting of themselves on this Great and Fearful Day. People do not know when they will die — death comes upon people very suddenly and often by surprise and God’s Word warns you –

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)

how will you kneel before God? At this point you should examine your lifestyle against God’s Holy Standard, The Ten Commandments, and see where you are headed — Heaven? Or Hell?

How many lies have you told in your lifetime? If you have told a lie you are a liar in the sight of God. You don’t need to tell ten lies then a bell goes off or even ascribe a colour to your lie — a lie is a lie in God’s Wisdom. Have you ever stolen anything? This includes fraud, if you have you are a thief in the sight of God. We have already dealt with the committing of adultery, but listen what Jesus said –

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. …” (Matthew 5:27,28)

We have already dealt with this crime against God and He sees even the intentions of peoples’ hearts and their minds. This also includes the debauched acts of homosexual sex and marriages. South Africa became the fifth country in the world, and the first in Africa, to allow legal marriages between same-sex couples. This law which was promulgated by the ANC is a heinous stench before the LORD –

You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22).

Have you ever committed murder? God’s Word says that if you are angry and hate anyone you have committed murder in the heart. Jesus said –

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. …” (Matthew 5:21,22)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)

Mr President, murder also includes abortion which your ANC party, under the ex-president Mr Mandela, promulgated the abortion law on February 1, 1997 and since then over 900,000 South African babies have been brutally murdered officially, legally and with tax payers’ money.

Have you ever blasphemed God? Or made reference to Him or His Son Jesus by not showing Him the rightful reverence He deserves? It is evident from an article that appeared in Africa News that you have openly blasphemed God by making reference that God agrees with the ANC’s policies, quote:

He said church leaders must persuade believers to vote for the ANC. “When priests pray for poverty to end and for development, then it means God agrees with the ANC because the ANC stands for those things,” Zuma said.

“When you preach in your churches, just explain to the congregation – in a paragraph – about the ANC. People who love God must not play with their votes, they must vote for the ANC,” said Zuma.

He added: “We in the ANC know God. When the ANC was born, it was baptized. We have respect, we are beautiful, and we conduct ourselves in a good way.”

Mr President, it is clear that you have mocked almighty God by making fun and jokes about Him and His children. If you, or the ANC, know God you will keep His commandments –

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

God says He will hold everyone guilty for using His Name in vain. [SA: "ANC to rule till Jesus comes"]

Mr President, on the Day of Judgment when the Supreme Judge of the Universe, Almighty God holds Court; and He judges you according to His infinitely Holy Standard and Righteousness and finds that you, and all sinners, have transgressed His Law and you are found to be a liar, a thief, an adulterer and a fornicator, a murderer and a blasphemer, to mention a few charges, will you be innocent or guilty? The Bible says that all who sin against God will be guilty and not enter into the Kingdom of God.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous; nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9,10)

The Word of God is clear and concise for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). If God gives you the justice you rightfully deserve, you will be found guilty and God will send you to Hell for eternity — it is His place that He has set aside for eternal damnation for the lawless to be punished by His Divine Wrath.

Knowing that you will be condemned into Hell for all eternity should be horrifying you at this point. If you are not trembling and fearful then you have not seen your sin as being exceedingly sinful before an infinitely, Holy, Righteous, Good, Sovereign and Just God.

There will be no entering into appeals against His judgment. There will be no Constitutional Court or Court of Appeal. God’s JUDGMENT is final and binding for eternity. Receiving a guilty verdict means receiving Hell for eternity. Don’t make light of Hell; it’s a very real place of torment. Jesus spoke more about Hell than about Heaven. Heading for damnation in the fiery pit of Hell should concern you. It should make you extremely fearful. This is really bad news.

However, there is Good News and this is the only way man can escape Hell’s eternal torment. About 2000 years ago God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this world on a mission. What took place was God choosing to reveal Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. The Deity of Christ is revealed in The Holy Scriptures, God’s Word — The Bible –

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5, 11-14)

For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

Jesus, the God-man was conceived by the Holy Spirit and He was born to a virgin named Mary –

And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:28-35, the angel sent by God to His maidservant Mary was the angel Gabriel)

He came into the world as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus entered into His earthly ministry and this is an account by the apostle Peter –

Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) — you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:34-43)

Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:17,18)

Mr President, with reference to your Sunday Times interview, I quote:

“He [Zuma] appeared shocked and surprised by the outrage that followed the scandal, telling the Sunday Times: “There are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Pedis and so on … How do we live together with an understanding that we understand each other?

“Values may not exactly be the same, but how do we bring harmony to this?”

Mr President, the problem is not about ‘understanding each other’, because it is not about us and our diverse religions, values and communities. The answer is: It is ALL ABOUT GOD AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!! It doesn’t matter what you believe in. What matters is what you believe in is it true? If the God of Creation is not centre in everyone’s lives their evil and wicked ways will persist. The God of the Holy Bible has given us the First Commandment that He is to be the Only God and we all are to worship Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and the Second Commandment reads that we are to have no idols (gods) before Him. If man is trying to resolve anything and he has broken the first two commandments then anything else man tries to accomplish will come to naught. Worshiping other gods (including addressing songomas and praying to ancestors) is idolatry and eternal punishment in Hell awaits all idolaters. There is a real spiritual war being waged between the Kingdom of Light (God) and the kingdom of darkness (satan). Satan uses religion to keep people in the darkness blinded to the Truth — he does not want to go to Hell only with his demons.

Man relies on religion to try appease God for their evil and wicked lives. God says in His Word, speaking through His prophet Isaiah –

For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us whither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

The prophet Isaiah employed our righteous deeds by using the imagery of menstrual cloths used during a woman’s period to picture uncleanness (cf. Leviticus 15:19-24). Man tries to get right with God by his works, but they are a stench before Almighty God. So it is through God’s mercy by Him granting us grace (unmerited favour) that we can be saved. For we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone by trusting in Jesus Christ alone that a man can have his sins forgiven and be reconciled back to God.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, including the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Jesus said –

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus said He is the Way and so any other way man tries to get saved by is a false way. Jesus said He is the Truth — therefore any other ‘truth’ is a lie, because there can only be one Truth. And Jesus said He is the Life — you cannot receive life through any other.

God’s Promise and Warning
Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s palace, and successfully completed all that he had planned on doing in the house of the LORD and in his palace. Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.”For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. “As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’ “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. “As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ “And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’” (2 Chronicles 7:11-22, my emphasis)

A Plea to the Unsaved

There are some of you standing in these aisles and sitting in these pews, who I feel in my soul will never have another invitation, and if this be rejected today, I feel a solemn motion in my soul — I think it is of the Holy Ghost — that you will never hear another faithful sermon, but you shall go down to Hell impenitent, unsaved, except you trust in Jesus now. I speak not as a man, but I speak as God’s ambassador to your souls, and I command you, in God’s name, trust Jesus, trust now. At your peril reject the voice that speaks from Heaven, for “he that believeth not shall be damned.” How shall you escape if you neglect so great salvation. When it comes right home to you, when it thrusts itself in your way, oh, if you will neglect it how can you escape? With tears I would invite you, and, if I could, would compel you to come in. Why will you not? Oh souls, if you will be damned, if you make up your mind that no mercy shall ever woo you, and no warnings shall ever move you, then, sirs, what chains of vengeance must you feel that slight these bonds of love. You have deserved the deepest Hell, for you slight the joys above. God save you. He will save you, if you trust in Jesus. God help you to trust Him even now for Jesus’ sake. Amen. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

And with my Brother in Christ who has gone to our Lord Jesus in glory, I speak not as a man, but I speak as God’s ambassador to your souls –

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

“… that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

Mr President, as an ambassador of God, I call you and the citizens of South Africa to REPENT (turn from and forsake) of your evil and wicked sin and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is your only hope.

An unworthy sinner, saved by grace
Gary Crous
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All Scripture References are from the NASB (Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation)

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