The regional chairperson of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in the Vhembe District, Apostle HB Ramulifho, said no throwing of bones will take place in the schools of this country. This follows what he described as the ANC's intentions to remove prayer and the teaching of biblical values from schools to make room for teachings about ancestral worship in schools.
The founder and leader of the ACDP, Rev Kenneth Meshoe, also released a statement on the subject last week. "The ACDP is totally opposed to the plans of the ANC to introduce the teaching of ancestral calling into schools. The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal will be hosting an Indaba on the subject, and through them, the ANC has sent out invitations to the public to make submissions to abstract on ancestral calling in schools," the statement read.
According to Ramulifho, this does not only involve KwaZulu-Natal; the government wants to do the same throughout the country. "During the time of president Thabo Mbeki, the government proposed the chanting of the mattresses and the throwing down of bones in our schools. The ACDP opposed them and with the help of other political parties, we stopped them from making our schools a haven of their gods," he said.
"This government started by stopping children from holding morning prayers and afternoon prayers after school. Who is going to teach children about throwing bones and calling on the spirits of ancestors in schools? Are they now going to hire inyangas as teachers to bring their gods into the schools?" he asked.
Ramulifho said that government had done everything in its power to fight Christians and the gospel of God by trying to wipe out all Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Good Friday, from the calendar, but that the ACDP fought very hard to make sure that those days were still celebrated and respected until today. "They have already wiped out Ascension Day. Now they want to invite spirits into the classrooms. What kind of society do they want without God? We are going to fight them with prayer until they come to their senses," he concluded.