This past weekend Nikiwe Apenteng did something that has been building up inside her for years — she sent a message “to all the Whites who are in South Africa” asking them to forgive Black people for hating them and refusing to forgive them “for what your forefathers did” in the apartheid era.
Since 2016 the Holy Sprit has been speaking to her about division in SA and she wanted to do something about it but did not know how, “until God asked me to take action”, she says in her message which has been widely shared on social media.
Writing on behalf of “God-fearing Black South African Women”, Apenteng who is an intercessor and prophetess at Community Church in Bisho and founder of a community upliftment non profit company, says: “God has been talking about the new thing He wants to do in South Africa. God has been talking about how He wants His purpose to prevail in South Africa.
“He has been talking about the wave of change He is bringing to South Africa and how bitterness, anger, unforgiveness and hatred have blocked that.
“When looting, violence and destruction took place in my country, my heart was so aching and I could feel that the Spirit of God was grieved too.”
“Today we want to tell you that we love you” says Apenteng in the message [see full message further below] in which she lists ways in which she says Black people have been hating and cursing white people and blaming them for a number of their own shortcomings.
In an interview yesterday, Apenteng said: “I want to reach as many White people as possible so that they will know what Christ is saying about them.”
She said some people who received her message had contacted her to thank her, saying it was something they had needed to hear. “One lady was crying, actually,” she said.
She said the roots of her message, in fact went back to 2011 when she visited Ukraine and attended History Makers training with Pastor Sunday Adelaja.
“That is where I caught Love,” she said. “I had never experienced Love like that before and realised there had been something missing in me before. When I landed back at OR Tambo [Airport] the way I saw people was so different. I didn’t see colour. I didn’t see white. I didn’t see black. I just saw the image of God.”
Her revelation of God’s love for all people got swallowed up a bit in the system as time went by but was rekindled in 2016, she said.
“Something was building in me. I could see that the main thing that was lacking in SA was love. We may think it is something like unemployment — but the main thing that is lacking is love.
“There is a cycle that needs to be broken here. As a nation we cannot afford to be forced to hate, whereas the Bible is saying: Love.
“We don’t need to keep records of the wrong. We cannot live in the past for a long time. It’s preventing Black people from moving into their destiny because they are living in the past. And God wants to take us to the future but we refuse to go to the future,” she said.
Apenteng said that her message to White South Africans is just the first step in what she believes God has called her to do. She said that going forward she also plans to host reconciliation platforms.
BELOW IS THE MESSAGE THAT NIKIWE APENTENG SENT OUT TO WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS:
To all the whites who are in South Africa.
Today I want to present myself before you as a Xhosa speaking God fearing woman of South Africa.
Today I am not writing this message because I am better than other black women or people. I am writing this because I fear and obey God more than man.
Ever since 2016, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about division in South Africa. Just like other intercessors I was praying about it. I thought praying alone would help the situation until God asked me to take action. For a long time I wanted to take an action but I didn’t know how. There were times whereby I felt like standing on top of a mountain and speak out loud about how God feels about the contention between us and our white brothers in this land because of our past.
God has been talking about the new thing He wants to do in South Africa. God has been talking about how He wants His purpose to prevail in South Africa.
He has been talking about the wave of change He is bringing to South Africa and how bitterness, anger, unforgiveness and hatred have blocked that.
When looting, violence and destruction took place in my country, my heart was so aching and I could feel that the Spirit of God was grieved too.
I remember myself writing messages to most of my contacts telling them that I am so tired of racism in our nation. I asked them what is it that whites should do for us to forgive them?
Today, I would like to stand on behalf of God fearing Black South African Women. I am not writing this message because I am saying apartheid system was right. Apartheid system was cruel I admit that. It has affected every area of our lives. Today, I choose to put love above apartheid. I choose to walk in forgiveness instead of unforgiveness.
I am therefore writing this message to you asking for your forgiveness.
As Blacks we have harboured, hatred, bitterness, anger and unforgiveness. We have justified the state of our hearts by pointing fingers to you. Most of our white brothers tried to ask for forgiveness but we refused to forgive you. We refused to love you the way God loves you.
We have rejected the love and forgiveness of God.
We have spoken words, we have released curses upon you because of what your forefathers did.
We blame you for anything that happens in our lives.
We have blamed you for the progress of our lives.
We have blamed you for our wrong decisions.
We have blamed you for being poor.
We have blamed you for the economic condition of our nation.
We have blamed you for our laziness.
We have blamed you for the our corruption.
We have blamed you for our own weaknesses.
We have blamed you for killing each other.
Our anger towards you has made us to kill each other. We have done that in your name.
We have killed other black South Africans in the name of being your spies. We have burnt and killed them in a very gruesome way and we have justified that.
Our anger towards you has made us to kill even our African brothers.
We have killed white farmers and we never care. We have illtreated you and made you to feel as if you don’t belong to this nation. Our political leaders have spoken words that are hurting you.
Recently, we have looted and burnt your businesses.
Today I am writing this message for you to forgive us.
Forgive us for not taking responsibility for our actions.
Forgive us for accusing you for the wrong that is in our nation.
Forgive us for the destructive words we have spoken to you and your children.
Forgive us for being racists.
Forgive us for hating instead of loving you.
Forgive us for not appreciating you though our parents, sisters and brothers are employed by you.
Forgive us for judging anything you do by your colour.
Forgive us for rejecting your love and for being intimidated by the colour of your skin.
Forgive us for not giving you a place in our hearts.
Forgive us for thinking that you don’t belong to South Africa.
Forgive us for refusing to work with you.
Forgive us for not embracing your uniqueness.
Forgive us for killing white farmers and for thinking that your lives do not matter.
Forgive us for not treating you as people of South Africa.
Forgive us for discriminating against you and regarding black South Africans as the most vulnerable whereas some of you are struggling too.
Forgive us for trying to eliminate you in our nation.
It was not by mistake that God made this nation a Rainbow nation. God saw it fit for all of us to be in this nation.
The unity of us and you is so important for the destiny of our nation.
Our unity is better for our children and our descendants. God will never allow us to leave our children in this environment.
This nation needs all of us.
To all our white brothers who lost their businesses during the unrest in July we just want to say we are so sorry.
May God be the one to show how much we are so hurting about what happened.
Please do not leave our nation because of what we have done.
We are about to climb this mountain. South Africa is on the verge of entering into her destiny.
Today we want to tell you that we love you as your black God fearing sisters and brothers.
May God restore everything that has been destroyed during the unrest in our nation.
May He cause you to rise again.
May He give you more strength than ever.
To every race in South Africa including my fellow Black brothers and sisters, I would like to tell you that you were human being before you became aware of the pigmentation of your skin. You were made in the image of God before you became aware of who you are.
In Romans 5:8, the love of God was demonstrated for all of us. When Christ died, He carried the sin of all of us.
Let us show the world that we love. Should you see or hear any message of racism, whether on Facebook, whatsapp, news, etc, let us not share the message to defile ourselves. Let us cover whoever is doing that with the blanket of love.
Remember, this nation needs love more than anything. Let us speak love to our children, in our families, in our communities and in our nation.
Any leader or person who encourages you to release words of hatred in our beautiful nation is not worthy to lead you.
The more we speak words of love instead of hatred, the more we break the curse of bitterness on our land and the more we eat the fruit of our land.
Compelled by the love of Christ.
Nikiwe Apenteng : Deborah Community Development (NPC)
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