Johannesburg, South Africa—UPF’s new president and Executive Committee have a mandate to promote peace in communities that have experienced anti-social and xenophobic behavior.
The inauguration of the new UPF-South Africa officials on December 4, 2015, took place in the Johannesburg suburb of Doornfontein in the Standard Bank Arena, a venue that seats 5,000. The ceremony was held together with an Interfaith Peace Blessing of couples from different cultures under the theme “Peace in the Family.”
Guests included Ambassadors for Peace, dignitaries from many areas of society and members of the Revelation Church of God (RCG) in Johannesburg, the church of Prophet Samuel B. Radebe, the new president of UPF-South Africa. The RCG has branches all over South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and is popular in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Mr. George Stemmer and Dr. Don-Joon Moon, both officials with the South African chapter of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), conducted the induction ceremony of the new UPF officials.
Professor J.S. Maseko, the secretary general of UPF-South Africa, congratulated the new president, Prophet Radebe, and his new Executive Committee. He noted that members of the Executive Committee are people of high integrity and prominent figures in society, with sufficient experience to organize events that will bring about peace, unity and harmony in South Africa.
Professor Maseko explained that Prophet Radebe’s legacy of bringing joy to poor communities by feeding children in schools, caring for aged citizens and supporting schools is also the legacy of UPF Founder Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon. Within the same communities the incoming president has established an institution, the African Centre of Excellence to Education, through re-skilling and up-skilling unemployed youth.
Rev. Moruti Ledwaba, the master of ceremonies, gave a brief synopsis of UPF and presented a short video of UPF activities. He had no doubt, he said, that under President Radebe’s administration, UPF-South Africa would never be the same. To this the crowd broke into a rousing round of applause and began singing and ululating.
In his acceptance speech Prophet Radebe thanked the South African Ambassadors for Peace for their confidence in him and the Executive Committee members. He assured the audience that he and his Executive Committee would live up to their expectation and that the crusade for peace would be carried to all parts of South Africa and SADC. He emphasized that the peace envisioned by UPF must be visible before 2020. He expressed that perfect peace starts in the “family, then to the community and society at large, and, with the support of members of Ambassadors for Peace present and around the world, peace will eventually dawn.”
The new UPF-South Africa officials:
President: Prophet S.B. Radebe
Treasurer: Bishop Dr. V. Gama
The Secretariat
- Secretary General: Professor J.S. Maseko
- Deputy Secretary: Bishop November Mbele
- Coordinators: Rev. Kevin Meth and Rev. Mpho Mashinini
Directors:
- Political Affairs: Archbishop N.S. Tsekedi
- Education Affairs: Rev. Moruti Ledwaba and Rev. Jean Ghomsi (Family Education)
- Media Affairs: Mr. Thabo Leballo
Professor Maseko explained that some portfolios will be filled through the wisdom of the president supported by Ambassadors for Peace in collaboration with Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an affiliated organization.