Towards Biblical solutions for restoring a God honouring Heaven-Kingdom Economy.

The ultimate test of any religion, ideology or worldview is the benefits it ultimately brings to the poor, the marginalized and oppressed.  If we say we are Christians, we have to take poverty seriously.

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? [1]

Although poverty in its many forms has been with us for ages, over-population and ensuing unemployment is becoming the prevalent crisis of the decade. The underlying question to more and more people, even those having a job is: How does one earn a living? Or bluntly said: “How does one make enough money?” Enough? What is enough? Food, shelter and clothing? (Mat 6:25; 1 Tim 6:8) In a consumer-based driven economy, enough is never enough.  Tech companies have found a way to make cell-phones, tv’s computers consumables.

With a rapidly growing and consistently younger population, this employment question is central to the inquiring mind. How will I ever make it, if my parents or no one I know aren’t even making it? Crime, theft, extortion, corruption, prostitution, sex-trafficking, gangsterism are for many the only sensible path to earn a living.  The achievement of a superior qualification does not guarantee employment or better earnings anymore.

One might assume that the answer for survival is straightforward: To sustain yourself, you must work and earn a living! As of 2023, the global population stands at 8,045,311,447[2]. In 2022, an estimated 3.32 billion people were employed worldwide[3]. This implies that, for various reasons, 60% of the population is not part of the workforce, whether due to their age or incapacity for employment. Another critical factor is the presence of a conducive environment or a country with an adequate number of job opportunities. In South Africa, the unemployment rate is 32.60%, with youth unemployment reaching 60.70%.[4]

In comparison to the rest of the world, South Africa is ranked last, with the highest unemployment rate, surpassing even war-torn Angola at 29.6%, Botswana at 24%, Namibia at 20.8%, and Rwanda at 16.8%.[5]

This suggests that additional ethical considerations of the heart come into play when addressing the question of why not everyone is earning an income.

Cultures of SHAME vs HONOR

Cultures often become entrenched in shame-honor systems due to a variety of historical, social, and psychological factors. In such systems, an individual’s worth and reputation are closely tied to their ability to maintain honor and avoid shame. This can create a cycle where people are constantly striving to protect their honor and avoid shame, often at the expense of others.  

Helen Opperman’s book ‘Apartheid: Britain’s bastard child’ is an attempt to understand (not justify) from a psychohistorical perspective why Afrikaners created apartheid in 1948. “Shamed People Shame Other People,” delves into the intricate relationship between shame, humiliation, and their profound impact on human behavior and history. Opperman’s work provides a compelling exploration of these psychological and historical dynamics, shedding light on why cycles of violence and humiliation persist in human societies.[6]

1. Historical and Cultural Factors: Many shame-honor systems have deep historical roots. They may have evolved as a way to regulate behaviour within a particular society. Over time, these cultural norms become deeply ingrained in the collective psyche, making it challenging to break free from them. The white Afrikaners under the British, the Black, Khoi-san, Indian, Coloured people under the Colonialists experienced shame, guilt and fear on many levels! Treated as slaves, and even-nonhuman objects of possession over centuries.  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings aimed at addressing past atrocities demonstrated the challenge of reconciling historical trauma and shame.
2. Social Bondage: In shame-honor cultures, individuals face significant social pressure to conform to societal norms. Deviating from these norms can lead to shame, ostracism, or even violence. This pressure reinforces the cycle as people strive to meet these expectations. In some communities, individuals face social pressure to conform to traditional practices, such as arranged marriages, lobola, social tax, or initiation ceremonies.  Living in an informal settlement in South Africa as a single mother amidst total social degradation is a daily struggle marked by extreme poverty, inadequate shelter, lack of access to clean water and sanitation, limited educational opportunities for children, and heightened vulnerability to crime and health risks.
3. Fear of Loss: People fear losing honor or status within their own respective cultures and ethos, which leads them to take extreme measures to protect their reputations, and keep face. This fear can lead to unethical behavior, such as lying or deceit, to maintain honor. In South Africa, individuals from various cultural backgrounds may experience significant fears rooted in their heritage. These fears include discrimination and prejudice based on ethnicity or race, concerns about cultural erosion and the loss of identity, the fear of tribal or ethnic conflicts, anxiety over the loss of native languages, historical land dispossession, stereotyping, and stigmatization, the lack of cultural recognition, religious discrimination, worries about cultural appropriation, and the fear of cultural isolation. 
4. Lack of Forgiveness: Forgiveness is often scarce in shame-honor cultures. Once someone has brought shame upon themselves or their family, it can be difficult to regain honor or be forgiven. This perpetuates a cycle of shame. While there have been numerous efforts to reconcile, seek forgiveness, and rebuild trust, these endeavors often fall short due to lingering questions surrounding retribution and restitution.  

Righteous Role Models

Dr. Ruben Richards, relates a moving story of while mediating peace talks in Lavender Hill notorious gang-war stricken area, he took a short break and saw a 9-year-old youngster patiently waiting for someone who was in the negotiating room. Making small talk Ruben asked the boy: “So, what do you want to be when you grow up one day,” Without blinking and with a sense of pride and confidence the 9-year-old said, “I want to be just like my daddy, a gangster!” That daddy happened to be one of the most notorious gang leaders in the room.[7]There are many people particularly children and women trapped in a destructive way of earning a living!  

The “World Needs a Father Initiative” is a global effort that aims to address the importance of fatherhood and the positive impact of involved fathers in families and society. It advocates for responsible fatherhood, emphasizing the roles fathers play in nurturing, guiding, and supporting their children. The initiative seeks to promote strong family units by encouraging fathers to be actively engaged in their children’s lives and providing resources and support for fathers to fulfill their roles effectively[8].

The Bible is implicit regarding warning how not to not earn a living!  

Purposeless Toil (Prov. 23:4); lies (Prov. 21:6); interest to family members (Exo 22:25; Deut. 23:19); dishonest gain (Eze 22:13); ponzi & pyramid marketing schemes[9]; fraud, over-promise-under-deliver; slavery & oppression of the poor (Prov. 22:16); unjust scales (Prov. 11:1); quick-profit (Prov. 13:11); default on payments (Ps 37:21; Rom 13:7); passive income (2 Thes. 3:10); extortion & bribes (Luk. 3:14); violence (Prov. 1:19).

Governments also are stuck in destructive, systemic misappropriation of funds. In the South African context Dr Nthabiseng Moleko summarises her experience in the Public Sector:

In my short life I served in the public sector and I saw many things, but perhaps the most disheartening was the conduct of many of our leaders. I focus on the public sector, which does not hold the monopoly on corruption, deception, nepotism and the like, despite what our papers seem to want us to believe. I focus on them as they hold the key to changing the lives of the poorest of the poor, the oppressed, the most vulnerable in our society as they are mandated to. The private sector has a significant role to play in this regard, but it rapidly diminishes when one starts coining words such as “shareholder value” and “profit”. As I worked in the public sector, I began to see in different instances why the poor were not receiving the support they needed. It was because of people who either refused to do their work, those who wanted to block others from doing their work, or simply because those tasked with doing the work simply did not know how to do their work. Then of course there are those who make it their work to take and loot the money intended to actually do work targeted at the poor.[10]

Our president has been courageously fighting to keep our country unified to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. However, if he does not swiftly, firmly, and decisively punish corruption involving funds intended for Covid-19 relief, people will inevitably lose all trust in the government, pushing the country towards self-rule and anarchy. Inefficiency, laziness, entitlement resulting from nepotism, cadre deployment, and political social taxation are draining taxpayer funds to satisfy their own greed. During the Mediation Foundation for Peace and Justice conference[11] at the Cape Castle, where the focus was on restoring land and the people’s dignity under the leadership of Alan Nelson on August 18, 2018, keynote speaker Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng[12] reminded us that corruption is not confined to the government alone; the private sector has also been plagued by corruption scandals, including corporate corruption, deliberate bankruptcy, thin capitalization, illicit financial flows, transfer (mis)pricing, trade mispricing, jurisdiction shopping, and tax evasion. [13]

There was a strong church presence during Mogoeng’s address and a ceremony to honour the First Nations royalty present. Mogoeng led those present in a prayer and asked God to lead the way as South Africans find solutions to what was a heart problem. “Nobody wants to be dehumanised, nobody wants to be exploited. So I understand where the anger comes from. But it is time to forgive,” he challenged everyone, if we do not forgive, God will judge our sin of unforgiveness and we repeat the cycle. If we forgive and do RIGHTOUSNESS God would find a way for land to be returned to those who deserved it and for all in the country, black and white, to prosper together, he said.[3] See my report of what happened at this significant event: https://hrco.co.za/social-relevance/report-of-the-restoration-of-land-and-the-dignity-of-the-people-conference-in-the-cape-of-good-hope-castle/ 

How do the righteous earn money?

This is what every believer should ask and fulfil in the fear of the Lord in their lifetime.

Generally: How do governments make money? Taxes, natural resources, tourism and investments? How do banks make money? Interest, low-risk pay-back, collateral property. How do churches make money? Tithes and offerings.

From the Agricultural Thinktank perspective: How do farmers make money? They plant something of value, mitigate the VUKA[14] risk factors: climate change, soil degradation; droughts, diseases, labour, threat of EWC and land invasions, making debt to produce enough healthy, desirable, nutritious food and sell it to the highest bidder. This is a huge accomplishment to get the product to the gate: but then the financially successful farmer has to battle sufficient off-take: On average, a farmer gets only 15% of the retail price from white bread, a bulk wine farmer 7%, a citrus farmer 9%.[15]  For the farmer to compete in the narrow shelf space available in the retail-driven single-channel market system, he has to comply with strict food-safety, traceability, consistency, and scale requirements. Most do not comply hence the decline in single-owned farm units, and the rise of industrial farms. 

Since 1996 the number of commercial farming units dropped from 60 900 to 39 900 in 2007. Of the current total, only 1.5 per cent (673) of commercial farms account for a third of total gross commercial farm income. In the food retail sector, the market share of the major retail chains has risen from below 10 percent in the late 1980s to around 68 percent in 2012. [16]

The Census of Commercial Agriculture report indicates that the total number of farms/ farming units in 2017 was 40 122. The total income for the commercial agriculture industry in 2017 was R332,8 billion, which was significantly higher than the R85,9 billion recorded for 2007. [17]

The conclusion is that bigger industrial commercial farms produced significantly more than small-scale and commercial farms with fewer people employed but generally paying better wages, and providing social-support infrastructure. Which brings us to the elephant in the room:

Economic Justice.

South Africa is burdened with a huge wealth-poverty gap. (Gini coefficient 2014-63.0)[18] The biggest portion of our population does not have access to the most basic services, water, sanitation, electricity, quality education and frightening complete social degradation. According to Stats SA, 2,193,96 South African households live in informal settlements – 13% of the country’s population.

Furthermore, the deepest disparity is the question of unequal wages and salaries. What is the Biblical justice and ethical right way to think and act when it comes to wages? The presumption is that better earners usually do not willingly give, or share their income.  Simply not true in the African context, many workers annually deposit money into homeland accounts.  The total volume of domestic remittances is estimated to be between $11 billion and $13 billion, equivalent to 4 percent of GDP. [19]

The white minority capital argument, led to a juxtaposed form of racism criminalizing wealth, and white-owned business enterprise.  Pinning a collective sin to a singular culture-ethnic group is dangerous, as evidenced when the Soviet campaign of political repressions, including arrests, deportations, and executions of millions of kulaks (prosperous peasants) and their families in the 1929–1932 period.[20] Or the Hutu genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda 1994. [21]

How does one peacefully get the better earners to voluntarily share their wealth?

Wages in the agricultural context are complex due to the huge number of low-qualified human hands needed in the fruit-picking sector. Currently, labor represents about 7.65% of total production cost on an average grain producing farm, compared to a 34% average on an apple and pear farm (Meyer, 2013; BFAP, 2012). [22] The narrow profit margin of these industrial enterprises does not give much space to truly give a more equal wage, given the amount of skill and responsibility disparity between a general fruit picker and the CEO of a multi-national company. The inconsistency, unreliability, and problems associated with human labor has led to an overall automatization in the sector. [23] The question of labor in the agricultural sector is at the core of the negative sentiment against it. Agriculturists may however become the national heroes as several analysts have noted the potential of agriculture to generate one million job opportunities focusing on winning industries, and available arable land.[24]

Until this happens, the labour question deepens in a totally unequal society with dual economies: Why do those who have, not share with the have-nots?

According to the Department of Social Development, there are currently 220000 NGO’s and community-based organisations registered. Sharing is inherently personal, often directed towards one’s own family or church. However, it’s probable that the sharing hasn’t been reaching the intended recipients. Sharing resources without someone taking responsibility and utilizing those resources to enhance their income and earnings amounts to a wasteful endeavor.

The biblical way of eradicating poverty – is personal responsibility.

Ruth 2:2-3 This passage describes the practice of gleaning, where the poor were allowed to gather the leftover grain in the fields of the landowners. The principle is: Everyone must share, but everyone must work for their gift.  

Over and above the economic reality of the cost of wages Henry Hazlitt reveals that economics and ethics are, in fact, intimately related. Both are concerned with human action, human conduct, human decision, human choice. There is hardly an ethical problem, in fact, without its economic aspect. Our daily ethical decisions are in the main economic decisions, and nearly all our daily economic decisions have, in turn, an ethical aspect.[25] Thus there is a need for a Biblical Consensus on the tenets of redemptive entrepreneurship.

Dale Partridge shows in his book, People Over Profit, that short-term profit gain, at the cost of the people, eventually lead to long-term decline. History has proven that all lasting commerce is born from a dedication to high character, high quality and high customer loyalty. [26] Roche & Mayer started a collaborative research program between Oxford University and Mars to study the current capitalist system of increasing worldwide inequality, presenting a new model of ‘economics of mutuality’.  Our view is that we may soon need a new, more mutually beneficial, and more complete form of capitalism that holistically optimizes value for all three inputs—the people, the planet, the financial capital—to reform the current system of financial capitalism that may one day collapse.[27]

Helmut Gollwitzer a concerned pastor, theologian and thinker known as a democratic socialist debated that regardless of our Christian political biases; we need to strive toward a social togetherness – “perfect togetherness without any conflict.” [28] This local community togetherness and economic justice cannot be achieved politically, culturally, economically or legislatively!

Those who are in Christ Jesus already have the solution!

God has already moved and provided a Kingdom-based Non-Babylonian Economic Re-Generative Strategy.

The bridge-building theme and focus have emerged in SA, as a counter-measure against increasingly populist, racist, and dividing rhetoric from some political leaders and groups. The bridge-builder initiatives were sparked informally and spontaneously on many fronts throughout the country. Like the Bela-Bela farmers conference held in Limpopo, 23-24 August 2018.   48 Speakers from various backgrounds, positions, and sectors came to showcase solutions and existing stories of hope in Agriculture. Since the Bela-Bela Land summit others were held at Komga Farmers Union, 29 October 2018, East London.   A Christ-centred Land summit was held in Sandton, Gauteng, February 28-1 March 2019, with a follow up in Middelburg EC, 20-21 May 2019, and 24 October 2019 in Paarl. All these LandSummits were intended as Bridge-building initiatives to develop and restore trust. 

The Christ-centred focus is not geared to enforce religious exclusivity, or proselytism. The values that Jesus Christ portrayed, and so many South Africans from all backgrounds and races worship and adhere to, is seen as ‘n unifier.  Hence people abandoning their religious denominations and divisive doctrinal differences, to unify and rebuild the social fiber so critically needed for strong social cohesion is based on the person and example of Jesus Christ.

It was forthcoming, that many of the stories and models showcased at the Landbou Weekblad Bela Bela event, had a strong personal faith in the person of Jesus Christ as their source and motivation.  The organizers of the two Christian Land Summits, thus viewed the shared Christ-centred values as a method to fast-track bridge-building of new cross-cultural relationships vital to the transformation of agriculture.[29]  It should also be noted, that although these values were the backbone of all the dialogue during these summits, the focus was healthy ‘Christ-centred’ relationships and not formalized religion.  The Jesus-narrative provides sufficient foundations and commonality to foster healthy relationships, and eventually sustainable projects. This is an important point to consider as many good projects failed due to corruption: the lack of intrinsic moral practically out-lived values. 

The issue of “the right heart” is elucidated when people truly surrender their hearts to Jesus. As Analize Crosby AGRISA policy analyst explains: “The personal cost of sharing is too high to enforce it by law or war, it has to come from the heart.”[30]

This question of trust and equality is entangled within the Christ-centred narrative.  Various autonomous role-players naturally gravitated towards one-another, without any traces of the obstacles and hindrances of prideful superiority.  Former Zimbabwean Farmer Boet Pretorius , who was one of the first farmers to lose his farm in Zimbabwe; puts it succinctly: “Until you love God first, then your people, you will not rule or keep your land”. This was also the conclusion of the first Land Summit:

Aid amplifies ‘god’ complexes and strengthens inferiority complexes. The question was asked: “Who are the poor?” The Christ-centred perspective is: We are all poor and in need of a saviour! 

• Poor relationship with God – Poverty of Intimacy
• Poor relationship with myself – Poverty of Being
• Poor relationship with family – Poverty of Trust
• Poor relationship with community – Poverty of Security
• Poor relationship with Creation- Poverty of Stewardship

Thus, all mankind is considered poor, and in need of healthy relationships. From this point of view, a more natural and equal base is established to build relationships of trust.

TENET 1:

The Christian Theist World view put’s God at the center of our Universe and Village

The only time in History where the blessed 49 year Jubilee was willingly accomplished, was after Pentecost.  

 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” Acts 4:32-35 (NIV)

Christocentric, spirit-filled believers already have a sense of ‘togetherness’ not achieved through any human effort. Currently, there is a movement growing all across the country as streams of biblical, kingdom-purposed-faith-based individuals, churches and NGO’s are seeking the lowest point of departure. True humble, meek, and ego-less spiritual fathers (Isa 33:21) are calling the church into action: to again become the most attractive religion that toppled the mighty Roman Empire to convert to the ideals and values of a revolutionary Jewish artisan from Galilea. Even the World Economic Forum calls for a new social covenant where trusted local father figures re-align local societies to an equitable, mutual-responsibility, human-dignity focused common good. [31]

1. The Christian Church grew most rapidly in the 300 years. (Stark 1997:161–162; Hirsch, 2006:18-22; Viola & Barna 2008:246–250)
2. The Christian Church became the State Religion because of its exemplary demonstration of intrinsic critical values: great acts of mercy and kindness mutual support and love • self-control • respect for life • To do good to each other. • Avoid evil such as theft, deceit and jealousy. • Show hospitality to strangers. • Take care of each other and share their food with each other. • Prove mercy toward all people. • Conduct care and nursing of the sick. • Households testify to dignity, personal responsibility, honesty and obedience. • Ethnic variety is accepted. • Women, children and slaves are treated with respect. • Respect for life prevents abortion and childhood murder. • Martyrdom and the willingness to ‘ take up your cross ‘ (see Mark. 8) [32]
3. Apostolic travelling teams mentored, taught, and held churches accountable to these values resulting in the writing of the NT.
4. The member’s active involvement in doing the work of the ministry, filled with the Holy Spirit, modeled on the example of Jesus and the apostles created a missional culture of mature believers living the gospel. Their redemptive works were the proof of accuracy, not doctrinal documents.

TENET 2

Prescription without Diagnosis is Malpractice

Asset Based Community Development. [33]

Various Christian entities have already been strategically moved into place to change the Social source document. We cannot achieve solutions, and togetherness if we are not working from the same source documents. There is currently no consensus regarding the Government’s land audit, and the suggestion is to rather profile the community than the country. Prof. de Wet Schutte with the Unisearch Program uses diversified Focus group prioritizing of needs analyses.[34] Johan Olivier (Ranyaka) follows a more town-planning, architectural-infrastructure-mapping approach.[35] Asset Based Community Development’s premise is that communities can drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing, but often unrecognised assets.[36]Currently Prof. Deon Pretorius has created an Online application to do a statsSA community Profile so that the correct figures can be given to all the Government Departments: Human Settlement, Education, health, rural development, Social Development, and Agriculture.

TENET 3

Begin with the Father then the Family

Morpho-genetic Social Developmental Approach.

From the outset, we understood that God’s way of restoration begins with a father, in a specific location, who through his obedience creates a new family, extended family, culture, and nation.  This approach provides an explanation and strategy for development based on the complex interplay between contexts and people acting in contexts. Each community basically takes ownership of their own challenges through a Christ-centered-value-driven, non-partisan, pluralistic, multisector, pragmatic approach that begins to build local capacity, to achieve the common good of everyone in the community. In most instances, a dramatic negative like the SundayRiverValley[37], Harrismith[38], and uprisings, give way to a radical peaceful collaborative when the right people take the lead.

TENET 4

Funding of God-inspired initiatives.

The Kings and Priest Model

An army is as strong as it’s supply-chain. If we cannot get the resources to the troops on the front-line, we will lose the battle.  A great protest was mounted by the people, including the wives, against their fellow Jews. Some said, “We have big families, and we need food just to survive.” Others said, “We’re having to mortgage our fields and vineyards and homes to get enough grain to keep from starving.” And others said, “We’re having to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. Look: We’re the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can’t do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else.” [39] Nehemia could not finish the wall, until economic restitution had taken place. Simply put: the funds are not getting to the right people! Through nepotism, carder-deployment, racial preference, and BBEEE white farmers are seen as the enemy (privileged), while many of these farmers held the solution-key to mutual economic growth. By means of the AMOS[40] network of farmers who have already proven their Christ-centred heart and passion, who have already made enormous financial contributions to restoration and healing, there are already plans/businesses/projects that are waiting for FUNDING. Hennie Viljoen proposed an “everyone must give approach”[41] Mines, banks, supply and value-chain, government, and the farmers all give a portion towards an equitable, profitable, right-partnership farming enterprise.  He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor. (Prov 28:8)

TENET 5

The Fruitful village.

Begin in the locality. Jesus initiated a movement on the fringes of society, not within the mainstream hubs of His time, such as Sepphoris and Tiberias. He, along with many of His followers, received their initial training in obscure places, concealed from the public eye, in order to nurture within them the qualities of selflessness and resistance to the allure of fame. These were the individuals with whom He intended to establish His Kingdom.

How does a community/town/village/city look when God’s Kingdom has come? Although God’s Kingdom is in part an eternal future expectation, there is a part that needs to be established by His church here and now. (Luk 17:21; Mat 10:7) Eventually all these father-family-faith-based projects begins to heal and restore communities by doing/executing/demonstrating Peace & Love solutions locally and hence gaining influence in Government, Health, Education, Law-enforcement and Business sectors.  

The Kingdom expands through Christ gaining territory in hearts through deep discipleship-based relationships.  Sin: hate, offence, jealousy, pride, sloth, laziness, entitlement, deceit destroys relationships and family. God’s Kingdom is restored when relationships/community/family is restored. This process takes time, it is a long-term generational process.  It is said that:

“Throughout human history, most people live and die in the social class into which they were born. We cannot bring change to the individual if we do not affect the culture.”

The best way to transform a culture is through raising healthy children, within a healthy extended family, the Church. “it takes a village to raise a child” or “it takes church to raise a village”[42] If we ever want to change communities, it begins at ECD level.  Early childhood is a period of tremendous growth. Extending from conception to the age of 6, early childhood experiences carve out pathways toward health and well-being that persist throughout life. Supporting early childhood development, especially for the most vulnerable children, requires coordinated action to ensure health care, adequate nutrition, quality education, support for parents and protection of children’s rights.  But we need a new-employment-outcome-based kind of education. Children do not only need knowledge, they need skills, root skills in terms of character development, and technical production/entrepreneurial kind of skills that will give them a trade when they leave school not a certificate on paper. 

[1] 1 John 3:17 ESV

[2] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1258612/global-employment-figures/#:~:text=In%202022%20there%20were%20estimated,of%20around%201.04%20billion%20people.

[4] https://tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/unemployment-rate

[5] https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/unemployment-rate?continent=world

[6] Hélène Opperman Lewis, Apartheid: Britain’s bastard child

[7] https://discoversociety.org/2020/08/05/on-the-frontline-blood-in-blood-out-can-art-change-gangsterism/

[8] https://twnaf.com

[9] https://www.crown.org/blog/are-multi-level-marketing-companies-a-good-idea-for-christians/

[10] Moleko, N., 2017. Been Chasing Destiny. 1st ed. South Africa: Ngezandla Publishing, p.562.

[11] http://peaceandjustice.co.za

[12] https://www.janenchantal.com/report-of-the-restoration-of-land-and-the-dignity-of-the-people-conference-in-the-cape-of-good-hope-castle/

[13] Bracking.

 A qualitative reframing of private sector corruption Considerations from the natural resource sectors in South., 2020. Anti- Corruption Resource Centre U4, [online] August 2013 No 7(U4 Issue), p.2. Available at: <https://www.u4.no/publications/a-qualitative-reframing-of-private-sector-corruption-considerations-from-the-natural-resource-sectors-in-south-africa.pdf> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity

[15] http://www.grainsa.co.za/what-is-a-wheat-producer-s-percentage-share-of-retail-white-bread (retrieved August 2018)

[16] Bernstein, Henry. (2013). Commercial Agriculture in South Africa since 1994: ‘Natural, Simply Capitalism’. Journal of Agrarian Change. 13. 10.1111/joac.12011.

[17] http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=13144

[18] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=ZA

[19] https://www.technoserve.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/South-Africa-domestic-remittances-report.pdf

[20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekulakization

[21] Kinzer, S., 2010. A Thousand Hills. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

[22] Saayman, Lehanri &  Middelberg Sanlie. The Effect Of Higher Wages On Production Cost And Mechanization: A South African Maize Sector Study. The Journal of Applied Business Research – March/April 2014 Volume 30, Number 2 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/14e9/b6dc7d78af29c2340b041d01dba3ff2717f8.pdf

[23] Le roux, Daniel. Automation and employment: the case of South Africa. 2018. http://suinformatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/automation-employment-case-1.pdf

[24] Meyer, F., 2012. FARM SECTORAL DETERMINATION: AN ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURAL WAGES IN SOUTH AFRICA. BFAP December 2012, [online] Available at: <https://www.hopcal.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/article_files_61_bfap-farm-sector-determination-report-draft-17-dec.pdf> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

[25] http://jpatton.bellevue.edu/biblical_economics/morality-economics.html

[26] Partridge. Dale, People over Profit, Thomas Nelson, 2015

[27] Roche, B. and Jakub, J., 2017. Completing Capitalism. 1st ed. Oakland, CA 94612-1921: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

[28] See Gollwitzer,  Protestant Theology  : 191 –  2. Gollwitzer draws very briefly here on the imagery found in Mi 4.3f, Zec 3.10, and Rom 14.17.

[29] https://landsummit.co.za/14-models-2019/

[30] https://landsummit.co.za/the-heart-of-the-law-and-the-law-of-the-heart/

[31] http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_NewSocialCovenant_Report_2014.pdf

[32] Dreyer, W., 2011. Praktiese Ekklesiologie En Bedieningspraktyk Met Verwysing Na Die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk Van Afrika (Afrikaans).

[33] https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/asset-based-community-development/

[34] http://www.unisearch.co.za

[35] https://ranyaka.co.za

[36] https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/asset-based-community-development/

[37] https://herald.pressreader.com/@Deon_Pretorius.2/csb_ik_tdjif_gzuXh-IDPUy-_sjz7BnQdPRXsLmbL9DXMD4a-I1o5UKqkbPAccX08wa

[38] https://www.goodthingsguy.com/people/sam-twala-fixing-problems

[39] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Ne 5:1–5.

[40] https://amosafrica.net

[41] https://landsummit.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-February-28-Land-Summit-Everyone-must-give.docx.pdf

[42] Mitchell, M., 2001. It Takes A Church To Raise A Village. Shippensburg, PA: Treasure House.