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It seems South Africa’s racists have decided to come out of hiding. Whether on the roads, in restaurants, in guesthouses, or even at schools, there’s a racist ready to show their hand. This time around, it was the turn of self-styled man of God Andre Olivier, who waded deep into the murky waters of racism by saying: “If you’re black, God will send you white people.”
What was remarkable about this incident was that Olivier was abusing his own congregation, many of whom are black. Now, for those who may have forgotten, one of the foundational beliefs of apartheid was the idea of a chosen people favoured by God. In its various Calvinist versions, this gospel was very clear: it assigned whites a place at the table with God, and black people scrabbled for crumbs. It is incredible that Olivier would try to sneak this toxic gospel into his spiritual business.
Olivier, from the Rivers Church in Morningside, Sandton, was clearly enjoying himself. He went in with the standard “black people are lazy” narrative, saying that “white people have money because they work”. This is particularly rich coming from a man who has amassed a fortune from the tithes of those who attend his church. Instead of this toxic sermon, Olivier should have dug deep into his reserves of humility to say thank you to each black person in his congregation.
You could tell from listening to the recording of Olivier’s words that members of his congregation were stunned. They gave him a tepid round of applause, but instead of realising just how offensive his diatribe was, he actually castigated black people for not clapping.
“We took nothing away from anyone,” Olivier went on, making it clear that he and the whites on whose behalf he was speaking got what they deserved and also what they were ordained to receive.
One wonders why a pastor, deeply ensconced in the lap of luxury, would venture outside the verses of the Bible. But here Olivier reminds us that religion has always been political. And, of course, it should not be lost on anyone that the meaning of “God will send you white people” means that they are God’s instrument of deliverance.
The wealth Olivier boasts about would disappear if black people stopped coming to his church. His church, about 500m from my house, has grown in size over the years. Today, it is bigger than some shopping malls and serves as a reminder that the business of religion is highly lucrative.
In a remarkable departure from recent racist practice, Olivier did not retract his words or attempt any apology. He merely dug in and justified what he had said. A handful of his celebrity worshippers came out to support him.
But the days of celebrity support as a “get-out-racism card” are clearly over. His supporters, such as Tumisho Masha, batted valiantly for him, but those who have suffered at the hands of racists know racism when they hear it. They don’t need celebrities to tell them what counts as racism, they have experienced this evil so intimately, either personally or through collective memory.
Perhaps Olivier should use this moment to ask God to send him the power of self-reflection and find it in himself to know he should not abuse his congregation. Whatever theories Olivier may have developed and fine-tuned as he built his religious empire, he needs to know there’s no place for racism. South Africans defeated political racism and they will surely vanquish social and religious racism.
Dlamini is a corporate communications consultant
