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MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE (MCC) NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blurb: The Rev. Eugene van Kramberg, of Eldorado Park, South Africa, works with

other pastors and community members to address criminal activity through restorative

justice mediation. MCC supports this initiative.

From gang member to fervent apostle

By Lucas Klassen

March 22, 2013

ELDORADO PARK, South Africa Eugene van Kramberg felt trapped. He was in

prison where his fellow gang members were plotting the murder of a rival. Van

Kramberg was against the plot but could only delay it. His gang members would see it

through with or without his assistance.

Today, van Kramberg and his rival gang member who survived the plot are best

friends. Now a bishop of the Rock (Reflections of Christs Kingdom) church and one of

the leaders of the Pastors Forum of Eldorado Park, van Kramberg is committed to

stopping the kinds of criminal activity of which he was once a part.

Van Kramberg and community members of Eldorado Park, a township of

Johannesburg, have worked to establish a peacebuilding program that emphasizes

restorative justice mediation as a response to crime.

Whereas punitive justice views punishment as the best response, restorative justice

focuses on crime prevention and reconciliation. The victims and offenders meet face toface in the presence of a mediator in order to bring about reconciliation. A goal of

restorative justice is for offenders to gain an understanding of how their actions

personally affect victims.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) supports this collaborative work of the Africa

Peace Network and two local implementing partners: Shekinah Covenant Church and

the Pastors Forum of Eldorado Park, which represents about 80 local churches.

Van Krambergs church recently experienced a break-in during which two teenage boys

stole several items. Though he himself had become a direct victim of a criminal act, van

Kramberg saw this as an opportunity to restore the boys and display Gods love and

forgiveness in very practical ways.

Despite South Africas constitutional shift from racial discrimination, prejudices

remain. Racial discrimination can lead to criminal acts. When this happens, van

Kramberg said, developing an understanding of cultural differences is a necessary part

of the restorative justice mediation process.

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It is preferable to have a black person work with blacks and a colored person work

with coloreds, said van Kramberg. This is to ensure a respect of cultural differences,

and is essential to a smooth and productive mediation process. (Colored is a race

classification dating back to apartheid that is still used today in South Africa to

describe people who are not black, white or Indian).

Peace and reconciliation were foundational aspects of Christs life and ministry. Just as

the apostle Paul teaches of Gods reconciliation with people through Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17-

20), van Kramberg notes that it is our Christian responsibility to restore one another.

Restorative justice not only brings reconciliation where it is so desperately needed, but

it is also an effective means of sharing the gospel. The bulk of ministry is outside of

the pulpit, he said as he pointed out toward the Eldorado Park community. It is out

there.

Mennonite Central Committee: Relief, development and peace in the name of Christ

- END -

Lucas Klassen, from Abbotsford, B.C., is serving as an MCC intern in southern Africa.

Photo available: Bishop Eugene van Kramberg pauses for a photo in Reflections of

Christs Kingdom church in a Johannesburg township. He and other pastors are using

restorative justice mediation to bring peace within their communities. (MCC

photo/Lucas Klassen)