Restitution is a burning issue. Linda Martindale interviewed a Christian couple who voluntarily gave away their farm to a church-led restitution initiative, and then passed the mike to three different voices on the debate

In January 2003, Charles and Rita Robertson handed over their farm, on the outskirts of George, to the Foundation for Church-led Restitution in South Africa. This was no small sacrifice. The land is beautiful, situated on the Groot Brak River, and was Charles' inheritance from his late father.

“My father would have been pleased to see the land going to such a cause as this, and my entire family, including my mother and brother who farms the neighbouring farm, are enthusiastic about it,” says Charles.

Another member of the Foundation for Church-led Restitution, Alastair Buchanan, parted ways with a luxury vehicle to purchase a cheaper one in order to release finance back into a formerly disenfranchised community. Alastair explains why: “Imagine that your diamond ring, a family heirloom worth around R100 000, had just been stolen from you. I come up to you in the street a few days later and tell you that my family has recently acquired this amazing ring from a member of our church for next to nothing. Then we learn that it is the same ring. How would it make you feel if I made no move to return it? How do most of our brothers and sisters feel who have been robbed of so much that has come to us as advantaged Christians through colonialism and apartheid? It's for this reason that I, as a Christian leader, have felt it right from time to time to lead by example and sell some of the goods belonging to my family in order to give money to projects that will empower those who have been disadvantaged. Of course, we do not wish to make too much of these small steps toward reconciliation, but for our family, at least it's a start.”

Both of these actions were powered by a deep-seated belief that God is calling the South African church to address the imbalances of the past by way of biblical restitution.

Charles Robertson explains that “restitution is a heart issue, not just a matter of giving things away—it is more than doing good deeds, and more than a land issue. Restitution is done with repentance and humility, and with an awareness of the wrong previously done to other people; it's the beginning of the process of correcting the wrongs,” he says, adding that for all involved, it is an attitude of forgiveness for (and a willingness to forgive) every insult and reminder of injustice, one that seeks to make amends for any past wrongdoing in tangible ways.

The Robertson's journey began with a sense of compassion for the poor in our land. Charles and Rita sought out meaningful ways to address the poverty they witnessed around them. They have seen the price of ignoring these issues in their own family—Charles' sister and her family recently lost their farms in the Zimbabwe land crisis. And they have also observed the pain inflicted on all involved when the principles of reconciliation and restitution are not addressed in a healthy and humble way.

The motivation for restitution, and particularly with relation to the land issue, is not merely a matter of avoiding a land crisis in South Africa similar to Zimbabwe's, although it can be argued that this is a valid and sensible way to address the growing problem in our own country. Restitution is more about being involved in a process that God is deeply committed to, one that is clearly motivated in both the Old and New Testaments. Judging from the way Charles and Rita tell their personal story, the joy of giving and being a part of balancing and redistributing assets and wealth far exceeds any sacrifice on their part.

The Robertson's farm is in the process of being sold, and the proceeds will be administered by the foundation in the interests of motivating and educating South African Christians to share their possessions—assets, finances and skills—with others in our land.

The Foundation for Church-led Restitution in South Africa is made up of Christian leaders from different cultures, denominations, socio-economic and political groups, who represent both clergy and business people. These leaders have responded together to the call for the church to lead the way in nation-building. They have been meeting together for over a year, working through the sensitive issues of true repentance, reconciliation and restitution, and plotting the way forward for the church in South Africa. The members believe the Bible indicates that church-led restitution is essential and acknowledge the South African reality of a divided church—a poor/black church and a rich/white church.

Martin Heuvel, a pastor in the Western Cape who initiated the foundation, says: “We trust that church-led restitution will play an important part in making us truly one church as the success of our transformation and city-reaching efforts hinges on church unity, which is not possible without true reconciliation through restitution.” He goes on to encourage us not to wake up one day with a Zimbabwe-type crisis on our doorstep, in which the Christian church is perceived to be guilty of failing to mobilise its members in a process of contributing to the solution through acts of generosity and compassion.

God has clearly shown His mercy in the relatively peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa, but restitution remains foundational to the further growth of democracy. It's an outworking of our national pain, summed up by the words of an Australian Aboriginal woman to her past oppressors who sought restitution and reconciliation: “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Exactly how are we to work liberation out in our nation? How should people who benefited from apartheid make restitution to those who were oppressed by the system? In other words, should Christians who were advantaged by apartheid make any form of restitution to those who were discriminated against during the apartheid era?