Church, Social Justice, and Race in South Africa and Zimbabwe

This timely and interdisciplinary volume offers a critical exploration of race, migration, and the role of the church in fostering peace and justice in contemporary Southern Africa. Against the backdrop of growing global tensions surrounding race and immigration, the book foregrounds the complexities of racism and xenophobia in South Africa and Zimbabwe—two nations where these issues remain deeply entrenched. Bringing together scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, theology, and law, this collection interrogates the social and political conditions that have fueled anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly toward Zimbabweans in South Africa. It also examines the urgent and often overlooked responsibility of the church in promoting racial reconciliation and social cohesion. With a strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary dialogue, this volume provides fresh perspectives on how faith communities can address systemic injustice and respond to the lived realities of migrants and marginalized groups.

Tobias Marevesa is a New Testament Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, under the Robert Mugabe School of Heritage and Education at the Great Zimbabwe University where he teaches New Testament Studies and New Testament Greek. He holds a PhD with the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He is a Research Fellow, Institute for Theology and Religion, College of Human Sciences University of South Africa and a Postdoctoral Fellow – University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
R Simangaliso Kumalo, is Professor of Public Theology in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is also the Dean and Head of the same school. He is also Director of the Centre for Constructive Theology. He has authored 10 books and over 60 academic articles. His books include Pastor and Politician: Essays on the Legacy of Dr JL Dube, the first President of the African National Congress, Politics and Religion in Swaziland. He lives in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Author’s Biographies   Baloyi Ezekiel holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology with Dogmatics (Church History and Systematic Theology) from North-West University, South Africa.