WATCH: Archbishop Makgoba delivers Christmas message

CAPE TOWN - For the first time since 2019, South Africans can attend Christmas services without any restrictions.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced people to miss church in 2020 and last year there were strict restrictions.

The St Georges Anglican Church was packed for midnight mass conducted by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.

"In South Africa, the message that emerges from the turmoil of recent days and weeks is very clear: that we hear too little of sacrificial service from our nation's leaders and too much of using political influence to secure personal and family advancement," he said.

"South Africans need to see their government focussed on fixing the real problems of the country -- joblessness and load-shedding among them -- and not on internal party disputes."

The Archbishop also addressed the ongoing war in Ukraine and what he witnessed during his recent visit there

“What is happening in Ukraine affects us all, not just economically, but especially in terms of our values.

"We cannot preach the ideals and values of constitutionalism and then do business with those who flagrantly disregard human rights."