WATER IS LIFE - BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH LIFE?
"Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst."- John 4:14
Water is Life.
Those are the words emblazoned on the window of uThukela Water, the entity responsible for ensuring the delivery of that most basic necessity to homes, schools, hospitals and businesses across our district.
For the past three weeks in a row, we have had periods without water at our workplace.
For me, this is not merely an inconvenience.
Many of the patients who come through our doors are elderly. Some travel considerable distances. They need access to ablution facilities while waiting to be helped. So when the taps run dry, the words “Water is Life” suddenly mean something very real.
But what does any of this have to do with a tragedy hundreds of kilometres away which has generated national discussion over the past few days?
His name was Tshepang Nyathi.
He was 21 years old.
On 1 September 2026, what began as Spring Day celebrations involving the splashing of water in Refilwe, Cullinan, ended with Tshepang fatally stabbed following an altercation involving a 53-year-old man.
A young man is dead.
Another man faces a murder charge.
Two families will never experience 1 September in quite the same way again.
For Tshepang, on that Spring Day, water became associated not with life, but with death.
And perhaps that should cause all of us - young and old - to think.
1. MOURNING THE TRAGEDY - WHEN LIFE BECOMES TOO CHEAP
“Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”- Genesis 4:10
Nearly thirty years ago, here in Ladysmith, I remember another tragedy involving water and young people that shook our town.
A group of young people entered a restricted area at nearby Windsor Dam. In what apparently began as mischief, the sluice gates were opened. Who could possibly have imagined what would follow?
The released water rushed downstream towards the Blackrock picnic area, where children were playing.
Lives were lost.
I have often thought about that tragedy.
I cannot imagine that those young people woke up that morning intending that somebody should die.
One action.
One moment.
Consequences nobody foresaw.
And now, nearly thirty years later, I find myself thinking about it again.
Young people begin a Spring Day wanting to have fun. Water is thrown. Tempers flare. A knife enters the equation. And suddenly a 21-year-old will never see another spring.
Whatever arguments we may subsequently have about discipline, consent, respect, youth behaviour or provocation, surely Christians must begin here:
A life has been lost.
Genesis does not tell us that Abel's blood became less valuable because of whatever argument Cain may have constructed in his own mind.
God simply says: “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”
Tshepang's blood cries out too.
Not for social-media outrage. Not for us to choose teams. Not for older people to condemn an entire generation. Not for young people to excuse reckless behaviour. It cries out for us to recover the sacredness of human life.
I am particularly disturbed because the man accused of stabbing Tshepang is around my age.
I have asked myself a difficult question: What would I have done if a random 21-year-old threw a bucket of water over me?
I honestly don't know. I might have been angry. I might have shouted. I might have demanded respect.
But I know this: I would not want that young man to die.
No momentary irritation is worth somebody's life.
No wet shirt is worth a mother's tears.
No Spring Day prank is worth a funeral.
And no provocation gives us permission to forget the value God places upon human life.
2. THE INVITATION - AND THE WARNING
“You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth…”- Ecclesiastes 11:9
What an extraordinary verse.
The Bible is not against young people having fun. God does not tell young people to spend their youth miserable, frightened and afraid of living.
Enjoy your youth.
Laugh. Run. Play. Celebrate. Make friends. Dream enormous dreams. Use your energy. Enjoy the springtime of your life.
But Ecclesiastes 11:9 does not end with the invitation.
It comes with a warning: “…but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.”
There lies the balance that seems to be missing from much of our national conversation.
One radio commentator reportedly cautioned against older generations simply saying, “The youth of today are problematic. We never behaved like this.” I agree with the caution. We should be very careful about romanticising our own youth. We made mistakes. We acted foolishly. We took chances. We followed crowds. We did things without considering what could happen next.
The Windsor Dam tragedy I remember from Ladysmith is itself a sobering reminder that youthful misjudgment did not begin with this generation.
But understanding youthful behaviour is not the same as removing youthful responsibility.
Scripture does something far more beautiful. It gives young people permission to enjoy youth while simultaneously teaching them that actions have consequences. Freedom and responsibility belong together. Fun and consideration belong together. Rights and respect belong together.
My enjoyment should not require somebody else's humiliation. My celebration should not become somebody else's fear. And when another person says, “No, I do not want to participate,” maturity requires
me to respect that boundary.
3. THE CALL TO URGENCY - REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR NOW
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…”- Ecclesiastes 12:1
Our country faces a youth crisis. Unemployment is real. Poverty is real. The shortage of recreational facilities in
many communities is real. The absence of positive role models is real. The frustration of young people who feel excluded from the economy is real.
We must never dismiss these realities.
Acts4Transformation exists precisely because I believe Christians cannot preach to hungry people while ignoring their hunger. We cannot speak about hope while refusing to confront the conditions that steal hope.
But neither can these realities become an argument that absolves a young person of responsibility for what he or she does with the life God has given them.
When measured against Scripture, that argument simply does not hold water. Ecclesiastes does not say: Remember your Creator once somebody gives you a job. Remember your Creator when government builds you a recreational centre. Remember your Creator when the economy improves. Remember your Creator
when somebody discovers your talent. It says: Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.
Now.
While there is energy in your body. While there are ideas in your head. While there are dreams in your heart. While there is still time.
This is the urgency.
Young friend, what is in your hand?
A cellphone? Use it to learn.
A football? Develop your gift.
A voice? Encourage somebody.
Hands? Build something.
A talent? Develop it.
Time? Don't simply kill it.
A dream? Start somewhere.
A bucket of water? Then make sure the person standing opposite you also wants to play.
Because Christian responsibility begins with recognising that the person standing before me bears the image of God.
4. THE NEW TESTAMENT STANDARD - DON'T WAIT TO
BECOME AN ADULT TO BECOME AN EXAMPLE
Paul writes to a young Timothy:
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example…”- 1 Timothy 4:12
What a magnificent standard for young people.
Paul does not patronise Timothy. He does not say: You are young, therefore we expect foolishness.
He says precisely the opposite. Set the example.
In speech. In conduct. In love. In faith. In purity.
That means Christianity refuses the low expectations society sometimes places upon youth. You do not have to wait until you are forty to become responsible. You do not have to wait until somebody employs you to become productive. You do not have to wait until somebody calls you a leader before you begin leading. You do not have to wait until you are old to become wise.
At 21, you can be an example. At 18, you can serve your community. At 16, you can discover your talent. At 12, you can learn that another person's dignity matters. And perhaps those of us who are 53 must hear the other side of Paul's challenge too.
If we demand that young people become examples, then surely we who are older must be examples ourselves.
Our maturity must show when we are provoked. Our wisdom must show when somebody disrespects us. Our restraint must show when tempers rise.
Our leadership is tested not when everybody behaves properly towards us, but when somebody does not.
WATER IS LIFE
Jesus once sat beside a well and spoke about another kind of water.
Water that restores rather than destroys. Water that gives rather than takes. Water that cleanses rather than condemns. Perhaps that is where this reflection must end.
With grace.
To the family of Tshepang Nyathi, we offer our deepest sympathy. A 21-year-old life has ended far too soon. Behind the national debate is a family that must bury somebody they love. May God comfort them when the cameras have gone, the radio discussions have ended and social media has moved to another
subject.
To the 53-year-old accused, we do not know everything that happened in those moments, and the courts must establish the facts. But our Christian faith leaves room even here for grace and mercy. We pray for repentance where repentance is required. Justice where justice is required. Healing where healing is required. And mercy in the midst of it all.
And to the young people of South Africa:
Enjoy your youth.
Please do.
Laugh loudly. Celebrate Spring. Play. Create. Dream. Dance. Study. Work. Serve.
Build. Love. Discover what God has placed in your hands.
But remember:
Your youth is not merely a season to be passed. It is a gift to be invested.
Remember your Creator now.
Set an example now.
Use your time now.
Develop your talent now.
Love your neighbour now.
Because none of us - whether 21 or 53 - knows how quickly one seemingly insignificant moment can change several lives forever.
Water is life.
But infinitely more precious than the water in our taps is the life standing beside us.
May we learn to treasure both.
Believe. Pray. Love. Share.