Thabiso Goba22 May 2024 | 17:20

Teen candidate Benjamin Mankhili Junior wants to bring Christian values to Parliament

The law student appears on the national and Limpopo candidates list for the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).

Teen candidate Benjamin Mankhili Junior wants to bring Christian values to Parliament

JOHANNESBURG - Nineteen-year-old parliamentary candidate, Benjamin Mankhili Junior, said that he'd like to bring Christian values to government.

The law student appears on the national and Limpopo candidates list for the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).

He is one of 15 candidates aged between 18 and 19 running for office, and also voting for the first time. 

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As the son of a pastor, Mankhili Junior, said there was no party for him other than the ACDP.

He said that the party’s political principles based on Christianity and Biblicism resonated with him.

"Exodus 18, verse 21 says when you elect, elect God-fearing people, people who won’t be greedy, people who won’t have corruption, so I have carried that verse every time I speak about the ACDP."

Mankhiri said he was studying to be a lawyer so he could help vulnerable people get justice.

"As a politician, it is important to have knowledge of the law, so you can stand for what is right and not go against the legal system of our country."

While South Africa remains a secular country, Mankhili said it was only through Christian principles that the social decay in the country could be healed.