Hundreds of Christians from diverse churches united in a march to the Union Buildings on Wednesday, voicing their opposition to the Council for Religious and Faith-Based Organisations’ (CRL) establishment of the Section 22 Committee. 

The protesters claimed that the committee infringed on their religious freedom and called for the immediate dismissal of CRL chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.

They accused Mkhwanazi-Xaluva of enabling government interference in church operations through the CRL and failing to protect the autonomy of the churches.

Pastor Mpfariseni Mukhuba of Unity Fellowship Church, an organiser, addressed the crowd, saying: “We are the church defenders, and we will not let Christianity die in South Africa. We will protect our heritage and pass it on to our children.”

She emphasised that the church is under attack and that they will take a stand to defend it.

She said that the time for silence is over, adding that “if we keep silent now we will perish and that is why today we are marching”.

Mukhuba accused Mkhwanazi-Xaluva of attempting to destroy the church through the Section 22 Committee, a peer-review mechanism she believes undermines church autonomy.

CRL deputy chairperson Prince George Mahlangu dismissed claims that the committee is bent on infringing on the rights and freedom of Christians.

He explained that the committee comprised the religious leaders representing close to 45 million Christians in the country and that the commission is not even part of it except for the secretariat role.

“Section 22 will go to all the provinces and will engage the religious leaders. It is really a peer review mechanism from our side,” he said.

He explained that the committee was established to address the needs for handling complaints of abuse from congregants, citing the case of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso who faced multiple rape accusations and was subsequently acquitted.

Mahlangu stated that the CRL is implementing parliament’s recommendation for self-regulation of churches, noting that the Section 22 committee specifically applies to the Christian sector.

In a media statement, CRL said: “In response to these recommendations from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ Portfolio Committee regarding self-regulation in the Christian sector, the Commission invoked Section 22 of the CRL Rights Commission Act to establish a Section 22 Committee, which has thus far been constituted and comprises Christian religious leaders from various umbrella organisations, including, inter alia, mainline, independent, charismatic, and pentecostal churches.”

Mahlangu said: “What do you do when a religious pastor has transgressed? We came up with a body that will come up with a code of conduct and not to regulate religion. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution. Nobody will regulate religion,” he said.

Regarding the call for the CRL chairperson to go, he said: “We are in the public eye and we can not please everybody.”

Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, founder of the African Christian Democratic Party, told Mkhwanazi-Xaluva to “take her unwashed hands off the church”.  

He declared that attempts to undermine the church would fail, saying: “Today is a day of victory for us.”

Meshoe also criticised the CRL for referring to church leaders as “religious practitioners,” insisting that titles such as preachers, pastors, prophets, and bishops are more accurate. 

“We are not religious practitioners. We need to reject that. We are servants of the Most High God,” he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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