Western Cape pastors to protest against proposed church regulations
Pastors from across the Western Cape will be marching to Parliament on Thursday to voice their opposition to proposed regulations on churches.
The move follows the cultural, Religious and Linguistic (CRL) Rights Commission’s call for greater oversight of religious organisations.
The CRL recently introduced a peer-review mechanism aimed at promoting accountability and curbing abuse within churches, but critics say this amounts to government interference.
The pastors are also calling for the removal of the Commission’s Chairperson Thoko Xaluva, accusing her of censoring churches.
South African Church Defenders (SACD) Coordinator Pastor Theo Nobongoza says, “You cannot take a minor situation, one or two cases and then you want to bunch the whole Christian community with that. We are not saying there are no incidents. We are not saying wrong has become right. We are saying there are enough laws. Let the government deal with any criminal activity, whether it be a pastor, whether it be a church member. Crime is a crime. So we are saying don’t attach a crime to a religion.”
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Reporting by Kholo Tefo.