GOVERNMENT TO CONTROL CHURCHES?

The South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) has vowed to confront what it calls unilateral actions by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission).

The establishment of a new consultative body to oversee churches and faith institutions in South Africa has reignited a national debate about the State’s role in religion, with critics warning that the initiative could pave the way for government control over matters of faith.

Last week, the CRL Rights Commission introduced a Section 22 Committee, described as a peer-review mechanism aimed at promoting accountability and curbing abuse within religious organisations.

The commission said the committee would consult widely, operate independently, and help “restore order in the sector.”

Reacting to the development, SAUCIC president Cardinal Archbishop Modiri Patrick Shole said the church will not allow the CRL Commission to undermine freedom of worship and association enshrined in the Constitution.

Shole argued: “The onslaught against the Christian faith under the guise of protecting the vulnerable within faith communities is nothing but a well-orchestrated and misguided campaign to diminish the foundational values enshrined in the constitution and ultimately criminalise Christianity supported by over 85 percent of our populace."

His organisation represents affiliated federations of charismatic and evangelical outreach mission ministries, as well as Pentecostal churches.

Shole added that the partnership between government and the church - which is key to addressing social ills, promoting unity and social cohesion - is threatened by the overzealous chairperson of the CRL Rights Commission, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, who he claims is acting contrary to the mandate of the Chapter 9 institution.

He said: "Her assertion that Christian leaders that claim to talk to God through prayer should be confined to mental institutions is clear proof that she does not understand how faith is exercised by believers across all faiths.

“This is a call to question her fitness to hold office as it perpetuates the mistrust and confrontational attitude that prevailed before she was reappointed to serve another term.

"As it stands the CLR Rights Commission is less concerned about the deaths of initiates experienced at initiation schools and the protection of cultures and languages than it is about controlling the church.”

Shole said his organisation will join the march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, demanding Mkhwanazi-Xaluva’s immediate removal.