In a significant demonstration of unity, pastors, bishops, and reverends from a wide array of Christian denominations exchanged their pulpits for the streets of the capital yesterday, voicing strong opposition to what they call political interference in religious matters.
The coordinated march was a direct response to the ongoing actions of the CRL Rights Commission, which church leaders accuse of attempting to regulate religion through the establishment of a Section 22 committee.
Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), articulated the movement’s stance in an interview following the protest. He stated that the CRL Commission is proceeding with a regulatory agenda that was previously rejected by Parliament.
“The CRL Commission is busy with something that in their report that they submitted to parliament was rejected,” Rev. Meshoe said. “Among those recommendations is that the church must be regulated, and government does not want to regulate the church.”
A primary point of contention for the religious leaders is the composition and appointment of the Section 22 committee. Rev. Meshoe alleged a lack of transparency in its formation, pointing to an all-male panel in a country that strives for gender balance.
“Nobody knows how they did it. The process was not transparent at all,” he claimed. “It looks like it is the chairperson on her own alone who appointed 22 men to serve on that committee without a single woman.”
Rev. Meshoe further argued that the committee is ill-equipped to understand the practices of the very churches it aims to address—specifically charismatic or Pentecostal congregations, which he stated the CRL Commission has previously raised concerns about. He warned that forcing diverse religious groups under a single regulatory umbrella would be unworkable and lead to confusion and confrontation.
“The constitution guarantees every South African the right to believe,” Meshoe stated. “When you look at the Zion [churches] and you look at how they operate compared to charismatics, totally different… So when you say charismatics and the shebe organization or sham church must come under the same umbrella… it is not practical.”
While the CRL Rights Commission, under Chairperson Ms. Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, has previously stated that its intention is not to regulate churches but to ensure clergy are registered to a single body to protect congregants from exploitation, church leaders remain deeply skeptical.
Rev. Meshoe countered that existing laws are sufficient to address criminal abuses, such as those associated with figures like Timothy Omotoso, and that a “blanket approach” is unnecessary and unconstitutional.
The march culminated in calls for the disbandment of the Section 22 committee and the removal of Chairperson Ms. Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva from the CRL Rights Commission. The protest signals a deepening rift between the government body and a significant portion of South Africa’s Christian community over the future of religious freedom and self-governance.