Faith-based institutions should not be governed by 'nonbelievers', according to a pastor.
Faith leaders and church organisations have united in protest against the newly established Section 22 committee, formed by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) Rights Commission.
The Section 22 committee was officially launched at the Rhema Bible Church last Thursday.
According to the CRL Rights Commission, the initiative aims to strengthen oversight, promote accountability, and curb abuse within churches and faith-based institutions.
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This follows the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso on several sexual offence charges.
Chaired by cultural expert Professor Musa Xulu, the peer-review committee is expected to operate independently and submit recommendations to Parliament.
While CRL Rights Commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva has clarified that the committee does not seek to regulate religion, its establishment has faced opposition from several organisations, including Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA).
March against CRL Rights Commission’s Section 22 committee
On Wednesday, the South African Church Defenders — a coalition of religious leaders — led a march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest what it describes as a “bogus” Section 22 committee and an unconstitutional attempt by the government to control churches.
Addressing the crowd gathered at Marabastad, Trumpet City Ministries’ Reverend Mbavhalelo V. Netshitangani condemned the committee, saying that churches should not be governed by “nonbelievers”.
“If you have a big chair in government, it does not give you authority over the kingdom of God. There is one king in the kingdom. There is one high priest in the kingdom, and his name is Jesus.
“This Section 22 committee is a bogus committee,” he said.
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Netshitangani claimed that some church organisations were excluded from the launch event.
“What do you call that? Is that democracy? Did our fathers fight for this democracy for you to abuse the church?”
He reminded the crowd of the ANC’s early roots in religious leadership, referencing figures such as John Dube.
“Those were great men. Let us educate you in your own politics. Don’t mess around with the Church of God.
“We are not going to agree, and the Lord has not agreed. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and it is bound in heaven.
“There will be no regulation. Over our dead bodies, but we are not going to die, that’s the problem. So you will regulate nothing,” the pastor said.
WATCH: Protestors take to the streets
Netshitangani joked that he hoped police would not use rubber bullets against the marchers.
He also rejected claims that the committee’s purpose is to hold questionable religious leaders accountable.
“By the way, I never abused anyone. I came here with my wife. I’m not an abuser; stop accusing the church. Who knows who planted those elements that do wrong?”
Political support for the protest
Former EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party member Floyd Shivambu voiced his new party Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s support for the march, describing the Section 22 committee as a “deeply troubling” attempt to regulate religion.
He highlighted that Parliament had previously rejected similar proposals, opting instead for voluntary self-regulation among faith institutions.
“South Africa’s problem is not a lack of laws, but a failure to enforce existing ones.
“Abuse, fraud, and exploitation within faith institutions can and must be dealt with through the current legal system, not through unconstitutional state regulation,” the party’s statement reads.
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Shivambu also raised concerns over the renewal of Mkhwanazi-Xaluva’s term in December 2024 for another five years, citing her controversial past remarks.
A 2018 interview — where Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said: “If someone says God was talking to me, tell them to go to the psychiatric ward.” — has resurfaced on social media, sparking criticism and backlash against her within the religious community.
“We are concerned that her core belief seeks to undermine and look down on faith-based leaders and institutions whose primary function is to communicate with God through prayers,” Shivambu said.
