Is the CRL Rights Commission Chairperson Insulting, Threatening and Harassing Churches and Pastors?

How Far Is She Willing to Go to Regulate the Church?

South African Church Defenders is deeply concerned by a series of public remarks made by the CRL Rights Commission Chairperson, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, which many pastors and church leaders experience as hostile, intimidating, and dismissive toward the religious sector.

From SACD’s perspective, these statements do not merely propose regulation — they portray churches as dangerous, pastors as untrustworthy, and religious belief itself as something that must be restrained by the state.

We believe South Africans must examine carefully what has been said, how it is being framed, and what it could mean if translated into law.

Language Churches View as Insulting

One of the most inflammatory aspects, according to faith leaders, is the Chairperson’s commentary on spiritual authority and claims that people hear from God. Such remarks have been interpreted by many Christians as ridiculing core beliefs that are central to their faith.

Church leaders argue that when a senior state official publicly questions or mocks spiritual experiences that lie at the heart of Christianity, it crosses from regulation into disrespect. For millions of believers, prayer, calling, and divine guidance are sacred concepts — not psychological abnormalities or social dangers.

SACD maintains that such language stigmatizes pastors and believers rather than engaging them with dignity.

Threats of Criminalisation and Imprisonment

Equally alarming to churches are repeated references to criminal sanctions for religious leaders who fail to comply with proposed registration or licensing schemes.

Statements about pastors being prosecuted or jailed for operating without state approval are viewed by SACD as inherently threatening in tone. When government authority is coupled with talk of prison and criminal records, faith communities understandably fear coercion rather than consultation.

SACD argues that this framing treats churches not as partners in nation-building, but as suspects under surveillance.

Portraying Pastors as a Danger to Society

Perhaps most disturbing for religious organisations are remarks suggesting that certain individuals involved in ministry could be classified as ongoing dangers to society regardless of repentance or personal change.

Church leaders say this language undermines fundamental Christian teachings about restoration and transformation. SACD believes that painting pastors or church members in such sweeping terms risks creating public suspicion toward the entire religious community.

Calls to “Dislodge” Religious Authority

Faith groups have also reacted strongly to comments about dismantling spiritual power structures within churches. From SACD’s standpoint, such language suggests an intention not merely to regulate conduct, but to weaken theological authority itself — something they argue lies far outside the mandate of a constitutional democracy.

Regulating crime is one thing, SACD says. Regulating belief and spiritual leadership is quite another.

Why Churches Are Alarmed

From SACD’s perspective, proposals for compulsory licensing and state vetting of pastors represent an unprecedented intrusion into sacred religious space. Ordination and spiritual calling have always been discerned within faith communities—not granted by government agencies.

Particularly troubling are suggestions that pastors who operate without state approval could face criminal prosecution or imprisonment. Such language, in our view, fosters fear within the religious sector and casts spiritual leaders as suspects rather than shepherds.

We are also alarmed by remarks that appear to dismiss core Christian beliefs, including comments questioning divine guidance and calling for the state to dismantle spiritual authority. These ideas strike at the heart of Christian doctrine and religious conscience.

SACD believes this approach risks moving from accountability into intimidation.

Regulation Must Not Become Control

SACD recognises that abuse, fraud, and exploitation must be confronted wherever they occur. Criminal conduct should be prosecuted under existing law. Vulnerable people must be protected.

However, we reject blanket regulatory systems that treat the entire religious sector as inherently suspect. South Africa already possesses legal tools to address wrongdoing without granting the state sweeping powers over doctrine, licensing, or ministry.

Constitutional Lines Are Being Tested

Freedom of religion, belief, expression, and association are not optional extras in South Africa’s constitutional order—they are foundational. Any attempt to subordinate churches to political approval structures must be measured against these guarantees.

In SACD’s view, proposals that allow government to decide who may preach, who may lead congregations, or which beliefs are acceptable risk crossing a dangerous constitutional boundary.

A Call for Accountability and Restraint

SACD therefore calls on Parliament, oversight bodies, and civil-society organisations to scrutinise these remarks carefully and to ensure that any future policy proposals remain firmly within constitutional boundaries.

The freedom to worship, to preach, and to govern religious life according to conscience is not a privilege granted by the state — it is a right protected by South Africa’s Constitution.

The central question remains unavoidable:

Is regulation sliding into intimidation — and at what cost to religious liberty in South Africa?

South African Church Defenders will continue to raise these concerns publicly and to defend the rights of churches and pastors across the nation.