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A bible seen opened at a church.
The Chairperson of the CRL Rights Commission, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, has urged church leaders to avoid promoting practices that could endanger people’s lives. The commission was established to protect and promote cultural, religious, and linguistic community rights in South Africa.
Its call follows reports that members of Ikhaya Labafundi Faith Mission at KwaMaphumulo, north of Durban are discouraged from taking chronic medication, seeking medical care, or pursuing formal education, as these are seen as conflicting with their beliefs.
The congregants from different parts of the country have moved onto the property permanently, leaving behind their families and careers.
VIDEO | The congregants insist that they do not regret leaving their careers:
Xaluva says the situation underscores the urgent need for legislation to regulate faith-based organisations.
“The challenge is that we have proposed consistently the issue of religious sector being regulated like other sectors. Doctors have the health professional council, social workers and everyone. So, if there was a council now, the council would have dealt with the religious leader and the problem is not about the congregants, but the problem is the leader. This leader is unethical and he shouldn’t encourage other people to stop taking their medication.”
Xaluva says the commission is planning to visit the church soon.
“We can go there and say the kids must be removed, or anyone who is under 18 years and it means they are in need of care as per the Childrens’ Act. But in terms of how to defend the others, we need to wait and monitor. There is a time bomb that will explode. We are going to visit the church because we have a constitutional mandate, which they don’t have. We can only appeal to the Rev, to say please do the right thing to people who are under your care here, but we cannot close down the church because there is no law and they like that.”
