DURBAN: The chairperson of the cultural and religious watchdog has been forced to beef up security and call on President Jacob Zuma for help after alleged intimidation and threats on her life by some church leaders.
Commission for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva has reported the matter to Zuma, whose office has condemned the threats, harassment, intimidation and insults.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said it was not the first time she had been “attacked” for doing her job. The insults and threats started during the nationwide inquiry, in August 2015, into the commercialisation of religion and the abuse of people’s belief systems.
“We heard of many examples where people are expected to pay substantial amounts of money before blessings and prayers could be said over them.
“Blessed water and oils are sold to congregants at a high marked-up price. Access to the spiritual leader or traditional healer is only guaranteed by payment of a fixed amount of money,” reads the report which was submitted to Zuma this week.
The study was also to gain some understanding on why people allow bizarre practices and what caused people to believe in them, “to the extent of inexplicable gullibility”.
She said getting some pastors to attend the commission had been a challenge.
“I was called many names like the devil’s girlfriend and a satanist. They said I was interfering in the affairs of God and would burn in hell for that,” she said.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva had hoped the tension would die down after the finalisation of the report, but that has not happened and she now fears for her safety and that of her colleagues.
“I’m not going to sit by and do nothing just because the threats have only been verbal because I don’t know what they could lead to,” she said.
The threats were apparently fuelled by the commission’s proposal that the religious sector be regulated through several mechanisms such as having all pastors registered and monitored through a peer review structure.
The recommendations have been met with resistance from charismatic churches who believe they should operate independently and without “interference”.
“ One of the threats against Mkhwanazi-Xaluva reportedly came from the controversial Pastor, Paseka “Mboro” Motsoeneng, but he has denied this and has in turn accused Mkhwanazi-Xaluva of attempting to discredit him. Zuma said the security matters were being looked into and assured the commissioners of the government’s support.