Former chair tasked with regulating Christian faith says CRL Commission process won’t succeed

The former chairperson of a committee tasked with the regulation of the Christian faith said the process being led by the CRL Rights Commission will not succeed.

A public fall out is playing out between the commission's chair, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, and the appointed chair of its Section 22 committee, Reverend Musa Xulu.

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Xulu was appointed to head up the committee that will address the abuse and harmful practices within the Christian community.

But on Thursday, he resigned from the committee citing a toxic environment made allegedly made by Mkhwanazi Xaluva.

Xulu held a press briefing, announcing his resignation from the Section 22 committee, saying he was duped into believing that was going to conduct research on the history of the Christian faith and its ability to self-regulate but was later drawn into talks about a legislative framework to regulate Christian churches.

Now that a draft framework has been compiled, it must, ultimately, make its way to Parliament but Xulu does not believe it will pass.

“Parliament will know that there will be constitutional challenges but also, as you may know, even the portfolio committee of COGTA [Cooperative Governance and traditional Affairs] headed by Dr Zweli Mkhize is quite unhappy,” Xulu added.

Xulu has made strong allegations against the CRL and Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, accusing them of suspicion and hostility against charismatic and Pentecostal Christians.