Following scandals of congregants eating grass and drinking petrol as part of spirituality‚ the Commission for Promotions and Protection of the Rights of Religious‚ Cultural and Linguistic Communities (CRL) is proposing that pastors must have a licence like doctors and lawyers. Presenting its report on commercialisation of religion‚ the CRL said the current regulatory environment did not have control systems and accountability. Pastors could start and run a church without affiliating to any authority. The commission is recommending that there be a regulatory body in which religious groups and even individuals can register. This body should be outside the state and will be used to set codes of conduct and even disciplinary processes for religious leaders. CRL commissioner Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said this body should have powers to withdraw pastors’ licences.“The system needs to protect congregants‚ religion and the country. If you do something wrong and your peer review mechanism says you are wrong‚ they will have their own system to say this is enough. It is the end of the road for you. Find another skill. You can’t be one of us. We are not apologetic about that‚” said Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.The commission said it had received complaints from neighbouring countries about pastors who had been expelled in these countries and were running churches in South Africa.There was a consensus among religious leaders that discussions should be held with the Department of Home Affairs on how people who abuse their visas by staying and remaining to start churches should be handled by the state...