'Amen' to controlling pastors

12 October 2016 - 09:03 By PENWELL DLAMINI

South Africa has become a safe haven for religious snake oil salesmen who set up churches for commercial gain. The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Religious Communities is proposing that ministers of religion be licensed and that the government re-examine visa applications for foreign religious leaders who set up churches in South Africa.The commission released a summary of its findings yesterday but held back on making the full report public because church leaders had yet to comment on it.The panel was set up following the much-publicised practices of Penuel Mnguni, - the so-called "snake pastor" - who fed his congregants snakes and grass, and even drove over his congregants.The commission said the current regulatory environment lacked control systems and accountability. Pastors could start and run a church without affiliating to any supervising authority.The commission recommended that religious groups and individuals register and agree to subscribe to a code of conduct overseen by a new regulatory body.Commissioner Thoko Mkhwa-nazi-Xaluva said the body should have the power 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 but 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 remaining in South Africa to start a church should be treated by the state.The commission found that about 70% of churches were flouting the laws that govern public benefit organisations by not having proper governance systems.It recommended that there be a minimum prison sentence for religious leaders who broke the law...

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