POLITICS - Free SA has launched a nationwide campaign titled “Your Faith. Your Conscience. Not for the State to Control.”, calling on all South Africans to oppose creeping state overreach into matters of religion, conscience, and belief.
This follows alarming developments from the CRL Commission, which is establishing a Section?22 ad-hoc committee tasked with drafting a code of conduct and potential regulatory framework for religious organisations.
While framed as voluntary peer review, Free SA warns that this initiative opens the door to state-controlled regulation of religious life, something that fundamentally violates South Africa’s constitutional protections.
“We believe what starts as ‘self-regulation’ risks becoming full-blown state oversight,” said Reuben Coetzer, spokesperson for Free SA. “Government should not be in the business of approving or monitoring what South Africans believe, how they worship, or how their religious communities govern themselves. That is not democracy, that is control.”
Key Concerns Raised by Free SA:
Government overreach into conscience and faith:
Even as a “peer review” mechanism, the CRL Commission’s proposal is viewed as a first step toward state regulation of religion, with serious risks to independent governance, worship practices, and doctrine.
Violation of constitutional rights:
Sections 15 and 31 of the Constitution guarantee every person the right to freedom of religion, belief, association, and the autonomy of religious communities. The proposed framework could erode these core democratic rights.
A one-size-fits-all approach to a diverse sector:
South Africa’s religious landscape is diverse, churches, mosques, temples, independent ministries, all with different structures and traditions. A single regulatory model risks forcing conformity and marginalising smaller, non-mainstream communities.
The real problem is enforcement, not regulation:
Laws already exist to deal with fraud, exploitation, sexual abuse, and financial crimes. The issue lies in enforcement, not the absence of law. More regulation risks doing harm while failing to solve the problem.
Lack of transparency and public engagement:
The process behind the Section?22 committee lacks clarity on who is involved, what powers it may wield, and how decisions will be made. Free SA believes this violates principles of public consultation and democratic participation.
What Free SA is Advocating For:
Full respect for religious and conscientious freedom:
Individuals and communities must retain the right to live and worship freely, without interference or licensing by the state.
Faith-led oversight, not statutory control:
Ethical and doctrinal accountability must come from within faith communities, not from a government-imposed structure.
Enforcement of existing laws, not new control mechanisms:
Strengthen the justice system to deal with abuses where they exist, rather than crafting sweeping frameworks that endanger liberty.
Open and inclusive consultation:
Any proposals affecting faith communities must be subject to meaningful public and multi-faith consultation, with complete transparency on scope, rights, and impact.
Built-in safeguards against government overreach:
Any regulatory mechanism must include guarantees that protect against doctrinal monitoring, licensing of worship, or restrictions on governance.
Join the Campaign:
Free SA is inviting individuals, religious institutions, and members of civil society to:
Sign the online submission form and make your voice heard.
Share your story or concerns, anonymously or publicly, to support the submission.
Attend upcoming public consultations to demand transparency and accountability.
“This isn’t just a matter of faith, it’s a matter of freedom,” Coetzer concluded. “South Africans must not allow unelected bodies to quietly erode the rights our Constitution guarantees. If we let the state define how we believe, we surrender more than our freedom, we surrender our conscience.”
Free SA’s formal submission will be delivered to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on 15 December. The campaign will remain open until Friday, 12 December.
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