South African Church Defenders (SACD) want Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, Chair of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL), to vacate her position.
Last year the organisation held protests and the #xaluvamustgo campaign.This week,
Professor Musa Xulu, Committee’s former Chairperson, resigned on the 15 January 2026, just moments before calling a press conference.
He later convened a press conference titled “the State of the Church in South Africa,” without the Commission’s go-ahead, at the Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg.
He questioned among others, Christian representation at the Commission, given their demographic representation.
The Section Ad Hoc Committee for the Christian Sector, of the Commission, issued a statement distancing itself from the conference.
What irked Xaluva was questions from an unknown scource, giving journalists questions to ask at Thursday’s press conference, initiated by the Commission.
Xaluva took the platform to set the record straight.
“Our mandate is very clear, we were established to deal with communities and especially Christians.
As a Chapter 9 institution, we cannot deal with rumours.
We will start with a rather difficult situation, the CRL received a document with questions from journalists to ask her.”
She is of the view that the SACD wants to frustrate the work of the commission, but that sending journalists questions to ask her, borders on the violation of the constitution-
specifically the right to freedom of expression and of the press.
“We are being violated by religious leaders.”
The matter was reported to journalism bodies across the country, including SANEF, the Press Council, and the Press ombudsman.
“The problem is when they say they will do everything to get her out- that is me.
They have marched to Parliament and the Union Buildings, they are obsessed” said Xaluva.
Picture: Supplied