A Joburg family has dragged the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) and its leader Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) after they accused them of failing to take action against a choir conductor who allegedly assaulted their son during a service last year.
The Mavhasa family of Midrand, Joburg, filed the complaint with the CRL on June 18 after accusing the church and Lekganyane of failing to take action against their Atteridgeville branch Mokhukhu conductor.
The family accuse conductor Jacob Mahoro of assaulting their son Avhazwifuni Mavhasa with a sjambok. They also accuse some church members of defeating the ends of justice and intimidation after they allegedly threatened witnesses and interfered with police investigation into the case of assault against Mahoro.
They said the interference resulted in the NPA declining to prosecute the suspect. Attempts to solicit comment from the church's general secretary and spokesman Emmanuel Motolla drew a blank as he ignored telephone calls and text messages.
The commission's CEO Edward Mafadza said they were willing to deal with all complaints that come their way while the family declined to comment.
In the complaint form seen by Sunday World, the family alleged that Mahoro whipped their son with a sefepi (church whip) without provocation on June 18 last year. The son sustained injuries to his legs.
The family charged that witnesses were intimidated and threatened by church members if they cooperated with police and one church member was excommunicated when he tried to be a state witness. The family said they asked the church and Lekganyane to intervene but their request fell on deaf ears.
"When the church was approached, from the branch to the headquarters, they did not show any will to resolve our dispute.
"They are biased and defend the accused because he is a conductor or a leader of some sort. It is shocking that the Zion Christian Church still supports corporal punishment in this day and age. It was a common practice for Mokhukhu (church dance) conductors to assault members before it was phased out by the church policies," they wrote to the CRL.
Motivating why the commission should take steps against the church and Lekganyane, the family said their son's rights were violated and the church was handling the issue "mafia style".
"A freedom of religion, belief and opinion, as in section 15 of the constitution of South Africa, of our brother, has been violated. The church has denied our brother representation at a fair inquiry to our dispute with the church and accused.
"The mafia style of handling our dispute by the church degraded our family dignity and the dignity of our elected family representatives. We were subjected to intimidation and abuse, more particularly when we were invited to the church headquarters (Moria). As a result, freedom and security rights were comprised.
"The church could be one of the biggest in the country. However, that doesn't warrant the church to be above the law of the country.
"And we are also aware that the church received a clean audit when they were commissioned by your organisation.
"We believe that was not a true reflection as there is only few individuals who can stand against abuse by the church leaders more in relation that the founder of the church is regarded as God himself and he is protected, not to be seen by ordinary people or members. This is the reason we wished to approach [the CRL] directly after exhausting and observing church protocols."