Some of the children loitering without attending school at the religious sect’s smallholding, iKhaya Labafundi bakaJesu (Home of Jesus’ Disciples), in Dabangu village, KwaMaphumulo, were removed by officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development following an outcry from various sectors.
Image: DOCTOR NGCOBO Independent Newspapers
If the KwaMaphumulo religious sect had not involved children or denied them access to education, it may well have avoided scrutiny. While a subsistence, faith-based lifestyle is not inherently problematic, crossing into harmful practices is.
Encouraging HIV-positive members to abandon antiretroviral treatment is reckless and dangerous. As KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has correctly stated, there is no cure for HIV/Aids, but ARVs save lives when taken consistently.
Serious questions also arise about the personal cost of such devotion. Will those who have abandoned studies, careers and businesses feel the same in years to come? And what of families left behind? At what point does religious commitment blur into avoidance of responsibility?
Though the Sunday Tribune in its reports has not labelled iKhaya Labafundi bakaJesu (Home of Jesus' Disciple) a cult, the sect shows worrying traits. South Africans should not forget the 2018 eNgcobo tragedy, where five police officers and an off-duty soldier were killed by followers of the Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry.
That group enforced extreme beliefs, rejecting education, demanding material surrender, and isolating members, before spiralling into deadly violence. Chairperson of the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva had as far back as 2015 already raised concerns, but little was done until it was too late.
KwaMaphumulo is not eNgcobo. But the warning signs are familiar.
As government continues to delay regulating religious institutions, we risk repeating history. There is serious push back from faith-based organisations who have even protested against the CRL Commission, and that is expected. However, the lessons of eNgcobo make it clear that ignoring early red flags can have devastating consequences. | WAYNE OGLE Durban