South African Church Defenders (SACD) has welcomed the resignation of Professor Musa Xulu as chairperson of the CRL Rights Commission, describing the development as a critical moment in an ongoing dispute over the Commission’s conduct.
Xulu made the announcement during a media briefing in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, where he accused the Commission of intimidation, procedural irregularities, and pursuing a hidden agenda to control religion. He claimed that he had been treated unfairly during his tenure.
SACD chairperson Pastor Mpfariseni Mukhuba said the organisation would now intensify its legal challenge against the CRL.
“The SACD will continue and proceed with the court case against the CRL. It has now become more urgent. The disclosures made by the professor regarding the formation and operations of the Section 22 Committee confirm what we have consistently stated that the committee was illegally constituted and that the co-chairperson has been operating outside the confines of the Constitution,” Mukhuba said.
Xulu explained that the committee’s original mandate was to explore self-regulation within religious institutions, not to impose state control over churches. He further alleged that divisive language had been used against him and that platforms were deliberately created to discredit him.
The CRL has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.