The Hindu Maha Sabha's failed attempt to regulate foreign priests

REVIEWING AUTHORITY'

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THE South African Hindu Maha Sabha's new push to become a vetting agency to licence Hindu priests from abroad has collapsed before it has even begun.

And it's not because of resistance to reform, but because it exposes a far deeper crisis of legitimacy within Hindu leadership in this country.

In a religion that has survived for millennia without central authority, the Sabha's eagerness to licence Hindu priests is not reform but a crass contradiction.

Priests traditionally derive legitimacy from community recognition, lineage, or spiritual training - not from a governing body. A few years ago, the Sabha took on the role of vetting priests.

Yet if it had fulfilled this responsibility effectively, why then are so many foreign priests still criticised by the public for their lack of knowledge, dishonesty, and other shortcomings?

While there is deafening silence on important matters by Sabha president Rajiv Nirghin, after he replaced Ashwin Trikamjee, Brij Maharaj, deputy president of the Sabha, has put himself forward to take the bullets on the contentious priest licensing issue.

In a statement, Maharaj said the Sabha had proposed becoming the reviewing authority for visas for foreign Hindu priests to combat fraud, protect local employment, and ensure that only legitimate and qualified appointments proceed to the Department of Home Affairs.

Local employment protection? What is the Sabha doing about the influx of Pakistani barbers? Or IT professionals from India?

While incorrectly stating that the Sabha "is a nationally-recognised umbrella body representing Hindu religious institutions in South Africa", because it is truly not so, Maharaj has said visas should be issued only after a rigorous, standardised vetting process led by the Sabha in partnership with the relevant temple boards to ensure integrity, compliance, and protection of national interests.