No consultation: flawed CRL’s Section 22 structure lacks legitimacy

THE South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS), established in 1912 and recognised nationally as the representative body of the Hindu community, has raised serious concerns regarding the way the CRL Rights Commission has initiated the process of establishing an ad hoc Section 22 committee for the Hindu sector.

- 

TRUSTEES of the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC), Professor Jairam Reddy; COO of the DHC, Leanne Banks; and DHC patron and chairperson of Juma Masjid, Dr Ahmed Vally Mahomed. Members of the Hindu, Christian and Muslim traditions, among others, gathered at the centre's interfaith iftar. The South African Hindu Maha Sabha strongly advocates a single, inclusive, multifaith consultative platform through which religious communities can collectively contribute to nation-building, ethical leadership, social cohesion, the promotion of common values, and the much-needed integration in South African society. I Independent Newspapers Archives

(Independent Newspapers Archives)

While the SAHMS remains committed to constructive engagement, interfaith cooperation, and principled collaboration, the procedural and constitutional shortcomings that have characterised this process cannot be ignored.

The decision to establish a Section 22 structure was taken without prior consultation with recognised stakeholders in the Hindu community.

Consultation is not a procedural courtesy - it is a constitutional requirement essential to transparency, accountability, and meaningful participation. The absence of early engagement not only disregards these principles but also undermines the initiative's legitimacy.

The subsequent invitation to a consultative meeting does not remedy the fact that decisions were already conceived and announced without the involvement of those most affected.

The SAHMS further emphasises that the core issue is not the receipt of an invitation to a meeting, but rather the CRL’s failure to engage the Hindu sector before announcing a predetermined framework for the Section 22 structure.

A critical question is: who is advising the CRL on Hindu matters?