Social development role of churches in South Africa : insights from KwaZulu-Natal province

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which churches, registered as non-profit organisations with the Department of Social Development within the eThekwini Municipality, respond to the role of being a social development partner with the State, the challenges that are experienced in that regard and what interventions are required to remedy any shortcomings. Being actively involved in church administration for a number of years, I can attest to the fact that churches have for many years provided humanitarian aid and assistance to marginalised and poor communities within the areas in which such organisations are located. A number of these churches utilised their own financial and human resources to provide for the upliftment of these communities such as for example, feeding schemes, establishment of crèches, accommodating the homeless to name but a few initiatives in this regard. I was rather intrigued when I came to the realisation that the enactment of the Non-Profit Act of 1997 paved the way for a number of churches to apply for registration as non-profit organisations to formally undertake various social development services on a structured and sustainable basis. My interest in this subject was aroused, after having read a publication on the outcome of an investigation that was conducted by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission), entitled. “Report of the Hearings on the Commercialisation of Religion and Abuse of People’s Beliefs Systems”. I was rather perturbed that the report of this Commission made generalised statements to the effect that religious organisations, the churches included, were deliberately exploiting the poor and vulnerable. Whilst the CRL Rights Commission did establish from media reports, that some church leaders were conducting themselves unethically, I could not agree to the assertion that such a finding can be made applicable to all churches. Hence I was motivated to delve into this subject by undertaking a study on the social development role of churches. This study enabled me to establish from different race groups who are either members or leaders of the participating churches, what type of social services are provided within their own resources to poor and marginalised people in their communities and the challenges that are encountered in this regard. During my field work, I visited a number of churches that are registered to provide social services to the communities in many impoverished areas within the eThekwini Municipality. Whilst some of these churches are housed in modern buildings, I was taken aback by those that are located in rural and semi-rural areas. Notwithstanding the fact that some of these churches operate from tents and wood and iron buildings erected on land that they do not own, it was indeed gratifying to know that the leaders of such churches, together with their congregants, finance various activities and social services from their own resources. Taking consideration of the current high unemployment rate within the municipality, the levels of income in churches have steadily declined and as a result, churches are faced with the prospect of scaling down the social services they provide. The researcher is of the view that appropriate interventions by the Department of Social Development, to assist church-based NPOs financially and otherwise, will ensure that such organisations can continue to provide essential services, especially to the poor and marginalised, failing which, there could well be an unprecedented rise in crime and other social evils prevailing in communities. The key findings of this study are indicated hereunder: • That non-compliant of the NPO Act by church-based NPOs can be attributed to a lack of awareness within the organisation and coupled by the lack of finances to engage the services of professional expertise to audit financial and other records for submission the Department of Social Development; • That church-based NPOs are indeed actively involved in the rendition of social development services to the community; an • That church-based NPOs which participated in this study do not share any collaborative programmes with the state and neither is a collaborative partnership with such organistaions in existence to provide social development services on a shared basis.