Mushrooming of churches irks Eenhana residents
Government is considering a law to address the concern of mushrooming of churches in the country, the constitutional advisor in the Presidency, Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi has said.
Zaamwani-Kamwi made these remarks on Wednesday during President Hage Geingob's town hall meeting at Eenhana in the Ohangwena Region.
She was giving feedback on the questions raised on the matter during the 2015 town hall meetings and also during the town hall meetings at Omuthiya and Ongwediva last month and Monday, respectively.
Secretary of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority (OTA), Peter Mbome during the meeting Wednesday noted that traditional authorities are also concerned about mushrooming of emerging churches.
“Some of these churches are sowing seeds of disunity in their practices. Our humble request to you, Your Excellency, is that Namibia must clear up religious organisation before the country has a full-blown crisis, dare we say a threat to our national security,” he said. He also proposed that the government establishes a regulatory body for churches.
Zaamwani-Kamwi pointed out that churches need to be registered with the Ministry of Trade, Industrialisation and SME Development, as well as with the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN).
She echoed justice minister, Sacky Shanghala, who told the town hall meeting at Ongwediva on Monday that a draft bill on the regulation of churches is yet to be discussed with stakeholders and in parliament.
In the absence of a law regulating churches, Shanghala said, religious activities are not regulated in Namibia at the moment.
However, he noted that churches are regulated in some other countries.
NAMPA
Zaamwani-Kamwi made these remarks on Wednesday during President Hage Geingob's town hall meeting at Eenhana in the Ohangwena Region.
She was giving feedback on the questions raised on the matter during the 2015 town hall meetings and also during the town hall meetings at Omuthiya and Ongwediva last month and Monday, respectively.
Secretary of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority (OTA), Peter Mbome during the meeting Wednesday noted that traditional authorities are also concerned about mushrooming of emerging churches.
“Some of these churches are sowing seeds of disunity in their practices. Our humble request to you, Your Excellency, is that Namibia must clear up religious organisation before the country has a full-blown crisis, dare we say a threat to our national security,” he said. He also proposed that the government establishes a regulatory body for churches.
Zaamwani-Kamwi pointed out that churches need to be registered with the Ministry of Trade, Industrialisation and SME Development, as well as with the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN).
She echoed justice minister, Sacky Shanghala, who told the town hall meeting at Ongwediva on Monday that a draft bill on the regulation of churches is yet to be discussed with stakeholders and in parliament.
In the absence of a law regulating churches, Shanghala said, religious activities are not regulated in Namibia at the moment.
However, he noted that churches are regulated in some other countries.
NAMPA
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