Christians united at the march today.
Image: Facebook
The South Africa Church Defenders (SACD) said they are "protecting the Constitution and standing boldly for the independence and freedom of the church in South Africa" during a march through the Durban CBD today to protest new regulations targeting the religious sector.
On its Facebook page, the SACD posted a series of photographs and videos from the march with one stating: "The church is rising, the church is winning".
A prophet from Krugersdorp said any regulations imposed by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission) against the church of God would crumble "by fire, by force".
At the march, a speaker addressing marchers said Section 22 "must fall" and that Christians had rights. She said if "you mess up with the church you will never come right".
At the South Africa Church Defenders march in Durban today.
Image: Facebook
The march follows the CRL Commission launching its Section 22 Committee last year, which is an ad hoc body established to address abuses, establish a peer review council, and promote self-regulation within the South African Christian religious sector.
At the time, the CRL Commission said the committee aimed to curb harmful practices by religious leaders while protecting believers' constitutional rights.
However, the SACD feared this posed a threat to the autonomy of the church and recently addressed its concerns before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The march started from King Dinuzulu Park to the Durban City Hall.