27 Feb 2017

Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu has called on Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) Botswana Chapter executive committee to register all churches in the organisation.

Officiating at the  OAIC high level consultative meeting in Mahalapye on February 25, Mr Batshu said there were about 624 African churches in the country but only 167 have registered with the organisation.

He said  African churches should unite and share new ideas on how they could develop their churches.

Minister Batshu said the rising number of churches is worrying  especially if it is as a result power struggle and disputes within the church saying the focus of the church is to teach the word God.

Consequently, Mr Batshu said the break away churches ended up worshiping in backyards or in open spaces something he said was not in compliance with the law.

Further, Minister Batshu said that government has recently established Advisory and Arbitration Council which would be launched on April 27.

The council, he said was formed from a wide spectrum of stakeholders related to the societies and includes representation from different organisations of the Evangelist Fellowship of Botswana, Botswana Council of Churches (BCC), OAIC and cultural associations, amongst others.

Mr Batshu also urged  church leaders to positively influence the youth, who continue to look up to them for guidance in the path to maturity.

He said it should be in their churches mandate to visit schools, talk to children while they were still young to instill in them what was right and wrong.

Minister Batshu further said the youth must be ready to take the baton from them and must become the material they would like to see leading the nation to prosperity in the generations to come.

He said he trust that as churches they have well organised youth programmes that were focused on ensuring that they play a meaningful role in the development of the country.

On issues concerning gender, Mr Batshu encouraged OAIC leadership to take a look at their church constitutions and consider among other things whether they allow for women to ascend to priesthood.

He said he was worried by the segregation he has noticed in some churches where women are barred from becoming priests, and as the minister responsible for gender affairs he appealed to church leaders to review the practice.

OAIC-Botswana Chapter president, Mr Tebogo Motlhagodi applauded the minister for job well done and the continued support and service they continue to receive from his ministry.

Mr Motlhagodi said as African churches they do not have financial support  hence the need to review the  levy rates which he said are high and  inconsistent.

For instance, he said in some regions churches were charged P50 whereas in Central they were charged P500.

In addition, Mr Moatlhodi said churches are treated as businesses when they apply for land saying some churches resort to operate unlawfully because they cannot afford the charges that comes after.

Mr Motlhagodi promised the minister that they would continue  to lure unregistered churches into the organisation so that they have one voice. ENDS