22 Oct 2026

Tribal leaders have repeatedly raised alarms over mushrooming of unregistered and illegal churches  posing threat to eroding societal fabric and affecting the wellbeing of some members of the society.

Addressing a kgotla meeting at Moiyabana on Wednesday, Member of Parliament for Serowe South Constituency, Mr Leepetswe Lesedi accused unregistered churches of using the word of God to rob poor or vulnerable Batswana of their hard-earned money.

Prior to the kgotla meeting, Mr Lesedi engaged with various churches in the village, where he appreciated delays in allocating them plots to establish places of worship, forcing some to operate on illegally acquired land.  

He said many churches, some of which were not legally registered, illegally occupied public land and open spaces, resulting in sanitation issues, disrupting natural habitats and general wellbeing in a society.

Mr Lesedi said some had also been accused of harboring illegal immigrants, promoting gross indiscipline under the guise of religious freedom.   

He said certain churches had been used for money laundering, harboring funds from companies evading payment of tax and embezzlement of funds.

MP Lesedi stated that while government continued to view law-abiding churches as critical partners in community development and molding societal morals, it maintained that strict oversight was necessary to protect citizens from blackmail and criminal activity. 

Mr Lesedi further said registered churches that delayed paying lease rentals and filing their mandatory annual returns risked severe legal and financial consequences.

“Failing to file annual returns with the Registrar of Societies directly signals that the church is non-existent or inactive,” he said.

He also noted that land rates for places of worship were lower than commercial rates because they were non-profit entities.

Therefore, he advised churches to comply with the Societies Act because failure to do so will lead to de-registration.

Ministers’ Fraternal representative in Moiyabana, pastor Gakethata Gareitsi noted that the churches were failing to pay annual returns because they were non-profit organisations.

He also decried mushrooming of illegal churches at Moiyabana, calling local authorities to intervene. ENDS