Hindu organisations clash over foreign priest visa controls

THE South African Hindu Maha Sabha's (SAHMS) proposal to become the sole authority for vetting foreign Hindu priests' visas has sparked controversy among Hindu organisations, with some claiming it undermines religious freedom while others support improved regulation.

The debate touches on constitutional rights, local employment, and the unique diversity of Hindu traditions in South Africa. 

Ram Maharaj, president of the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha, said the “overreach” by the SAHMS was unconstitutional and unacceptable.  

“It is in the best interest of Hindu advancement that no seemingly ‘power hungry and hegemony-seeking’ organisation should be allowed to masquerade as an exclusive gatekeeper. Shared goals can only be achieved through shared roles and responsibilities.”

Maharaj said a designated non-profit Hindu organisation cannot act as a statutory body with public mandate.

“It constitutes as a gross violation of provisions enshrined in the Constitution, such as Section 15 which relates to the freedom of religion, and Section 9 which relates to  equality and non-discrimination. Furthermore, a centralised vetting authority which is vulnerable to abuse, arbitrariness, and coercion, risks challenges under the Promotion of the Administrative Justice Act. All institutions have to function within the framework of the law, and be consistent with the Constitution.”

Maharaj said Hinduism is an eternal and universal religion with its apex lodestar philosophy being, ‘the whole world is one family’. 

“All Hindu priests, be it local or foreign should be treated with equal respect and dignity. Foreign Hindu priests should not be reduced to soft-targets. Furthermore, Hinduism is non-hierarchical, decentralised, and rich in diversity; this is its strength and must be protected. The DHA has a mandate, the capacity and competency, to deal with all matters  efficiently and effectively relating to foreign priests. 

“There are also sufficient legislations in place to regulate foreign priests of all religious groups. Furthermore, applicable acts can be amended to enhance stringency through public participation. The judicial system must take its course in cases of violation of any law,”  he said. 

Sidney Govindsamy, president of the Devasthanam Foundation of South Africa, said they believe that structured collaboration and formal engagement with relevant statutory and representative bodies, including the SAHMS and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) was essential to ensure effective oversight, control, and management of priests. 

“The establishment of a regulated framework comprising standardised accreditation requirements, a binding code of conduct, and oversight by a recognised governing body which will enable proper regulation, accountability, and compliance within the sector.”

Govindsamy said they had implemented a priest training programme, through which many locally trained individuals entered the priesthood and now lead in temples. 

“Unfortunately, following the Covid-19 pandemic, interest and participation in this programme declined significantly. We have reached a critical stage where the operationalisation of a formal priest accreditation and vetting process has become necessary, in advance of the establishment of a nationally recognised body to oversee all matters relating to the Hindu priesthood in South Africa. 

“This process is being developed in close collaboration with the SAHMS, with the objective of ensuring consistency, credibility, and alignment with national religious structures,” he said.

Govindsamy said the primary objectives of this framework was to protect and prioritise local employment within the priesthood, ensure proper vetting, qualifications, and religious competency, prevent the abuse of religious work visas, and to curb and reduce fraudulent and misrepresented applications within the sector.

“In this regard, and in collaboration with the SAHMS, we strongly urge the DHA to formally acknowledge the foundation as a recognised body within the priest recruitment, vetting, and verification process. Given that the foundation facilitates and collaborates with the majority of temples across South Africa, we believe that the recruitment and vetting process should be initiated at temple level and formally channelled through the foundation. 

“This will allow for centralised coordination, uniform standards, transparency and accountability throughout the process. In addition, under this framework, suitable candidates will be nominated by temples, subjected to a structured interview and vetting process conducted by the foundation, assessed against defined criteria, including a formal syllabus, traditional requirements, and practical competency,” he said. 

 Govindsamy said the foundation’s experience has highlighted several challenges that necessitate regulation.

“This includes local priests operating on a freelance basis without formal or recognised qualifications, individuals who do not meet essential religious, traditional, or ritual requirements, inconsistencies in the understanding and execution of prayers, rituals, and agamic practices.

“The implementation of a properly regulated vetting system, together with a mandatory Code of Conduct, will significantly reduce the prevalence of bogus and fraudulent priests,” he said. 

Govindsamy said there is an overall shortage of Hindu priests in South Africa, including priests from South Indian traditions.

“This shortage shows up in multiple ways. Many small temples struggle to have a properly qualified priest to conduct daily rituals and prayers. Some temples do not have priests at all for daily worship or festivals.

“Without qualified priests, community religious life especially for South Indian language and ritual traditions can be inconsistent or incomplete because many local devotees lack the training to perform all ceremonial rites themselves.

“So even though there are local Hindu priests, the supply doesn’t always meet the community’s needs especially for ceremonies that require deep knowledge of South Indian ritual practices and languages like Tamil and Telugu,” he said. 

 The South African Tamil Federation (SATF), said while they respected the SAHMS’s initiative, they believed such recognition should not rest with a single organisation. 

“We believe a broader, representative body that includes Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and other Hindu organisations would better reflect the diversity of our community.”

However, qualified South African priests must be prioritised for local employment, the SATF said.

“Safeguarding opportunities for them is vital.”

The SATF said in certain cases, foreign priests may be required to bring specialised knowledge of rituals, traditions, or temple practices not widely available locally. 

“However, this should be carefully balanced against the need to empower and employ local priests.”

The SATF said to strengthen the vetting processes, they recommended establishing a multi-organisational review panel representing different linguistic and cultural groups.

“In addition, documented proof of training and ordination from recognised institutions should be a requirement, and there should be transparent processes with input from local temples and community organisations.

“The SATF supports regulation to protect local employment and prevent abuse of religious work visas. However, such regulation must be inclusive and representative of the full spectrum of Hindu voices in South Africa,” it read. 

Moonsamy Mervin  Govender, leader of the People's Progressive Power (PPP), a newly-formed political-party, said they opposed “religious monopolies”. 

“We stand for freedom of religion and a secular, accountable state. We will hold the South African government accountable to ensure no faith or religious body is given special privilege or unchecked influence over public policy.”

Govender said the SAHMS had been a decision maker for the Tamil people for over 100 years. 

“The SAHMS agenda caused the destruction of Tamil culture in South Africa. It therefore cannot decide which Tamil priest is granted a visa and which should be rejected.”

Govender said South Africa had a legitimate interest in ensuring that religious work visas are properly regulated, qualifications are verified, and fraudulent applications are prevented. These objectives are necessary and widely supported.

The proposal by the SAHMS must be approached with caution. Hinduism is not a centralised religion. It has no single clergy, no uniform ordination system, and no authority that can legitimately speak for all traditions, languages, or temples. Any framework that places effective gatekeeping power in the hands of one non-statutory religious body risks excluding independent institutions and minority traditions.”

Govender said there was no clear evidence that foreign Hindu priests were displacing South African priests. 

“Most priests are not salaried employees in a conventional labour market, but serve specific temples, communities, or traditions. The real challenges lie in uneven training opportunities, generational change, and declining participation in some.”

Govender said there is a need for foreign priests, but in limited and specific circumstances. 

“Foreign priests are sometimes required for specialised rituals, lineage-based practices, language-specific traditions, or short-term religious functions. These are community-driven needs and should be assessed case by case, not through blanket policy assumptions.”

Govender said challenges around foreign priests are largely administrative.

“This is mainly due to inconsistent visa processing, delays, unclear criteria, and lack of uniform standards across religions. These issues fall within the responsibility of the state, not religious bodies.”

Govender said vetting could be improved without compromising religious freedom.

“The DHA must remain the sole decision-maker. There must be clear statutory criteria for religious work visas, registration of host institutions, fixed-term visas with defined roles, transparent documentation requirements, and advisory input from multiple religious bodies, none of which are exclusive or determinative. 

“South Africans support proper regulation and the prevention of abuse. But regulation must not become religious gatekeeping. Protecting national interests and protecting religious freedom are not opposing goals - both can and must be upheld,” he said.

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