We, The Great People of South Africa (TGPSA), an NPO committed to advancing gender justice and women’s rights, stand in collective outrage and unwavering conviction.

Recently, we have followed with deep concern the developments surrounding the CRL Rights Commission’s Section 22 Committee, which claims to represent over 45 million Christians in South Africa. Such a committee should reflect the diversity, equality, and multiplicity of voices that make up our spiritual and social fabric. Yet, upon reviewing the appointed members, one cannot ignore a glaring and painful reality — a committee dominated by men.

This male predominance is not accidental; it reflects an entrenched and recurring pattern within institutions of spiritual and moral authority. It reinforces the exclusion of women from spaces of decision-making, theology, and governance — the very spaces where their leadership, compassion, and insight are most needed.

As an organization led by women and driven by the pursuit of justice, we see this as a profound misrepresentation of South Africa’s faith community. Spirituality, at its essence, is about inclusion, empathy, and shared humanity. When women — who form the majority of faith practitioners, caretakers, and community pillars — are sidelined, spirituality loses its moral center.

In a country as richly diverse and intersectional as ours, the CRL Rights Commission carries both a legal and ethical obligation to reflect that diversity in its composition and practice. Representation cannot be symbolic; it must be structural. Ensuring gender parity is not only a constitutional imperative but a moral one — a necessary step toward achieving genuine justice, accountability, and equality in faith-based governance.

We therefore call on the CRL Rights Commission to immediately review and reconsider the current composition of its Section 22 Committee to include a minimum of 50% women, ensuring intersectional representation across denominations, regions, and cultural identities. This is not merely a call for numbers, but for a transformation of how moral authority is shared and exercised in South Africa.

This issue extends far beyond religion. It strikes at the heart of our democracy, which is built on the principles of equality, fairness, and dignity. When public bodies fail to reflect these values, they fail the very people they are mandated to serve.

We urge all South Africans — people of faith, civil society organizations, women’s movements, and ordinary citizens — to join us in demanding gender diversity within the CRL Rights Commission. Let us insist on a future where spiritual leadership mirrors the full tapestry of our nation — where no woman’s faith, intelligence, or voice is treated as secondary.

Together, we can ensure that all voices — particularly those historically silenced — are heard, respected, and represented.

Sign this petition and stand with The Great People of South Africa in demanding gender justice, inclusivity, and equality in all spaces of faith and leadership.