Governance, transparency, and effective management within religious and cultural institutions will form key discussions between religious Hindu organisations.
The South African Hindu Maha Sabha, in collaboration with the Devasthanam Foundation of South Africa, will be hosting a workshop on Good Governance and the Management of Religious and Cultural Organisations on Saturday, November 22 at 2pm at the Tamil Federation Cultural Centre, on Silverglen Drive in Chatsworth.
This gathering aims to foster sound governance principles while promoting transparency within the operational frameworks of various Hindu religious institutions.
Leaders, office bearers, and members of such religious organisations are being encouraged to attend and participate in the initiative.
Prof Brij Maharaj, deputy president of the Maha Sabha said the workshop marks the beginning of a series of others across KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces.
He said temple organisations were meant to serve as spiritual sanctuaries and community hubs. However, numerous complaints received by the Sabha reveal systemic problems such as autocratic leadership and dictatorial decision-making, financial mismanagement, and lack of transparency; the absence of democratic processes like annual general meetings and elections; conflicts among officials and trustees; and the deviation from scriptural practices and ethical standards.
"These issues often result in declining participation by devotees, loss of credibility, and the emergence of breakaway groups competing for limited resources.
"The Sabha has identified several underlying factors contributing to these challenges. They include the concentration of financial control in the hands of a few individuals, perceived inheritance of positions within families/nepotism, lack of professional oversight in financial management and ego-driven leadership and disregard for scriptural injunctions promoting humility and righteousness," said Maharaj.
He added that alarmingly, some unscrupulous individuals exploit temple resources for personal gain, while others mislead congregants through superstition and unethical practices.
"The workshop is designed to equip leaders with the knowledge and tools to manage organisations ethically and effectively. By the end of the workshop, participants should understand legal and constitutional obligations, implement robust financial controls, be able to conduct meetings and elections transparently and uphold ethical and scriptural standards in leadership," said Maharaj.
Sidney Govindsamy, president of the Devasthanam Foundation of South Africa, said many organisations have volunteers who did not understand governance and the process of facilitating meetings, proper minute taking and the proper reconciliation of funds.
"We hope through this workshop to equip individuals holding positions in Hindu religious organisations with an understanding of how governance works and the transparency of public or temple funds.
"We are trying to eliminate issues from getting to the courts. We hope the workshop will help people to work effectively in organisations," said Govindsamy.
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