Our History

For several decades, KwaZulu-Natal has been a bastion of ecumenism. Diakonia (later known as Diakonia Council of Churches), a Durban-based ecumenical agency founded in 1976 at the initiative of Archbishop Denis Hurley with Paddy Kearney at the helm, and the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Social Christian Awareness or PACSA (later known as Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action), established in 1979 under the leadership of Peter Kerchhoff, initially aimed to raise social awareness among white Christians. However, both organizations rapidly attracted black Christian activists, becoming a thorn in the flesh of the apartheid regime.

At the level of the province, an informal entity called the Natal Church Leaders Group, comprising the heads of the most important churches in the region, was constituted during the same period. It is best known for its relentless efforts to bring peace through mediation in war-torn Natal during the times of political violence. Over time, four regional ecumenical bodies were established: the Durban and District, Msunduzi, North Natal, and Zululand Christian Councils. These councils fostered ecumenical cooperation at a regional level through various initiatives.

The creation of the KwaZulu-Natal province prior to the April 1994 elections incited the church leaders to create a provincial ecumenical body named KwaZulu-Christian Council (KZNCC). A management committee, subsequently called the executive committee, was established, and a constitution was drafted in consultation with the South African Council of Churches (SACC). The new organization was inaugurated on 20 March 1996 at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Pietermaritzburg. The first CEO was Rev. Sipho Sokhela, later followed by Rev. Phumzile Zondi-Mabizela and Dr. Douglas Dziva.

The KwaZulu-Natal Church Leaders’ Group continued to operate, though in a less formal manner than the KZNCC. Its Monday morning online meetings, inaugurated at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, attract a large audience. Since 1996, KZNCC has developed into a fully-fledged ecumenical organization with programs in peacebuilding, social cohesion, healing of memories, voter education, land matters, children and youth, and gender-based violence, to name a few. Its base has widened: the member churches now include mainline churches, Pentecostal/charismatic churches, and African independent churches throughout the province.