Glossary & Who's Who

A plain-English key to the acronyms, laws, bodies and people referenced in the "Connect the Dots" briefing on the situation facing orthodox biblical Christians in South Africa. For readers without a South-African background.

Political & ideological terms

ANC — African National Congress: The governing party of South Africa since 1994; in a formal "Tripartite Alliance" with the SACP and COSATU.
SACP — South African Communist Party: Marxist-Leninist party allied to the ANC; provides much of the movement's ideological doctrine.
COSATU — Congress of South African Trade Unions: The trade-union federation completing the Tripartite Alliance.
NDR — National Democratic Revolution: The SACP/ANC's stated "two-stage" strategy: national-democratic transformation first, then socialism. The through-line of the briefing.
CST — Colonialism of a Special Type: The SACP's 1962 doctrine that white, Western South Africa is an internal colonial occupier — the theoretical root of the NDR.
RDP — Reconstruction and Development Programme: The ANC's 1994 socio-economic policy framework; the "transformation" agenda cited by education ministers.
"Transformation": The movement's own umbrella term for remaking state, economy, education and culture along NDR lines.
UDF — United Democratic Front: 1980s internal anti-apartheid coalition aligned with the ANC/SACP; drove "People's Education."
MK — Umkhonto weSizwe: The ANC's former armed wing. (Note: "MK Party," founded 2023, is a separate newer political party.)
EFF — Economic Freedom Fighters: A radical-left South African party.
IFP — Inkatha Freedom Party: A rival movement targeted during the "people's war" of 1984–94.

Laws, policies & mechanisms

CRL Rights Commission: The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities — the state body driving church registration.
Section 22 (Committee): The CRL mechanism, launched Oct 2025, to register and license the Christian sector.
Equality Act: Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (2000) — §8(d) exposes religious practice to the Equality Court.
Hate Speech Act: Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act (2023, signed 2024) — criminalises "communication" on 18 grounds including religion.
NHI Act — National Health Insurance: Establishes a state health monopoly; eliminates private medical cover.
BELA Act — Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (2024): Makes schooling compulsory grade R–9 and home-education registrable against the national curriculum, on pain of imprisonment.
Employment Equity Act / Amendment: Race-based workforce measures (1998; 2022 amendment adds binding sectoral quotas).
BEE / B-BBEE — (Broad-Based) Black Economic Empowerment: Race-weighted ownership, management and procurement rules (Act 53 of 2003).
Expropriation Act (2024): Permits expropriation of property "in the public interest," with nil compensation in defined cases.
NCS — National Curriculum Statement: South Africa's post-apartheid school curriculum.
OBE / Curriculum 2005 — Outcomes-Based Education: The 1997 curriculum reform that became the NCS.
NEPI — National Education Policy Investigation (1992): An NECC project that shaped post-1994 education policy.
NECC — National Education Crisis Committee: 1980s body behind "People's Education for People's Power."

Government, foreign & U.S. bodies

DIRCO: South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (its foreign ministry).
TRC — Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Post-apartheid commission whose findings are cited in the briefing.
GG — Government Gazette: South Africa's official journal where laws/policies are published.
IRF Report: The U.S. State Department's annual International Religious Freedom report.
E.O. 14204: U.S. Executive Order (Feb 2025) establishing a refugee pathway for South Africans.
USCIRF: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Churches & religious bodies

AIC — African Initiated (Independent) Churches: Churches founded in Africa, often blending Christianity with traditional practice.
ATR — African Traditional Religion: Indigenous belief systems (e.g., ancestral veneration).
ZCC — Zion Christian Church: South Africa's largest church, classified as an AIC; sits on the Section 22 Committee.
Nazareth Baptist Church (Shembe): The largest AIC "rooted in Zulu tradition"; holds nine Section 22 seats across factions.
SACC — South African Council of Churches: Ecumenical body that helped design COVID worship-compliance; a committee member.
TEASA — The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa: Evangelical umbrella body; its representative chairs the current committee.
CAIC — Council of African Independent Churches: Umbrella body for African-initiated churches; a committee member.
FOR SA — Freedom of Religion South Africa: Religious-freedom legal advocacy organisation.
Pestalozzi Trust: South African home-education legal-defence body; authored the 2001 NCS critique.

Who's who — people

Cyril Ramaphosa: President of South Africa (2018–present); has publicly affirmed SACP ties.
Nelson Mandela · Thabo Mbeki · Kgalema Motlanthe · Jacob Zuma: Former presidents (1994–2018), each documented in the "Presidential SACP Axis."
Joe Slovo: Longtime SACP leader; wrote on the NDR's socialist content.
Harold Wolpe (1926–1996): SACP member and Marxist sociologist; theorist of internal colonialism, cited on remaking education.
Blade Nzimande: SACP General Secretary; authored a first-hand NEPI account; former Minister of Higher Education.
Sibusiso Bengu: First post-apartheid Minister of Education; signed the 1995 White Paper tying the new system to the "liberation movement."
Kader Asmal: Minister of Education 1999–2004; oversaw Curriculum 2005 rollout and the 2003 Religion-in-Education policy.
Zwelakhe Sisulu: Delivered the 1986 "People's Education for People's Power" keynote ("the education struggle is a political struggle").
L.J. (Leendert) van Oostrum: Curriculum-design analyst (MA curriculum science); authored the 2001 Pestalozzi Trust critique of the NCS.
Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva: Chairperson of the CRL Rights Commission, driving the church-registration framework.
Rev. Prof. Musa Xulu: Founding chair of the CRL's Section 22 Christian-sector committee who resigned and became a whistle-blower (sworn affidavit, 2026).
Jeff Radebe: ANC head of policy who announced the 2012 "second / radical" phase of the transformation.

Reference companion to the "Connect the Dots" briefing. Definitions are provided for orientation; each underlying claim is sourced in the briefing itself and its evidence pack.