After completing his ministerial studies in Stofberg, Dr. Morkel endured the disappointment of never being called or appointed to a congregation. His first position was with the South African Foundation (Suid-Afrikaanse Gestig) Dutch Reformed Mission Church in Cape Town, a historic church that was later designated a National Monument.

He was appointed part-time minister in charge of the Rondebosch congregation of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church on January 2, 1945. After inspiring the community to previously unheard-of heights with his zeal for work, commitment, and organizational skills, he was ordained and named full-time Minister of the congregation on December 22, 1945.

He was selected to serve as Chairman of the Wynberg Presbytery of the DR Mission Church on October 7, 1946. While promoting the infamous and despicable apartheid policy of forced separation, the National Party, which was in power at the time, won the election in South Africa in 1948. This evil policy’s main objective was to permanently relegate “Non-White” races to a position of inferiority. In the same neighborhood as “Whites,” “Blacks” were not allowed to own land or property, and they were also barred from attending their schools and colleges.

They were not allowed to be assigned to specific positions—a wholly detrimental policy meant to keep all “Non-White” people in a state of eternal servitude. It is therefore not surprising that the DRC, the largest church in South Africa, quickly adopted this policy in their own congregation. This principle was first articulated by a man who left the pulpit to do so.

Even though they worked for “Whites,” “Non-Whites” were not permitted to join “White” congregations, and “Blacks” were not permitted to attend the funerals or weddings of their employers. Of course, they were also not permitted to join or be members of the church to which their employers belonged. It was no longer possible for “Blacks” to reside where “Whites” did.

The Nationalist Government’s policies led to a spiral of violence and terror, a series of killings by both the government and freedom fighters, and a series of arbitrary detentions. The fight against an oppressive regime had started on all fronts with religious leaders being arrested and subjected to torture for speaking out against the unfair system.

In order to allocate him and his people to different churches because they were inferior, Rev. Dr. ID Morkel was not willing to accept this. In the political sphere, he also spoke out against the apartheid policies. He became the voice demanding fairness and equality for all South Africans in the bush. But his primary conflict was in the DRC.

On September 25, 1948, members of the DRC met in Crawford, Cape Town, to discuss the effects of apartheid on the third category of people the Nationalist Government had formed, the so-called “Coloured People.” On October 7, 1948, Dr. Morkel was chosen as Chairman of the Wynberg Presbytery, a suburb of Cape Town. Under his direction, the circuit proclaimed that it could find no support for apartheid in the Bible. Contrarily, they believed that apartheid was wicked, destructive, and unacceptable.

A system that needs to be opposed in every way.

Due to the apartheid ideology, which also seeped into the Church of Christ, the manifesto declared that a new church would be founded by severing ties with the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa.

The following Sunday, October 8, 1950, because he was not allowed to use his Church, Rev. Morkel delivered his farewell sermon to a sizable crowd in the open from the back of a lorry.

The Calvin Protestant Church (CPC) of South Africa was formally established the following Sunday, 15 October 1950, in the Gleemoor Town Hall in Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa, under the inspirational guidance of the late Rev Dr. ID Morkel. This must be viewed as a protest against the cruel apartheid regime, which denied “non-whites” the same rights at birth as other people, even though everyone was made in the likeness of God Almighty, who is abundant in love and mercy.

The CPC now has 35 congregations distributed across the Western Cape, Southern and Eastern Capes, Northern Cape (Namaqualand), and our neighboring State, Namibia, shortly after the formation of the organization.

We currently have more than 12,000 members, and 30 Ministers work on full- and part-time schedules to assist them.

The fact that our church’s true leaders could not see apartheid’s end, which they had fought so hard against, remains one of the darkest events in its history.

We now thank and respect our founder, Rev. Dr. ID Morkel, our co-founder, Rev. WA September, the Founders Commission of the Calvin Protestant Church of South Africa, as well as all other leaders in our nation who helped end apartheid and persevered in our fight for justice and freedom.

For us to live and work together in our country in peace and harmony, we pray that such an evil system will never again take root in our beloved country and that the church in South Africa will continue to serve as the conscience of both the state and the citizen, ever vigilant against all evil forces.