SAHRC to develop response plan to ease racial tensions in Phoenix
The South African Human Rights Commission says racial tensions in Phoenix highlights the urgent work that still needs to be done to address social cohesion.
The commission hosted a dialogue with various organisations on Friday to discuss the widespread violence and looting in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last week.
The violence has claimed 337 lives so far.
The commission’s chairperson, Advocate Bongani Majola, said they are concerned about reports of racism in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
“It is difficult to understand why race and racism have proved so resilient in this country when it was public enemy number one for us during the time of apartheid.
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“Race discrimination complaints have been the highest among all the complaints that the commission has received over the last five years. These complaints and parts of what is happening in places around Phoenix clearly demonstrate that much and urgent work needs to be done on issues of social cohesion.”
Majola says the commission will attempt to ease the tensions in Phoenix.
“It is the intention of the commission to focus its attention on the tensions in Durban and to explore a variety of strategies, including collaboration with others, like-minded institutions and individuals together with mediation, perhaps hearings investigations.
“As one of the institutions supporting constitutional democracy, ours is to promote human rights and in the view of the commission and the events of the past week. The commission is in a process of developing a response plan.”
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