King Goodwill Zwelithini cleared of hate speech
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Friday said remarks made by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini last year was quoted out of context.
The King was reported to have told a crowd that all foreign nationals must leave the country during a spate of attacks on foreign nationals in the country.
SAHRC chair Advocate Lawrence Mushwana said the King was not guilty of hate speech.
"The tone and the semantic nature of the isiZulu language will affect the way in which the audience perceived the words used by the respondent. The respondent, as the speaker, assumed a father role within the community. In isiZulu culture this means he can express his discontent freely and without mincing his words," Mushwana said.
Mushwana addressed the media after it finalised its much anticipated report into the 31 complaints lodged against the King for comments in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal in March 2015.
The advocate led a mission to hotspots and temporary camps in KwaZulu-Natal to establish the nature and extent of the human rights challenges, resulting from acts of violence against foreign nationals.
Video by Samkelo Maseko