CRL Commission: Bushiri event was compliant
Updated | By Thabo Tshabalala
The CRL Rights Commission has released the findings of its investigation into a stampede at the Enlighted Christian Gathering Church in Pretoria in December.
Three people lost their lives in the stampede.
The commission’s chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva released her findings at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Friday.
Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga earlier told the commission’s public hearings the venue was not compliant with municipal by laws and the Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act.
However, the CRL has ruled that the church was in fact fully compliant.
"The press statement issued by the mayor on the 11th of January 2019, that the ESG church was not compliant was unfair, unjust and prejudicial to the ESG church.
"The statement wrongful depicted the church as non-compliant, " Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said.
At the same time, Mkhwanazi-Xaluva admonished the church for failing to establish a venue operating centre at the event.
The centre should have been composed of Tshwane traffic officers, police and fire and rescue services, given the size of the event.
"There was, per section 17 (2) (a) of the Safety at Sports and Recreation Event Act 2 of 2010, supposed to have been a venue operations centre established at the event of 28 December 2018 since the event is categorised as medium-risk.
Such was not established".
The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) also appeared before the commission, demanding that the church’s leader, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, leave the country.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva described the Sanco statement as discriminatory.
"The demands that Bushiri must leave are discriminatory. It is the responsibility of the department of home affairs, under the Immigration Act, to administer any immigration matter."
She described the demand from Sanco for the church to close its doors goes as unwarranted.
"These utterances also violate the right of persons belonging to a religious community, congregants from practicing their religion."
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