CRL Rights Commission finds racism ‘prevalent’ in Phoenix
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities has recommended that the South Africa Police Services address the issue of language barriers at police stations.
The commission found racism to have been prevalent in Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal in the run-up to the 2021 July unrest.
The CRL Rights Commission briefed the media on the Investigative hearings into the causes of the unrest in KZN and Gauteng, together with the South African Human Rights Commission, on Monday.
The commission's chairperson, Luka Mosoma, said SAPS needs to employ more police officers who can speak and understand the languages most commonly used by community members.
"There should be a constant geographical rotation of police personnel from one area to another, as posting police personnel in one area for a long time could make them complacent.”
Mosoma said the commissions' findings revealed that the mistrust and suspicions of Black Africans by members of the Indian community was one of the factors which led to the killings of Black Africans during the unrest.
More than 30 people were killed by vigilantes in Phoenix during the 2021 riots.
"CRL Rights Commission found that racism is prevalent in Phoenix, and it has a negative impact on the lives of the African people in terms of economy, public service, etc,” said Motsoma.
"An inherent systematic prejudice exists, and it continues to marginalise the African people. This provides a collective power of one group over the other.
"Racism is allegedly pervasively present in Phoenix and surrounding areas, and it has been brought to the attention of the CRL Rights Commission and at how it affects the communities".
Mosoma urged the government to build a statue as a remembrance of those who lost their lives during the 2021 July unrest.
"In the African culture, cleansing is a necessary ritual to appease, acknowledge and recognise those who have gone before. Therefore, cleansing and healing are the restoration of the relationship between the living and the dead.
"For this reason, we recommend a collective cleansing encompassing multi-cultural and multi-religious communities. The CRL shall be the facilitator of this process.”
Phoenix Kzn Launch 1 by Mmangaliso Khumalo on Scribd
