WATCH: Indian community demonised for Phoenix killings, SAHRC hears

Pillay made the remarks during his testimony at the South African Human Rights Commission hearings into the July 2021 unrest in KZN and Gauteng.

He made a submission on behalf of a non-profit organisation Social Cohesion Group.

The commission held its final sitting in Sandton on Tuesday.

The unrest and looting claimed more than 350 lives and caused damage to infrastructure running into the billions of rands.

The events in Phoenix claimed the lives of 36 people.

Pillay told the commission the labelling of the deaths as a massacre has led to racial divisions in the province.

“Acts of violence and killings occurred in Phoenix, but unlike similar incidents in other areas took on a particular racial form. The perceptions that then arose caused divisions and anguish throughout the province. We are of the view that the commission should make a conscious effort to distinguish between the actions of the perpetrators of violence from those of the community.

“In our experience, and from the information we have available, the overwhelming majority of the people involved in self-protection acted lawfully and in a disciplined fashion. We believe that the labelling of the entire community and the events that took place at Phoenix as a massacre demonises the entire Indian community.

“We are of the view that the use of the word massacre to describe the events that happened is not objective and neutral instead it reflects a subjective and partial perspective of the matter,” said Pillay.

The commission will now conclude the provisional report that will be made available to affected parties before going public.

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