The South African Human Rights Commission expects to make a "preliminary determination" on its investigation of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s controversial remarks about foreigners‚ by mid-June.
In March‚ Zwelithini was reported to have spoken in Zulu calling on foreigners to pack their bags and go back home‚ blaming urban decay on the presence of foreigners and saying South Africans must not sit back while outsiders "eat the wealth" of the country.
This‚ it is alleged‚ incited an outbreak of xenophobic violence that claimed at least seven lives.
The Zulu monarch has previously said that his comments were misinterpreted.
The SAHRC said in a statement today that it was "in the final stages of collating information in respect of the high number of complaints it has received relating to the recent violent attacks in the KZN province earlier this year. The probing of these complaints forms part of the Commission’s broader investigation into the root causes of the attacks on non-nationals in the country".
"Meetings with complainants in Gauteng‚ many of which related to the alleged comments by King Goodwill Zwelithini‚ took place on Friday. A SAHRC mission headed by the Chairperson of the Commission‚ (Advocate Lawrence) Mushwana‚ and Commissioner Lindiwe Mokate‚ to meet with complainants in KwaZulu-Natal and with the Advisors of King Goodwill Zwelithini‚ was concluded today.
"The office of the King has agreed to fully cooperate with the Commission in the course of its investigation and will provide its responses to the preliminary probe by the Commission at a date agreed to by them and the Commission.
"The Commission intends to make a preliminary determination on the course of its investigations by mid June 2015‚" the SAHRC statement said
Mushwana‚ questioned in the Sunday Times last month about why the investigation was taking so long‚ said the SAHRC was struggling to get the original text of the king’s comments. He also said the clip from the event that the SAHRC had been given was a short recording taken towards the end of the event and did not provide context.
Probe into Zulu king's comments grinds on
In March‚ Zwelithini was reported to have spoken in Zulu calling on foreigners to pack their bags and go back home‚ blaming urban decay on the presence of foreigners and saying South Africans must not sit back while outsiders "eat the wealth" of the country.
This‚ it is alleged‚ incited an outbreak of xenophobic violence that claimed at least seven lives.
The Zulu monarch has previously said that his comments were misinterpreted.
The SAHRC said in a statement today that it was "in the final stages of collating information in respect of the high number of complaints it has received relating to the recent violent attacks in the KZN province earlier this year. The probing of these complaints forms part of the Commission’s broader investigation into the root causes of the attacks on non-nationals in the country".
"Meetings with complainants in Gauteng‚ many of which related to the alleged comments by King Goodwill Zwelithini‚ took place on Friday. A SAHRC mission headed by the Chairperson of the Commission‚ (Advocate Lawrence) Mushwana‚ and Commissioner Lindiwe Mokate‚ to meet with complainants in KwaZulu-Natal and with the Advisors of King Goodwill Zwelithini‚ was concluded today.
"The office of the King has agreed to fully cooperate with the Commission in the course of its investigation and will provide its responses to the preliminary probe by the Commission at a date agreed to by them and the Commission.
"The Commission intends to make a preliminary determination on the course of its investigations by mid June 2015‚" the SAHRC statement said
Mushwana‚ questioned in the Sunday Times last month about why the investigation was taking so long‚ said the SAHRC was struggling to get the original text of the king’s comments. He also said the clip from the event that the SAHRC had been given was a short recording taken towards the end of the event and did not provide context.
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