DURBAN - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will continue its National Investigative Hearing into the July 2021 Unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces this Monday, February 21, and will run until Friday, March 4, 2022.
In a statement, SAHRC said the second leg of the hearing would focus on how events unfolded in Gauteng during the unrest and will also feature the continuation of evidence from the KZN sitting.
The hearing panel was due to hear testimony from survivors, various community members, as well as industry players in commerce, private security and state officials.
The commission said the subject of the hearing was a matter of national concern and implicated various rights such as the right to security, the right to be free from all forms of violence, the right not to have one’s possessions seized and the right to life. Our Constitution is founded on the principle of accountability. The commission’s mandate is, among others, to monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic. Ultimately, it falls on the commission in terms of the Constitution of the Republic to investigate and report on issues where human rights have been violated and to take steps to secure appropriate redress.
Parties and stakeholders will have the opportunity to be heard in a fair and unbiased fashion, the commission said.
As in the first phase of the hearing, the second phase will be live-streamed and will be accessible on the commission’s website, social media pages and YouTube channel.
In November last year, the commission was in KZN for the first phase of the hearing, where it heard testimonies from survivors, various community members, as well as industry players in commerce, private security and the South African Police Service.
Following an application by the evidence leaders, the panel granted a ruling for an inspection in loco in Pietermaritzburg, Phoenix and surrounding areas, and the inspection took place on November 19, 2021.
The commission said the hearing received a positive reception from all quarters of the country and from many stakeholders, especially the public.
Daily News