News / Africa
Jacob Zuma investigated for hate speech, after telling the truth
19 Jun 2016 at 19:06hrs | Views
President Jacob Zuma has until July 4 to respond to complaints of hate speech laid against him at the Human Rights Commission by the Freedom Front Plus.
"I can confirm that several complaints were laid against President Zuma by the FF Plus and others [in connection with] a statement he made regarding the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck causing the problems in the country," the commission's spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, told News24.
The commission investigated the complaints and sent a letter to Zuma asking him to respond to the investigation.
"We gave him until July 4 to respond," Mangena said.
The FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson, Advocate Anton Alberts, said the development was encouraging, "but it is still a pity that action is only taken after the FF Plus had to request the commission in April of this year in terms of the Promotion of Access of Information Act process to provide information as to the reasons why no progress had been made with the investigation".
The complaint was submitted in January last year, shortly after Zuma made the "offending" remarks, Alberts said.
During the ANC's 103rd birthday bash in Cape Town, Zuma said Van Riebeeck's arrival in Cape Town was the beginning of all South Africa's problems.
"How can you say we told the Afrikaners to go? No, I said the problem began when Jan van Riebeeck came here."
When colonialists and Van Riebeeck arrived, it opened the way for racial discrimination, Zuma said.
"In the letter to the Human Rights Commission in April, questions were asked about the commission's apparent reluctance to investigate Zuma as not one of a number of complaints against the president had been completed in the past two years," Alberts said.
Alberts said that apart from the responses that the commission has to provide to the FF Plus, it has to answer why it had allowed Zuma to disregard a clear deadline of May 8 of last year, without having taken action against him.
Mangena, however, said the commission had to consolidate all the complaints against Zuma.
"There is no truth that we are reluctant to investigate. There have been several complains investigated. The reason for the perceived delay was that after the complaint by the FF Plus, there were other complaints and we had to assess all of them and consolidate them into one complaint," he said.
"I can confirm that several complaints were laid against President Zuma by the FF Plus and others [in connection with] a statement he made regarding the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck causing the problems in the country," the commission's spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, told News24.
The commission investigated the complaints and sent a letter to Zuma asking him to respond to the investigation.
"We gave him until July 4 to respond," Mangena said.
The FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson, Advocate Anton Alberts, said the development was encouraging, "but it is still a pity that action is only taken after the FF Plus had to request the commission in April of this year in terms of the Promotion of Access of Information Act process to provide information as to the reasons why no progress had been made with the investigation".
The complaint was submitted in January last year, shortly after Zuma made the "offending" remarks, Alberts said.
"How can you say we told the Afrikaners to go? No, I said the problem began when Jan van Riebeeck came here."
When colonialists and Van Riebeeck arrived, it opened the way for racial discrimination, Zuma said.
"In the letter to the Human Rights Commission in April, questions were asked about the commission's apparent reluctance to investigate Zuma as not one of a number of complaints against the president had been completed in the past two years," Alberts said.
Alberts said that apart from the responses that the commission has to provide to the FF Plus, it has to answer why it had allowed Zuma to disregard a clear deadline of May 8 of last year, without having taken action against him.
Mangena, however, said the commission had to consolidate all the complaints against Zuma.
"There is no truth that we are reluctant to investigate. There have been several complains investigated. The reason for the perceived delay was that after the complaint by the FF Plus, there were other complaints and we had to assess all of them and consolidate them into one complaint," he said.
Source - News24
