Unrest victims blast SAHRC report
Durban — The 2021 July unrest victims are disappointed with the recent recommendations and findings revealed by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CPC).
Residents of the Khan Road informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg were allegedly attacked during the riots by security guards who accused them of looting nearby businesses owned by Indians. Some residents lost their lives in the attack while others were injured and their homes were torched.
Speaking to the Daily News, Zandile Nguse, 35, the mother of 16-year-old Thobani Nguse, who was shot and killed, said the report had opened unhealed wounds.
“I do not think the report has done any justice. Our lives have changed for the worse and the government has not shown any remorse. The recommendations made by the SAHRC and CPC just stipulated what the government needed to do better in instances of protests and violence, while our lives are stuck in the dark,” said Nguse.
Zanele Leyisa, 31, who was injured during the riots and is still recovering from the trauma, said the recommendations did not seem to provide any support for the pain she had to endure.
“I am not impressed with what the commission has reported because none of their recommendations will contribute to my health condition. I’ll forever be stuck in this wheelchair and that hurts deep because that means my life will never be the same again,” said Leyisa, who was left paralysed by an injury to her spinal cord.
Chris Biyela, a resident of Bhambayi, said the report exposed the incompetence of the government. He said he hoped the victims would pursue a case against the state, which had failed to protect its people.
“The government must compensate the victims and take care of the conditions of their lives,” he said.
The SAHRC report revealed that the acts of vandalism and destruction were “orchestrated” by mysterious actors who were “well-resourced”.
The SAHRC said the findings revealed that there had been deep-seated tensions between blacks and Indians which originated in Cato Manor and Inanda in 1949 and 1985, where the two races clashed.
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