The protest leader, known as Mr. JP Balous, threatened that he will kill Commissioner Chris Nissen, before the start of court proceedings at the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town. The court proceedings, arise out of an application by the City of Cape Town, seeking enforcement of its by-laws against littering, making of fires on the pavement, public urination and defecation by the protesters who have been camped out at the church since they were removed from the Waldorf Office Building in St Georges Mall in late October 2019.

Mr. Balous further made allegations and claims against Commissioner Nissen which are spurious and infringe on the dignity and integrity of the Commissioner and the SAHRC. The Commission has absolute faith that the allegations are without substance as have been so many of the false promises uttered by Mr. Balous.

Mr. Balous was personally involved in physical assaults on the clergy in November 2019 in which Commissioner Nissen was injured, when the clergy attempted to communicate directly with protesters regarding their available options in an effort to end the occupation of the church. Despite this incident, Commissioner Nissen has been unflagging in his efforts to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the protest, even to the extent of pleading with political leadership in the City and Province to consider the proposal of alternative accommodation, against the advice of other role players due to the precarious housing situation in the City and Province.

In light of the attack on Commissioner Nissen’s dignity and integrity - and by implication, against the Commission as a whole - the Commission can no longer be involved in any further engagements regarding this matter.  The Commission is considering its legal recourse regarding the threats to the life of Commissioner Nissen and will take action against any persons who, in contravention of the law and disrespect for the Commission make unfounded accusations against it.   

During the four months that the Commission has been engaging in this matter, in attempts to secure the safety of vulnerable women and children in this group, it has upheld its constitutional mandate of fairness and impartiality even in the face of blatant examples of dishonesty on the part of the leaders of the this protest. The Commission has been the convenor of meetings between role players and has expended considerable resources in attempting to secure the resolution of this protest. In this regard, there would be no motivation for the Commission nor for Commissioner Nissen to want or need discord among the protesters.

Ends
Issued by the South African Human Rights Commission

Gushwell Brooks – Communications Co-ordinator Tel: 082 645 8573 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.