Mr. Zulu approached the SAHRC to protect his right to life and right to freedom and security. The Commission holds these Constitutional rights sacrosanct and will assist Mr. Zulu by engaging with the office of Witness Protection, together with all other relevant stakeholders, in order to acquire protection for him.

The engagement process will take place pending the outcome of the review application which was brought by the President and Minister of Police against the report of the Public Protector, requesting the South African Police Services (SAPS) to provide protection to Mr. Zulu. The Commission will further provide assistance to Mr. Zulu in the review application.

In view of the challenges that Mr. Zulu has faced by not being provided with protection thus far, the Commission remains deeply concerned by the report of an attempt made on his life during October 2019, when he was attempting to gain protection. This attempt on his life occurred after the Public Protector’s Report, yet there is no finality on the provision of his protection to date. The Commission views Mr. Zulu’s matter as one of extreme urgency and is further concerned that to date there has been no protection provided.

Mr. Zulu’s matter falls within the ambit of the mandate of the Commission to promote respect for, observance of and protection of human rights for everyone without fear or favour. The matter also falls within Section 11 of the Constitution which gives everyone the right to life and Section 12 of the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) which guarantees an individual’s right to freedom and security of the person.

The Commission reminds the State, that section 7 (2) of the Constitution, in no uncertain terms, places an obligation that: “The state must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights.” Despite confusion and disputes over which State entity should provide Mr. Zulu with protection, the Constitution clearly obliges the State to protect his right to life and freedom and security.

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.