lodge complaint button
commissioners button
programmes button
provinces button
publications button
calendar button
fraud hotline button

Govt intervention needed for those affected by July riots, SAHRC told

18 November 2021

Chris Biyela narrowly escaped an attack by a group of suspected vigilantes and he gave testimony about his experience on Tuesday. Biyela believes that there needs to be government intervention for those affected.

DURBAN - Further evidence has been led at the South African Human Rights Commission's hearings in KwaZulu-Natal suggesting that endemic racism was behind an apparent vigilante killing spree after the July looting.
Thirty-six people are believed to have been killed by vigilantes in the Phoenix area alone.
But they said that they were simply protecting their neighbourhood.
Chris Biyela narrowly escaped an attack by a group of suspected vigilantes and he gave testimony about his experience on Tuesday.
Biyela believes that there needs to be government intervention for those affected.

"The government should have already contacted the victims or came close to the victims by terms of compensation or by terms of being taken care of," Biyela said.
Another witness, Thulani Mseleku, told the inquiry that his car was damaged during an attack back in July and it’s now been written off.
The attack has also left him with medical issues.
Phoenix residents also had an opportunity to give their testimony, with one detailing the panic the community felt in the wake of the unprecedented violence, saying that many people were simply trying to protect their families and homes from potential looters.

Source: EWN

About us

Understanding PAIA

The Human Rights Commission is the national institution established to support constitutional democracy. It is committed to promote respect for, observance of and protection of human rights for everyone without fear or favour.

Sentinel House, Sunnyside Office Park, 32 Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa

011 877 3600 (Switchboard)