CoGTA 'collaboration' further taints SAHRC’s credibility

15 July 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of the curious and concerning joint statement issued by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) regarding their "collaboration" on the "furtherance of human rights against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic".

The Commission is an independent Chapter 9 institution and cannot, in good conscience, think it wise to “collaborate” with a government department. It brings into question the institution’s already tainted independence and credibility.

How can it be that the SAHRC is  collaborating with the very institutions they are supposed to hold to account and investigate for human rights violations? Especially in light of the Commission’s long record of turning a blind eye towards the ANC government’s indiscretions.

The public and complainants cannot be assured that the SAHRC will be independent in their investigations should they lodge a complaint against CoGTA or Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The DA, in the strongest possible terms, opposes this so-called “collaboration” between the SAHRC and CoGTA.

Major human rights violations as a result of the ANC government’s cruelty and negligence have often not been investigated, which has tarnished the SAHRC’s credibility and raised questions over their independence.

The role of an effective human rights watchdog is to be unbiased in their pursuit of justice for those who have been wronged by the government. Instead, the Commission chooses to further entrench itself in poor, politically-tainted decision-making, rather than seeking justice for those who have been subjected to the ANC government’s poor service delivery for the past 26 years.

The DA calls for this ill-advised collaboration to be abandoned immediately.

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach,DA Shadow Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, 15 July 2020