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2 December 2021

DURBAN - Police Minister Bheki Cele will testify at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) hearing in Umhlanga on Friday, which is investigating the July unrest.
This week, National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole took the stand.
27 November 2021

Zikalala is testifying at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)'s hearings probing the July riots.
‘They still have to tell us who was orchestrating the violence’

26 November 2021

Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Friday the response by the police to the unrest that gripped Gauteng in July was inadequate.

“I have no doubt the police were running around, but their response was not adequate,” Makhura said at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) hearings on Friday.
“The police still have to tell us who was orchestrating the violence.”
26 November 2021

Giving testimony, Sihle Zikalala said the state relied on social media and mainstream media reports in order to comprehend the scale of looting and unrest in the province. He also pointed to the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma as being the catalyst for the mass anarchy.
25 November 2021

DURBAN - No responses from a number of State officials to appear before the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has led to the commission issuing subpoenas for them to appear before the panel.
The SAHRC commenced its National Investigative Hearing into the July 2021 Unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. The commission began hearing from witnesses from Monday, November 15, 2021.
25 November 2021

Former security company boss Glen Naidoo has told the SA Human Rights Commission that when he called for Phoenix community members to barricade roads to keep looters out in July he “expected everybody to do so legally”.
25 November 2021

Former security company boss Glen Naidoo has told the SA Human Rights Commission that when he called for Phoenix community members to barricade roads to keep looters out in July he “expected everybody to do so legally”.
Testifying at the commission's hearing into the July riots and looting in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, Naidoo, founder of KZN VIP Protection Services, denied his call for barricades played a role in racial profiling and killing of black people in Phoenix.
18 November 2021

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Thursday, 18 November heard how police in Pietermaritzburg were allegedly ordered to stand down and not respond as widespread looting and the destruction of infrastructure continued relentlessly during the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
18 November 2021

Thursday’s witness was Melanie Veness, who is the CEO of the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business.
She has been describing what lay around her as she walked through Barnsley Road in Pietermaritzburg to assess the damage caused to businesses following looting and violence in July.
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.
17 November 2021

Accounts of racial tension, assaults and killings of Africans, allegedly at the hands of Indian people in Phoenix, were aired during day 2 of the investigative hearing by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) into the July civil unrest.
The hearing in Durban is looking at the causes of the civil unrest which claimed 36 lives in Phoenix, north of Durban.
Bhambayi resident Chris Biyela told the commission on Tuesday that he narrowly escaped the wrath of an angry group of Indian people while driving through Phoenix.
17 November 2021

The hearing continues on Tuesday morning, with more witnesses set to testify, including from community members from Zwelitsha, Amawoti, Bambai and Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal.
16 November 2021

Residents from an informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg have told the South African Human Rights Commission what hurt them during the unrest was the absence of law enforcement personnel.
15 November 2021

An investigative hearing into the unrest and looting which swept across KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng between July 8 and 19 begins on Monday, led by a panel of commissioners from the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
15 November 2021

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says the Phoenix attacks during the July unrest will be one of the key areas of focus of its hearing.
12 November 2021

The investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission into the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng is set to start on Monday.

The first hearings will see evidence and testimony by affected community members and civil society organisations in KZN.
 The hearings are expected to move to Gauteng during the second week.
12 November 2021

Public hearings into the unrest that swept the country in July, particularly in Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal, will commence on Monday.
The South African Human Rights Commission says its national investigative hearings will span three weeks.

“The unrest was characterised by the loss of life, the targeting of retail centres, malls, shops and other businesses, schools as well as transport systems,” said spokesperson Gushwell Brooks.
8 November 2021

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) wants rotational timetables at primary schools scrapped because of their “long-lasting negative impact on learning”.
The commission said on Monday it had written to the basic education, health, and co-operative governance and traditional affairs ministers, seeking an urgent meeting to discuss ending rotational lessons.
4 November 2021

DURBAN - An investigation panel from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will inquire into, make findings, report and make recommendations and/or directives concerning broad and overarching issues for investigation in relation to the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July 2021.

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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.

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