‘STATE DOWNPLAYING PHOENIX MASSACRE’

The Human Rights Commission will investigate allegations of ‘racial killings’

THE State and some sections of civil society have been accused of down-playing the deaths of scores of people in Phoenix, KwaZulu Natal.

Political commentators, including Professor Sipho Seepe, Siphamandla Zondi and Professor David Letsoalo voiced their criticism of what many have claimed was a massacre.

So far more than 25 people mainly from the black settlement of Zwelitsha are alleged to have been killed by a group of residents from the Indian community of Phoenix.

Some reports alleged the death toll stood at around 500, but the KwaZulu-Natal health authorities disputed the number, saying only 128 unidentified bodies lay at the Phoenix mortuary and said there was no conclusive evidence that the deceased were all victims of the unrest-related confrontation in Phoenix.

Seepe said the fact that there has been noticeably little uproar over the alleged killing of so many black people “reflects the extent to which white supremacy is entrenched”.

He elaborated: “Had the dead people been any other group, they (state and many civil society groups) would have been out with loud hailers reminding all and sundry how barbaric the perpetrators are.

“We have black people who have been told that they are special. And that they are not like other blacks,” he said.

“So it doesn’t come as a surprise that they are not moved by the death of their own. They are playing to the tune of their masters. This is what you expect from those that suffer from mental slavery.”

Letsoalo echoed similar sentiments, saying the massacre could have been caused by the government’s “lionising” of community groups that sprang up to protect properties when the police were visibly over-stretched and the army still in its barracks.

Letsoalo said: “There was a deafening silence for a number of days when the slaughter of black people was taking place” and thanked the role of social media in exposing what he called the Phoenix debacle.

“The impression I get is that the attention of the authorities was on the protection of the business and commercial infrastructure, including shopping malls, storage facilities and banks,” Letsoalo said.

He added: “Remember at that time, government and mainstream media was lionising vigilante groups and taxi associations as defenders of communities and shopping malls, while the rest of the people in such spaces were simply referred to as looters. Unfortunately, this was a lapse of legal consideration because law enforcement service is the responsibility of the police, essentially.”

Letsoalo said that the apparently lackadaisical attitude of the government towards the recent social upheavals can be interrogated by the following question: “Why was there no zeal to intervene in Phoenix where black people were killed, while the raiding of black townships is undertaken with huge gusto to effect the search and seizure of the so-called looted goods?

“For me, this exposes the acts and attitude of a State that is racially biased and in essence, anti-black. And this is not only sad, but harrowingly frustrating,” said Letsoalo.

Political analyst Siphamandla Zondi said the government was slow in reading the situation and responding.

“Slow and delayed responses have been the feature of the state in last week’s tragedies. The whole tragic week served to remind us of many low lying crises we have from poverty to unemployment, and now this one of racial tensions,” Zondi said.

He said the investigations into the killings should help the country in identifying the roles of various actors including the government.

“It may be that this matter might need an independent inquiry or a commission of inquiry. Government simply has been slow in reading situations and responding. This is a classic case of slow government,” added Zondi.

Meanwhile, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) confirmed to the Sunday Independent that they have been made aware of racial allegations and that they would be looking into them after having had a dialogue with various sectors of society last week to find a middle ground.

The organisation’s Gushwell Brooks would not say however, how many cases have been lodged with the SAHRC “as official complaints are yet to be determined”.

Brooks described what transpired in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal during the recent unrests that the government refers to as “attempted insurrection” as deeply disturbing, a threat to social cohesion that threatens unity among South Africans of different races.

“A serious concern for the commission, and we are assessing how to intervene at best,” he said.

“If the allegations that have been made are proven to be true, they will constitute unfair discrimination based on race, and the omission will act. However, the matter is still under investigation, and the commission will have to gather all relevant information to act appropriately,” said Brooks, who was adamant that what transpired did not point to a society hiding its racism behind the facade of a rainbow nation.

“No lie related to the rainbow nation has been exposed. Instead, deep inequality, extending to class, socio-economic status, largely affecting black people, is a reality that threatens unity within South Africa. It requires intervention to truly create an equal society.

“The socio-economic factors, inequality, and incitement are at the centre of a complex yet volatile situation. The SAHRC, in its action, will wish to work with the state, civil society and all sectors of society to ensure lasting solutions,” Brooks said.

Images of the killings by alleged Phoenix vigilantes have been circulated widely and confined to WhatsApp groups only and never featured with any prominence in the mainstream media.

The images started circulating soon after KZN and Gauteng malls were invaded by scores of looters following the violence that erupted first in KZN after the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma on July 8.

Yesterday, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) resident Vuyo Zungula appealed to the SA Human Rights Commission to open an inquest into the Phoenix deaths.

Zungula said although the facts surrounding the Phoenix deaths are blurry at this stage, it could not be ignored that there was significant loss of life.

“That ended up in racial tensions between the armed residents of Phoenix and unarmed citizens who live at the nearest surrounding locations,” he said.

Zungula claimed that his party discovered that although Phoenix residents claimed that the location dwellers were ready to loot their private homes, the Phoenix residents allegedly went out into the location, burning informal settlements, houses, cars and other private property, which resulted in multiple casualties, including infants. This resulted in the death of at least 300 people.”

So far 337 people have died in the recent turmoil, but the number is certainly likely to rise.

A total of 161 malls and shopping centres were damaged, 11 warehouses were looted and damaged, 8 factories were targeted, 161 liquor stores and distributors were raided and the total sum of damage to the economy was estimated at R10 billion.

Looting was experienced in both Gauteng and KZN but things took a turn in Phoenix.

Things escalated when allegations and videos started showing Indians shooting black people with live ammunition. Movements of African people were also restricted by whites and Indians who would allegedly tell Africans they were not welcome at certain petrol stations and shopping centres.

Last week, Police Minister Bheki Cele also downplayed racial tensions as the cause of 20 fatalities in Phoenix although he admitted that there were more than 30 bodies at the morgues, saying the primary problem in the area was criminality.

The SAHRC said it was still looking into those allegations and it would act should the information be found to be true.

Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem said the party was disturbed that the government was dragging its feet in taking the Phoenix deaths seriously.

“We want to see these murderers arrested. We are calling upon minister Cele to respect the lives of all human beings. We will keep a close eye on this case,” Bloem said.

Even the ANC branches in the province wrote to the KZN provincial executive committee secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli asking for an action against the alleged killers.

“We are deeply wounded by the Phoenix massacre that has seen close to 300 Africans killed by racists that used the recent riots to kill our people, deny them access to shops and in some cases have stopped them from going home.

“Such action cannot go unpunished. We also watched videos where people’s homes were burn and they were called names only used during the dark cold days of apartheid. Racism is still rife in the country and the racist have an upper hand as the system is designed to protect them,” read the letter.

The branches also demanded that the PEC must ensure that the government cancels all contracts of security companies that participated in the killing, blocking and beating up of “our people”.

EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo did not answer media queries, however, during his radio interview on Tuesday, the party’s leader Julius Malema also blamed the unrest on the ANC, saying it was an illegitimate government.

Malema indicated that the EFF might take matters into their own hands if police do take action against the people behind the 20 killings in Phoenix.

However, DA leader in Kwazulu-Natal Francois Rodgers said the deaths and mass destruction could have been avoided if the government was capable of dealing with the unrest.

Freedom Front Plus leader Johannes Groenewald also said they should take responsibility for the killings in the area.

Inkatha Freedom Party chief whip Narend Singh said the party would like to see culprits behind the bars to offer some comfort to families.