Kenny Kunene has been accused of being Xenophobic and violating huma rights. Image: Office of the MMC shared via X.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has received a complaint against Kenny Kunene, the deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), from the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) for posting demeaning material against illegal miners.
Kunene shared a picture of dead animals on social media in January, suggesting that the PA will treat illegal miners in the same way. According to SAFTU, Kunene’s posts were degrading and xenophobic and encouraged violence against illegal miners.
Citing sections 10 and 11 of the Constitution, the SAFTU claimed that his remarks violated the rights to life and dignity. According to Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the SAFTU, Kunene had a duty to respect the Constitution as a senior official in the City of Johannesburg.
“We are not a banana republic where everyone can say whatever they want; rather, we are a constitutional democracy. We believe that Mr. Kenny Kunene’s remarks are xenophobic and disrespectful,” said Vavi. Kunene posted on X that the illegal miners in Stilfontein “ought to be abandoned to perish underground like rats.” According to Vavi, such statements should not be accepted.
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