Parliament, Thursday, 27 February 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development will tomorrow conduct an oversight visit to the South African Human Rights Commissions’ (SAHRC’s) Head Office in Gauteng where it will engage with SAHRC staff members after complaints of an alleged toxic environment in the organisation.
The committee previously held a meeting with the SAHRC commissioners in which the commissioners responded to these and other allegations. Thereafter, in a meeting held on 26 November 2024, the committee resolved to undertake an oversight visit to the commission where it will interact with staff to gain a better understanding of the situation.
The committee initially scheduled an oversight visit to the Gauteng office in December 2024 but had to cancel it due to strike action affecting South African Airways (SAA) flights.
Committee Chairperson Mr Xola Nqola said the committee also visited the SAHRC offices in Cape Town in December 2024. At the time of that visit, the committee had concerns about a staff meeting called in November last year by SAHRC Chairperson Rev Nissen in which he reprimanded staff members for complaining to Parliament, thereby placing the SAHRC in a bad light. “They have followed internal processes so clearly and were not happy. So, they felt the need to approach their public representatives. There is nothing wrong with that,” Mr Nqola said in December.
At the time of the Cape Town visit Mr Nqola then said: “If the committee was ever in doubt about the divisions in the commission, that doubt was erased today. It is clear as daylight that an intervention is required, as the team is divided; divided amongst themselves but some also against the provincial manager.”
Mr Nqola said today: “We want to understand if the situation in the Gauteng office is similar to that of the Cape Town office. The commission is supposed to help South Africans, but currently it is not helping itself.”
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR XOLA NQOLA.
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