SAFTU lodges complaint with SAHRC against PA's Kunene over his 'xenophobic' comments on illegal miners

JOHANNESBURG - Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy leader Kenny Kunene may have to answer for his alleged xenophobic comments as a formal complaint has been lodged against him over a series of controversial tweets.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against Kunene after he posted content deemed dehumanizing towards illegal miners.

In January, Kunene posted an image of slaughtered animals, saying that’s what the Patriotic Alliance would do to illegal miners.

SAFTU contends that the social media posts made by Kunene, deputy leader of the Patriotic Alliance, are dehumanizing, xenophobic, and incite violence against illegal miners.

The union federation has referred to sections 10 and 11 of the Constitution, arguing that his comments infringed upon the rights to dignity and life.

SAFTU general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said that as a senior member of government in the City of Johannesburg, Kunene had an obligation to uphold the Constitution.

"We live in a constitutional democracy, we are not a banana republic where anyone can say anything he wishes. We feel the statements made by Mr Kenny Kunene are both offensive and xenophobic."

Kunene posted on X that the illegal miners in Stilfontein "should be left to die underground like rats."

Vavi said that such remarks should not be tolerated.