Mr Matthew Du Plessis
Senior Legal Officer; Western Cape
South African Human Rights Commission
132 Adderley Street
Cape Town
8000

Dear Mr Du Plessis

Complaint regarding eNCA’s racist treatment of UDM Deputy President Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP during a live broadcast in February 2021

1. I refer to our correspondence of 26 February 2021 wherein the United Democratic Movement (UDM) had approached the South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) for relief on behalf of its Deputy President, Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, in relation to his treatment at the hands of eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), its journalist Ms Lindsay Dentlinger and its production team at the start of 2021.

2. I also refer to your email of 3 March 2021 wherein you had indicated that the Commission had “…already initiated an own accord investigation of this matter following media reports on 24 February 2021 regarding the matter and the Western Cape Provincial Office has begun the process of information gathering.” and that it will therefore not open another investigation in light of the UDM’s communication.

3. You had indicated that we would be kept abreast of developments, seeing as one of our most senior members had been directly involved in the matter, and that the Commission may call on the UDM for further involvement during its investigation of the matter. Neither of which has happened.

4. A quick search of the Commission’s website shed no light on whether the Commission has concluded its investigation as we could not find a report, unless we accidentally missed it. We however fail to see how the investigation could have been concluded as our Mr Kwankwa’s participation is critical to the proceedings.

5. We therefore would like to enquire if the Commission is attending to the matter and when we might expect to have some interaction with it. As time lapses memories fade and this does damage to the quality of the investigation.

6. The UDM and Mr Kwankwa still feel quite aggrieved by what had happened and will not let the matter rest. The Commission’s eight months’ apparent inattentiveness is making matters worse and undermines our faith in the institution.

7. Kindly inform us what your plan of action is so that we may be assured that the Commission is intending to fulfil its undertaking and by when it plans to interact with Mr Kwankwa.

Yours faithfully

Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP
President of the United Democratic Movement

Copied to:

• Professor BC Majola, Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission

• Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP and UDM Deputy President