The Department of International Relations and Cooperation South Africa (Dirco) has rejected claims circulating in the United States of human rights violation, as both inaccurate and deeply flawed.
The claims follow videos and other content circulating, among them, one titled “tears and outrage in South Africa as accused in pig farm murder walks free.”
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said it is disappointed with the recent report on human rights in South Africa published by the U.S. State Department.
Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the Minister of Dirco, said “we find the report to be an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of our constitutional democracy.”
He went on to say, the report cites an incident involving the deaths of farm workers and, despite the matter being actively adjudicated by our independent judiciary, misleadingly presents it as an extrajudicial killing.
“This is not only premature but a fundamental distortion of the facts, as the individuals are formally before a court of law. Similarly, incidents of police using force are mentioned without acknowledging the robust processes in place, where institutions designed to protect our democracy are actively investigating whether due process was followed and if such force was warranted.”
The United Nations (UN) has described South Africa’s Land Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as a “critical step in addressing the country’s racially imbalanced land ownership.”