The SA Jewish Board of Deputies has slammed the ANC provincial chairman’s snub at a attempt to mediate a complaint.
|||Cape Town - The SA Jewish Board of Deputies has slammed ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman’s snub of the SA Human Rights Commission’s attempt to mediate a complaint that he had insulted Jews.
While the commission had confirmed a month ago the mediation meeting would be held on Tuesday, with Fransman’s agreement, he had failed to attend. This showed disrespect of the concerns of the Jewish community and other minority groups, said board chairwoman Mary Kluk.
Fransman, who is also the deputy minister of International Relations and Co-operation, maintains he did nothing wrong. The commission is to take further steps against him.
In an interview in February on Voice of the Cape, a Muslim community radio station, Fransman said, without proof, that the DA had handed building contracts in Observatory and Woodstock, previously held by Muslims, to Jewish businessmen.
The board at the time said to attract votes Fransman had made “demeaning and inflammatory remarks” that would create animosity between Muslims and Jews.
Soon after, it lodged a complaint against him with the commission. Kluk said they were outraged when they arrived at the meeting on Friday to find Fransman had no interest in participating.
“The meeting was mutually agreed on a month before so I flew down from Durban. When we got there, they told us that Fransman would not be attending and he had no interest in participating. It sends a clear message to South African Jewry and minority communities that he has little respect for the constitutional processes to protect their rights,” she said.
Kluk said Fransman’s refusal to engage in talks added to his “insulting behaviour” towards the Jewish community.
“He accused the (board) of being unpatriotic simply for seeking to fulfil its mandate to uphold the constitutionally protected civil liberties of the Jewish community. It is completely unacceptable that Fransman had accused (the board) of being ‘un-South African’ and of driving an interest outside of the national interest on behalf of a foreign country,” she said.
Kluk said the commission’s investigation into the complaint would be taken further after Fransman’s refusal to participate.
Fransman said he saw no reason to attend the mediation as he had not said anything in violation of human rights: “I don’t believe what I said was wrong. I was trying to highlight certain groups in the Western Cape, including the Jewish community, are part of a privileged group.
“I’m prepared to meet them (the board) to engage about real human rights issues in previously disadvantaged communities.”
Fransman said he had written to the commission to explain his absence and was waiting for its response.
Commission spokesman Isaac Mangena confirmed the letter from Fransman, saying he had other matters to attend to on Friday. He said a letter would be sent to Fransman soon. “As he didn’t attend… we will issue him with a notice that (sets out) the complaint against him. He (Fransman) will be given a chance to respond. For now, the investigation into the complaint… will continue,” he said.
barbara.maregele@inl.co.za
Cape Times