Marius Fransman did not snub a meeting with the SAHRC and the Jewish Board of Deputies, the commission said.
|||Johannesburg - ANC Western Cape chairman Marius Fransman did not snub a meeting with the SAHRC and the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), the commission said on Thursday.
“The commission would like to point out that Mr Fransman wrote a letter to the commission in which he excused himself from the meeting due to urgent engagements in Parliament,” SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesman Isaac Mangena said in a statement.
“In this regard, his absence from the meeting cannot be viewed as a 'snub' either to the commission or the process initiated by the SAJBD.”
In an interview with the Voice of the Cape radio station in February, Fransman alleged that the Democratic Alliance handed building contracts in two Cape Town suburbs, previously held by Muslims, to Jewish businessmen.
The SAJBD then lodged a complaint with the SAHRC which arranged a mediation meeting for last Friday, with Fransman's agreement.
The complaint was that Fransman had made demeaning and inflammatory remarks that could create animosity between Muslims and Jews.
Fransman told The Cape Times he saw no reason to attend the meeting as he had not said anything in violation of human rights.
“I don't believe what I said is wrong... I'm prepared to meet them (the SAJBD) to engage about real human issues in previously disadvantaged communities,” he was quoted as saying.
Mangena said Fransman's attendance had no bearing on the commission's investigation.
“All parties, Mr Fransman included, will be given an opportunity to make submissions to the commission, and all submissions will be considered.” - Sapa