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By Jehran Naidoo 
6h ago
Durban – President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that South Africa has no place for religious intolerance.
“There is no place for religious intolerance of any kind in democratic South Africa. Our Constitution is clear in the sense that no person can be discriminated against on the basis of religion, conscience, belief, culture or language, among other things, ”Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa spoke during a question and answer session with the National Assembly on Thursday.
This came after the president was asked about rumors about the alleged rise of “Islamic extremists” in certain parts of South Africa.
Ramaphosa said that despite the country’s troubled past, South Africa remains a nation that can be characterized by religious tolerance and a deep respect for beliefs and cultures.
Ramaphosa said that the government had established institutions to deal with discrimination against religions and beliefs.
“In short, South Africa has a progressive constitutional and legislative framework to address intolerance, hate speech and discrimination,” he said.
Earlier this week, Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor condemned the bomb attack on the World War I commemoration site in Saudi Arabia.
Several international delegates were injured during the attack, which was carried out at a cemetery in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to pay tribute to non-Muslim victims of the First World War.
“South Africa maintains that terrorism in all its forms cannot be tolerated and continues to advocate for the total isolation and eradication of all terrorist groups.
“In this regard, South Africa supports all efforts to combat terrorism undertaken by the international community, including Saudi Arabia’s positions against terrorism and extremism,” Pandor said in a statement.
The British embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement Wednesday that the attack was an act of cowardice.
UK Minister of State for the Middle East and Africa James Cleverly said in a tweet that he had “full confidence” in the Saudi Arabian authorities to investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to reserve.
African News Agency (ANA)
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