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KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala announced that 25 people who met at a wedding tested positive for Covid-19.
PHOTO: Supplied by the KZN government
- KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala said the law should run its course if the allegations are proven at the KwaSizabantu Mission.
- He added that this would be done without fear or favor.
- Zikalala, however, rejected the retailers’ move to ban KwaSizabantuproducts of.
KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala has said that if allegations of wrongdoing are proven at the KwaSizabantu Church Mission, the law must run its course.
“We want to assure the public that indeed, if these accusations are proven, those responsible must be dealt with following the prescriptions of our law. We will do so without fear or favoritism, offenders must always face disciplinary actions or prosecutions in this regard,” he said on Sunday. .
Zikalala spoke about the mission during a Covid-19 press conference.
He said that “as part of our commitment to protecting basic human rights,” the KZN government had appointed a team led by Human Settlements MEC Peggy Nkonyeni to work with all stakeholders, especially the government, to establish the facts and assist in ongoing investigation.
We have also pledged our full support to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities. [CRL Rights Commission] as a Chapter 9 institution, which is on the ground, directing the investigation. “
READ ALSO | Inside the KwaZulu-Natal government tour of the controversial KwaSizabantu mission
Zikalala pleaded with all those involved to “cooperate with the processes and the commission that leads these investigations and tell the truth.”
‘Unfair and misinformed ban on KwaSizabantu products’
However, he spoke out strongly against the banning of KwaSizabantu products by retailers.
“We strongly believe that the banning of KwaSizabantu products by some of the retailers is unfair and misinformed. It is wrong for retailers to ban these products while the investigation is ongoing. More importantly, most of the alleged abuses of human rights seem to have happened long ago.
“The worst thing to come is the devastating effect of the loss of jobs and then the perpetuation of poverty in the area.”
Zikalala said it “will seek to interact with all retailers that have made the decision to ban KwaSizabantu products.”
“We will beg them to lift this ban but to allow investigations and prosecution of those involved to take place. For us, this is important. We want to be fair to everyone, as we have seen in other institutions, they do not ban products. but investigate and hold accountable those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. “
The mission has come into the limelight following a News24 exposition in which former members gave personal accounts of alleged sexual assault, physical and psychological abuse, as well as financial crimes.
