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By IOL Reporter 
7h ago
Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala has established a high-level task force to investigate the allegations made against the leadership of the KwaSizabantu Mission.
It has also urged retailers to wait until the investigation is concluded and the culprits are brought to the book before removing mission-supplied items from their shelves.
Woolworths and Spar have reportedly cut ties with the mission, which supplies bottled water to Quellé, as well as fruits and vegetables to some of the largest retail stores in the country.
Zikalala said the task force includes senior officials from the prime minister’s office, as well as the deputy director general, Dr. Fikile Ndlovu.
The delegation visited the mission and inspected several projects earlier this week.
Speaking during a press conference on Sunday, Zikalala said she had noted with great concern the emergence of allegations of inappropriate conduct and victimization of community members at the KwaSizabantu Mission in Kranskop.
“As part of our commitment to protecting basic human rights, we have appointed a team led by the MEC for Human Settlements, Peggy Nkonyeni, as the MEC District Champion, to work with all stakeholders, especially the government to establish facts and help the We have also pledged our full support to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, as a Chapter Nine institution, which is on the ground, leading the investigation, “he said.
Zikalala assured the public that if the allegations are proven to be true, then those responsible must be dealt with according to the provisions of the law.
“We will do it without fear or favoritism, violators must always face disciplinary actions or prosecutions in this regard. We ask all those involved to cooperate with the processes and the commission that is leading these investigations and tell the truth,” he said.
However, Zikalala said that the ban on KwaSizabantu products by some retailers is unfair and misinformed.
He said it was wrong for retailers to ban products while the investigation was ongoing.
“More importantly, most of the alleged human rights violations appear to have occurred some time ago. The worst thing to come is the devastating effect of job losses and then the perpetuation of poverty in the area. As a provincial government, we will seek engage with all retailers that have made the decision to ban KwaSizabantu products, “Zikalala added.
He pleaded with retailers to lift the ban and allow the investigation and prosecution to proceed.
“For us this is important. KwaSizabantu. We want to be fair to everyone, as we have seen in other institutions, they do not ban products, but they investigate and hold accountable those who are on the wrong side of the law,” said the prime minister. He said.
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