Durban — SA Human Rights Commission commissioners have placed acting chief executive Chantal Kissoon on precautionary suspension after a racial incident on February 23.
It is alleged Kissoon referred to senior managers as “black babies” during an operational planning meeting.
The SAHRC said steps had been taken by the commission regarding the incident.
In a statement on Friday, the SAHRC said that as an institution supporting constitutional democracy it wished to assure the public that it did not condone racism or any other violation of the rights entrenched in the Constitution.
“It greatly regrets the incident of Thursday, February 23, 2023, in which its then acting chief executive officer, Ms Chantal Kissoon, was alleged by the staff of the Commission as having used a racial slur against them,” the SAHRC said.
“It will leave no stone unturned in investigating the incident and dealing with the perpetrator should it be found, in an independent process, that she indeed used a racial slur and violated the dignity of her colleagues.”
The SAHRC said it had tirelessly fought against racism and would continue to do so even within its own ranks.
It said that, following the allegation that the acting CEO had referred to senior managers as “black babies” during an operational planning meeting, the commissioners had taken several steps to deal with the matter.
Commissioners immediately met and consulted with both the senior managers and the acting CEO to acquaint themselves better with the facts and the context in which the alleged offensive conduct took place, the SAHRC said.
Noting the egregious nature of the allegation against the acting CEO, the commissioners resolved to immediately initiate an investigation into the incident, to be conducted by an independent person who would report back to the commissioners with findings and recommendations. Such an independent person might be a retired judge or a senior attorney or senior advocate.
“The process of drafting the terms of reference for appointing such an independent person has started, and it is expected that the person will be appointed soon,” the SAHRC said.
“Commissioners have resolved to place the acting CEO on precautionary suspension in terms of the rules of the commission, pending the investigation.
“The commissioners also appointed Ms Lorinda Lynn, the acting CFO, to act as CEO. Somebody else will be appointed to act as chief financial officer,” the SAHRC continued.
It said it would continue to exercise its mandate to protect, promote and monitor human rights without fear, favour or prejudice, and serve the public and their interest to the best of its ability.
It added that, since this would be an ongoing investigation, the SAHRC would not be taking media interviews on the matter, in order to preserve the integrity of the process. However, it would update the public from time to time as appropriate.
On Tuesday, February 28, sister publication to the Daily News the Cape Times reported that the SAHRC was locked in meetings on Monday night amid calls for Kissoon’s sacking.
The incident was captured on camera and has since gone viral on social media.
In the clip, a person identified as Kissoon is heard saying: “They are going to look at the truthful number of 300 KPIs and assess, and they’ll call each of you out as black babies and then to do the same thing. We can't expect to be spoon-fed –we can’t.
Here's the video footage of the Acting CEO of the South African Human Rights Commission, Chantal Kisoon. She's heard referring to black managers at the Commission as black babies. The staff later forced her out of meetings & reported her to the chair, who is still to take action. pic.twitter.com/o4K4QAJI2t
— Modibe Vladimir Modiba (@mmodiba10) February 24, 2023
It’s different if somebody is new – they’re reaching out, we guide, we induct...”
The staff reportedly forced her out of the meeting and reported her to the chairperson, who is still to take action.
SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi was only able to confirm to the Cape Times that commissioners were still in a meeting discussing the matter.
The SAHRC was yet to respond as to whether there would be an investigation into the matter, or whether any action would be taken against Kissoon.
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