Narend Singh, the IFP chief whip in Parliament, has called on the community of Phoenix, where deaths have been reported, to co-operate fully with the police investigation and bring those criminals responsible to justice.
He said the news on the deaths had “again brought about an unacceptable, gut-wrenching blow to South Africa”.
“Investigations into these deaths have not yet revealed the cause and motives for these deaths.
“The media and certain African National Congress (ANC) members have been reporting that these attacks are racially motivated, yet no facts from the investigation have been presented.
“This investigation is still in its infancy and to prematurely conclude that race motivated these deaths is of great concern to me as well as many communities in KwaZulu-Natal.”
Singh called on responsible journalists to work with facts and evidence at their disposal, “an ethical practice which, it appears, has been shown the door“.
“ANC members usually await the outcomes of an investigation before stating their position on individuals or communities, like with the Zondo Commission. However, suddenly, some are spearheading a campaign to taint an entire community.”
He questioned what possible gains could be made from these “destructive attacks by the media and the ANC on communities in South Africa? Surely the majority believe that unity brings prosperity”.
“As a member of the South African Indian community, I can say that we do not accept racism, murder and criminality in this country. We support all calls for justice to be served for the families of all the deceased in these recent tragic events.
’’No person will defend those guilty of murder - irrespective of motive. Granted, as with all communities, a few criminal elements do exist.
’’These must be uprooted to prevent them from violently ripping apart our hard-won, multi-layered social fabric.”
Political Bureau