Kazi death results in strong calls to end racism

Cii News- August 14, 2012

An array of government officials and civil society organisations have denounced the murder of the Muhammed Fayaz Kazi and other incidents of racial and religious intolerance.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (AKF) joined the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commision) in robustly condemning any form of racial prejudice.

“The South African Human Rights Commission has noted with concern the killing of Muhammad Kazi in what appears to be a racially motivated incident in Magaliesburg, North West,” the SAHRC said in a statement.

Kazi (27) and his business associate, Anser Mahmood (33), were en route to Ventersdorp last Monday when they stopped in Magaliesburg to break their fast.

An argument allegedly broke out between Kazi and two Afrikaner males at a fast food outlet. Kazi reportedly passed away as result of the attack early on Tuesday morning.

The Commission said that although the facts are not clear, they condemn any religious or racial intolerance in the strongest terms.

“South Africa is a diverse country with many cultures and religious beliefs that should be respected at all times,” the statement said.

It further said that the commission will continue to monitor this incident, adding that they call on the law enforcers to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book.

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation also voiced their disdain. In a statement, the organisation said they were, “horrified and condemn in the strongest terms possible, the vicious murder of Mohammed Kazi and the beating of his friend Anser Mahmood in Magaliesburg’.

“The taking of another life and the barbaric treatment of one human being by another is not only criminal but belies the festering racial hatred that still exists in South Africa today. This cruel and inhumane incident stemmed from disrespect and loathing of others on the basis of their skin colour and religion,” the organisation said.

Ahmed Kathrada, has been an anti-apartheid veteran and a close associate of South African icon Nelson Mandela.

The foundation mentioned the current Boeremag treason trial currently underway in South Africa.

“This killing also comes against the backdrop of the end of the Boeremag treason trial where again a group of white Afrikaners were planning to overthrow the current government and replace it with a white’s only one. Included in their plans was an intention to ship Indians out of South Africa and the mass evacuation of Africans out of SA,” the foundation said.

They further said that the racism in South Africa needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency and must be condemned at every level.

Tags: Afrikaners, boeremag, kazi, Racism

http://twitter.com/naadigirl Naadira

The courts need to make a serious example of this in order to ensure that such primitive, uneducated, backward, narrow-minded bigots who still reside in our beautiful country, understand that they cannot go around beating people to death based on any racial/ethnic/religious backgrounds. If the murderers are not punished in the harshest manner that South Africa’s judicial system permits, then we are not progressing, as a country, away from our hideous past. The president himself should speak out about this, just as Obama did when Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in his country for racial reasons as well. I am deeply disgusted that such people, if you can call them that, still exist in the world today, and in particular, in SA, where freedom should be the very air we breathe, based on our history.