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Today, IFP MP Dr Mario GR Oriani-Ambrosini MP, grilled and attacked the
Chairperson and the Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission on account
of the Commission's lousy track record in defending and promoting a human
rights culture.

Oriani-Ambrosini said, "Both the country and Parliament have been engaging
in human rights debates on hate speech, defiance of the court ruling on the
banning of the 'kill the farmer, kill the boer song', the kidnapping by the
presidential protection unit of a harmless student who gave the finger to
the President, and the import of the call on policemen to 'shoot to kill'
and many other such issues."

Yet in all these, the Human Rights Commission was nowhere to be heard, seen
or felt. We have no information on the Commission having done anything worth
talking about during the past year. They were requested to produce a
conceptual guideline to determine at what point the State has sufficient
resources to guarantee that second generation human rights may become
enforceable in a Court of Law. They have done no work in this essential and
crucial direction, which leaves a great deal of our Bill of Rights still
dead letter.

In light of the foregoing, Dr Oriani-Ambrosini challenged the Human Rights
Commission to explain to Parliament what taxpayers have to show for the ten
offices and the large staff and clerical people the Commission has. Dr
Oriani-Ambrosini pointed out that even his own request, made as a Member of
Parliament, to protect his right to access information in the public
interest from various Ministers, was not even acknowledged by the
Commission, which did nothing about it.

Oriani-Ambrosini told the Chairperson that he will have a much greater
measure of admiration and respect for him, the day on which the Chairperson
becomes unpopular and disliked within government circles, which will show
that he would have finally understood the role which the Constitution calls
on him to perform.

Oriani-Ambrosini expressed his shock to the Committee when the Chairperson
revealed that the Commission does not act in respect of human rights
violations, which seize the front page of the newspapers, until or unless
they receive a complaint thereto, as he sees that as the only way through
which the Commission may acquire the revelation facts, even though the
Commission has the statutory power to take action without any complaint.

Oriani-Ambrosini asked him, "Have you considered utilising a telephone and
conducting some enquiry of your own?"

No answer was forthcoming, but the Commission undertook to answer in writing
within two weeks the many questions and criticisms levelled at it by all
members of the Committee.

Oriani-Ambrosini added: "It is shocking that any small NGO dedicated to
human rights and most of our newspapers have a better track record in
exposing human rights violations and promoting a human rights culture than
the Human Rights Commission itself."