Mpumalanga Coffin Incident – Middelburg, Mpumalanga
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) strongly condemns the video recording circulated on social media of a man being put into a coffin by two other men who threaten to set him alight in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
The Commission has received several queries relating to the incident.
The two alleged perpetrators have been charged and have appeared in the criminal court in Mpumalanga yesterday. The Commission lauds the swift action of the SAPS in this matter.
Our constitutional democracy is built on three fundamental values: human dignity, equality, and freedom. The right to dignity is one of the central pillars of our Constitution, which specifically articulates in Section 10, that:
“Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.”
The incident – which, if established to be true - constitutes an egregious violation of the right to freedom, security, and the right not to be tortured or treated in a cruel, inhuman, or degrading way.
These rights and values are enshrined in Section 12 of the Constitution, and are central to the democracy we strive to achieve.
The conduct displayed in the video cannot be tolerated and serve to undermine social cohesion, and as such has no place in our constitutional democracy.
The Commission urges members of the public to respect the legal processes underway.
The SAHRC is closely monitoring this matter with a view to further action should the information it is gathering indicate this is appropriate.
For media enquiries:
Mr Gushwell Brooks
Cell: 082 645 8573
Tel: 011 877 3814
Email: gbrooks@sahrc.org.za
