The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Friday said it did not believe that King Goodwill Zwelithini was guilty of promoting or propagating hatred against migrants on March 15, 2015, during a speech in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal.
The SAHRC transcribed the speech given in isiZulu by the king that upset a lot of people and led to over 30 complaints lodged against him at the SAHRC. These complaints were led by the African Diaspora Forum. The commission said that a direct translation of Zwelithini's speech from isiZulu to English might have led to misinterpretations.
According to the commission, there was no evidence that there was a causal link between the words uttered by Zwelithini and the violent attacks on migrants in Isipingo and nearby areas that started on March 30, 2015.
Zwelithini had previously asked the SAHRC to investigate whether the media had misrepresented his speech.