Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) and a coalition of civic organisations condemn Councillor Nkululeko Mbundu of ActionSA for hate speech, xenophobia, and doxing directed at the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF) and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI). The statements highlight that these actions followed a successful court application by SERI and SAITF to reverse the illegal eviction of informal traders from the De Villiers trading precinct. The signatories argue that such behaviour by an elected official violates the Constitution and the POPI Act, and they call for the City of Johannesburg and ActionSA to condemn the threats of violence.

• Councillor Nkululeko Mbundu, the MMC for Economic Development in the City of Johannesburg and a representative of ActionSA, is accused of engaging in hate speech, cyberbullying, and doxing against members of the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF) and staff from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) on 28 July 2022.
• The conflict arose after SERI assisted SAITF in a successful legal application at the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court to overturn the illegal eviction of informal traders from the De Villiers trading precinct; in response, Councillor Mbundu used social media to accuse the Forum of being a front for foreign nationals.
• The signatories assert that Councillor Mbundu's actions constitute a violation of the Constitution due to xenophobic remarks and a breach of the POPI Act through doxing, which they claim endangers lives.
• The statement alleges a pattern of unconstitutional behaviour within ActionSA and the City of Johannesburg, citing previous xenophobic actions by former Mayor of Johannesburg and ActionSA chairperson Herman Mashaba.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2022). Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats. https://pari.org.za/press-statements-in-support-of-saitf-and-seri-sa-against-hate-speech-and-threats/

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats. 2022. https://pari.org.za/press-statements-in-support-of-saitf-and-seri-sa-against-hate-speech-and-threats/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats |date=2 August 2022 |url=https://pari.org.za/press-statements-in-support-of-saitf-and-seri-sa-against-hate-speech-and-threats/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2022statement, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://pari.org.za/press-statements-in-support-of-saitf-and-seri-sa-against-hate-speech-and-threats/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }