Kenny Kunene dismisses the EFF’s plans to report him to the SAHRC, defending his remarks on illegal miners and accusing Malema of supporting illegal foreigners.
Kenny Kunene remains unfazed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who announced plans to report him to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over his comments on illegal miners.
The MMC for Transport in the City of Johannesburg and deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) attracted attention last week with his remarks about the illegal miners rescued in Stilfontein recently.
Kunene said he felt no sympathy for those who died and called for harsher sentences for those found to be illegally mining in the country.
The PA deputy president escalated the situation by posting a picture of slaughtered animals on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, claiming it represented the fate awaiting illegal miners.
The EFF described Kunene’s comments as a “harmful” and “disgraceful” attempt to gain public and electoral support through hateful rhetoric.
“Kunene’s comments represent the lowest level of opportunism and are the hallmarks of sadistic and pathological commitment to dehumanisation and an infatuation with genocide,” the party said in a statement on Sunday.
ALSO READ: EFF to report Kunene to Human Rights Commission for comments on illegal miners
“His comments are inspired by electoral opportunism, as despite scientific and objective evidence that their rhetoric on foreign nationals does not lead to electoral success, he and his political party have committed themselves to using xenophobia as their political platform.”
EFF said it will report Kunene to the SAHRC and further approach the City of Johannesburg’s Ethics Committee to impose sanctions on him.
‘I am not fazed’
Kunene responded to the EFF’s statement on Monday afternoon, saying that he wasn’t fazed.
“I am not fazed by the actions of Malema. He has shown, in many times, on many occasions, that he is a lover of illegal foreigners,” he said in a video posted on X.
Watch Kunene’s response here:
My response to mamina malema and his cult @OnsBaizaNie #Abahambe pic.twitter.com/RUYygPyx97
— Kenny Kunene (@Kenny_T_Kunene) January 20, 2025
The MMC described illegal miners as “rats” who mine South African gold and commit crimes such as robbery, murder, and rape against South African citizens.
Kunene also referred to the 2022 Krugersdorp incident, where eight women were gang-raped in July.
ALSO READ: ‘Was he not a convict?’ – Kenny Kunene slammed after saying Stilfontein miners ‘must die like rats’
The women were part of a crew that was filming a music video when a group of men wearing blankets and balaclavas attacked them.
“Our stance is very clear that all illegal foreigners must be mass deported, and our position is very clear. Illegal foreigners who steal the wealth of this country will be hanged,” Kunene said.
“We choose to hang them unapologetically when we are in power.”
PA stance on illegal foreign nationals
The PA deputy president stated that South Africans should benefit from the country’s wealth, which could fund “free education, increased pension payouts, and infrastructure development.”
“We know that Malema is an enemy of South Africans. He hates South Africans. We love South Africans,” he said.
