Fatima Hajaig
Encyclopedia
Fatima Hajaig is a South Africa
n politician, with the ruling African National Congress
. She is a member of the African Union's Pan-African Parliament
from South Africa. She used to be chairperson of the committee of foreign affairs of the South African parliament. She was a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Kgalema Motlanthe.
in 1963. In 1967, she earned her LLB from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary
.
-born spokesman, presuming he was brought to the meeting as a token black and asking the ambassador:
At a COSATU rally on Wednesday 14 January 2009, in Lenasia, Gauteng
, she made the statement “The control of America, just like the control of most Western countries, is in the hands of Jewish money and if Jewish money controls their country then you cannot expect anything else.”
Her remarks about Jews were condemned by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
who issued a statement saying such remarks are against foreign policy. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies filed the complaint against Hajaig to the country's Human Rights Commission
.
On 3 February 2009 she apologised for any pain caused by the remarks she made at the rally. However, South African Jewish Board of Deputies national chairperson Zev Krengel said Hajaig had given only a "veiled apology" in her statement. "She is still not apologising for what she has said. She is apologising for the hurt."
On 4 February 2009, the South African President Kgalema Motlanthe gave her "a dressing down" for her perceived anti-semitic comments. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies accepted her second apology.
Earlier, Cabinet had "expressed concern about the statement as it was contrary to the stated polices of this government regarding anti-Semitic sentiments."
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n politician, with the ruling African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
. She is a member of the African Union's Pan-African Parliament
Pan-African Parliament
The Pan-African Parliament , also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union and held its inaugural session in March 2004. The PAP exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, lasting for the first five years...
from South Africa. She used to be chairperson of the committee of foreign affairs of the South African parliament. She was a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Education
Hajaig graduated from University of the WitwatersrandUniversity of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in 1963. In 1967, she earned her LLB from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Comments About Jews
In December 2008, she summoned Israel's new ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to criticize Israeli actions in Gaza. This led to an official complaint by Israel to the South African Embassy in Tel Aviv because, it said, Hajaig insulted Elias Inbram, the Israeli Embassy's EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
-born spokesman, presuming he was brought to the meeting as a token black and asking the ambassador:
When your colleagues in Europe attend a meeting like this, do they also take someone along like the person sitting next to you?
At a COSATU rally on Wednesday 14 January 2009, in Lenasia, Gauteng
Lenasia, Gauteng
Lenasia is a large formerly exclusively Indian township south of Soweto in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality...
, she made the statement “The control of America, just like the control of most Western countries, is in the hands of Jewish money and if Jewish money controls their country then you cannot expect anything else.”
Her remarks about Jews were condemned by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma is a South African politician and was an anti-apartheid activist. She was South Africa's Minister of Health from 1994 to 1999, under President Nelson Mandela, then Minister of Foreign Affairs from 17 June 1999 to 10 May 2009, under Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema...
who issued a statement saying such remarks are against foreign policy. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies filed the complaint against Hajaig to the country's Human Rights Commission
Human rights commission
A Human Rights Commission is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights.The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as national human rights institutions or truth and reconciliation commissions.-International Human Rights...
.
On 3 February 2009 she apologised for any pain caused by the remarks she made at the rally. However, South African Jewish Board of Deputies national chairperson Zev Krengel said Hajaig had given only a "veiled apology" in her statement. "She is still not apologising for what she has said. She is apologising for the hurt."
On 4 February 2009, the South African President Kgalema Motlanthe gave her "a dressing down" for her perceived anti-semitic comments. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies accepted her second apology.
Earlier, Cabinet had "expressed concern about the statement as it was contrary to the stated polices of this government regarding anti-Semitic sentiments."