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SA diplomat’s profanity, bias at UN causes outcry

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Calls for an investigation into the questionable and reckless conduct of Tlaleng Mofokeng, the QwaQwa-born United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the right to health, appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Despite calls for her removal following her recent conduct online, including a profane tweet of “F**k him” directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly two weeks ago, there has been no response from UN Secretary-General António Guterres or High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

She swears, she curses, she belittles, and she refers to Israel as “Israhell”. She accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, defiantly tweets that “Hamas are not terrorists”, and dismisses her critics with profane, vulgar insults.

Mofokeng is a medical doctor who studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is known in South Africa for advocating universal health equity, HIV care, and family planning and has an impressive resume. However, her trajectory to the highest echelons of the UN, where she oversees UN human rights experts in her role on the coordination committee, now appears mired in controversy.

With criticism over her online behaviour, which includes multiple profanities, and calls for her removal, questions are yet again being raised about the UN’s credibility and impartiality. In South Africa, she is known as Dr T, the author of Dr T: A Guide to Sexual Health and Pleasure. Within the UN, she is a staunch supporter of “Hamas-apologist” Francesca Albanese, the UN’s controversial anti-Israel Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Human Rights. Both have consistently defended Hamas’s actions on 7 October 2023 as legitimate resistance. This week, the pair were set to deliver jointly another report accusing Israel of genocide.

Mofokeng’s recent tweet directed at Netanyahu sparked an outcry. Posted in response to Netanyahu’s decision to delay a Gaza ceasefire over Hamas’s refusal to name hostages for release, the post was later deleted, but not before it ignited a firestorm of criticism.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, Daniel Meron, demanded that Mofokeng be condemned.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, a non-governmental organisation that monitors the UN to ensure it holds up to its founding principles, condemned her comments as unbecoming of a UN official. When Neuer called for her to be disciplined, Mofokeng escalated the situation, launching a series of vile personal attacks. She referred to Neuer as “evil scum”, a “bastard”, and repeatedly emphasised his identity as a “white man”, while dismissing his criticism as speaking into the void. Interestingly, one of Neuer’s tweets in response gained more than a million views, amplifying the scandal and drawing attention to her unbecoming conduct.

Neuer posted, “Doubling down on her violations of the UN code of conduct, which require her to act with probity, integrity, and good faith, Mofokeng unleashed a rant against me replete with racism, obscenities, and insults.” He said her actions brought the UN into disrepute and that Guterres shouldn’t stay silent.

“Any individual who resorts to racism, obscenities, and insults is demonstrably unsuited to serve as a human rights expert or in any other position at the United Nations,” said Neuer.

This isn’t the first time Mofokeng has courted controversy. In addition to labelling Israel “Israhell”, she has repeatedly denied Hamas’s designation as a terrorist organisation despite its recognition as such by the United States, European Union, and numerous other nations.

“Armed struggle against colonialisation is not terrorism” and “That Hamas are not terrorists is fact” are among her posts.

Neuer said that in 2021, “When someone disagreed with her about taking a COVID-19 vaccine, the response of Mofokeng – the UN special rapporteur on the right to health – was, ‘Shove it up your ass.’”

The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) has condemned Mofokeng’s conduct on social media, describing it as a “disgraceful violation of diplomatic protocol and her responsibilities as UN special rapporteur on health”.

“Her use of profane language against Prime Minister Netanyahu is shocking and unacceptable,” said SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks. “Moreover, her verbal abuse of UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer, calling him ‘evil scum’, further exemplifies her unprofessional and biased behaviour.”

The SAZF said Mofokeng’s inflammatory rhetoric not only revealed a profound bias but “deliberately misrepresents the facts”. Addressing her claims regarding the ceasefire delay, the SAZF highlighted that it was a direct result of Hamas’s violations, including continued rocket attacks and failure to comply with hostage-release terms.

“A UN representative, particularly one from South Africa, should understand the paramount importance of impartiality and truthful discourse in conflict resolution,” Marks said.

Despite the widespread condemnation, Mofokeng has found defenders in groups such as anti-Israel lobby group Africa4Palestine, which declared, “Hands off Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng,” congratulating her “for saying what everyone is thinking”.

Critics argue that such support only reinforces concerns about her lack of impartiality and suitability for a UN role.

The controversy surrounding Mofokeng places the UN in a precarious position. Long accused of bias against Israel, the organisation faces mounting pressure to act.

“The entire UN human rights system is morally bankrupt for appointing her and for enabling her reckless and inappropriate conduct. We are urging @antonioguterres & @volker_turk to exercise responsible leadership and remove Mofokeng now,” tweeted Neuer.

Mofokeng remains defiant, claiming her behaviour stems from her “deep pain” over the situation in Gaza and the deep suffering she sees in her role.

But Neuer said the UN code of conduct requires her “to show restraint, moderation, and discretion so as not to undermine the recognition of the independent nature of her UN position”, and “not to be seen to be taking sides with one party to the conflict”.

Mofokeng was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2020 for a three-year term. In 2023, her term was extended until 2026.

She had not responded to requests for comment at the time of going to print.

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