South African Dr. Tlalang Mofokeng, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, often uses crude language on social media including profanity, curses and racist slurs. After a series of unbridled statements, this week the senior UN official broke a record when she cursed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tweet on X: "F*** him."
Mofokeng's blunt tweet was posted in response to an Israeli statement on Sunday, which reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had ordered the cease-fire in Gaza to be postponed by a few hours due to Hamas' violations. Mofokeng's ugly tweet was later deleted. Daniel Meron, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva, demanded that she be condemned.
A day later, when UN Watch Director-General Hillel Neuer called on the UN to take action against her for violating the code of conduct, Mofokeng responded on X with a series of tweets with racist insults, calling Neuer, a Jew, "human scum" and an "evil white man." Neuer's tweet against Mofokeng received 600,000 views.
Mofokeng works closely with Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who has been previously denounced for antisemitism. Beyond her foul language, Mofokeng has previously spoken out in favor of Hamas and against Israel. In various tweets, she claimed that Hamas are not terrorists, and even called for imposing sanctions on Israel and severing all diplomatic ties with it.
Mofokeng's use of slurs and profanity is not new. In 2021, she clapped back at a Twitter user who challenged her and in 2024, she wrote rude responses to a commenter. On other occasions, she cursed journalists and critics in particularly blunt language.
International organizations, including UN Watch, are now calling on the UN to launch an investigation into Mofokeng for violating the code of conduct that requires its representatives to speak in respectful language and maintain political objectivity. Mofokeng's language and behavior harm the status of the UN and public trust in the organization," said Neuer.
Mofokeng later tried to defend her discourse, saying that she was expressing herself in this way out of personal pain and anger at the human suffering she sees in her role. "The loss of life and devastation in Gaza is heartbreaking and deeply personal for those of us engaged in human rights work. I am in touch with victims of the violence everyday and grieve deeply for those detained & killed and the destruction of the health infrastructure in Gaza," tweeted the senior UN official.
"The tone of my communications online and offline are influenced by this pain and grief. In this critical juncture, between heartache and hope, I remain committed to fostering thoughtful and respectful dialogue, particularly on matters as urgent and sensitive as human rights."
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The UN envoy 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 is believed to be politically close to South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, and her candidacy was promoted by her country.
Previously, she held a senior position on the UN Coordination Committee, which oversees the work of the UN’s 86 human rights experts. In 2023, she also served as the chair of the committee.