This year’s Mandela Day’s theme is “Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.” The report reflects complaints trends to the Commission, within the context of a period when the world and South Africa was grappling with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this milieu, the TAR, reflects the ongoing work of the Commission in response to abiding poverty, inequality and vulnerability.

During the period under review, the Commission received a number of enquiries related to the COVID-19 pandemic, due largely to persisting uncertainty through which the country (and the world) navigated the pandemic as it unfolded. The public sought clarity on what constituted violations as various limitations of rights were effected during the lockdowns. However, the pandemic did not fundamentally change the nature of complaints received, reflecting the exacerbated impact of the pandemic on existing human rights challenges in the country.

Three categories of rights violations – equality, just administrative action and socio-economic rights – were the top three rights violated as reported to the Commission. These three categories of rights have consistently been the basis for the highest number of complaints to the Commission. Equality related violations have remained the right with the highest number of complaints made to the Commission over the past nine years.

The report provides a detailed complaint information from the nine Provincial Offices and the national office of the Commission. Together with statistical information, trends in the handling of complaints, the nature of complaints, and outcomes are reported. The trends in complaints are intended to generate awareness about the work of the Commission, the nature of violations which are reported, and interventions which are noteworthy in the resolution of alleged violations. To this extent the discussion around alternative dispute resolution efforts, Inquiries by the Commission and litigation are documented.

Investigations which have evidenced systemic challenges in respect of access to water and sanitation, the right to a safe environment, and challenges experienced in vulnerable communities, which drew attention during the year are included in the TAR, with a view to providing a consolidated reference to the public, human rights defenders, policy makers, business, and oversight bodies such as Parliament about key human rights concerns, many of which continue to provide a challenge to the realization of basic rights.

The Commission is therefore pleased to make available this TAR at a time when collective efforts are required to prevailing human rights challenges in the county.

The report will be available on the website immediately after the launch. Follow this link to download the report https://www.sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-publications/trends-analysis

 

The Commission will be hosting a media briefing as follows:

Date: Wednesday 13 July 2022
Times: 09:30 – 12:00
Platform: Virtual (Follow the link: https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/f8hZAU_QtUCIZkb7d6jTgg,H_2ppBIziEqzoJjhYb_0LA,phZ1j1z3H0moNZlezdeE2g,hqeukU-57E-vbTPrNiIh8w,aZzBR3J_ZkeKBio2Axy-IQ,-hFOb8A9LEScVM6E8rvFjA?mode=read&tenantId=0159c87f-d04f-40b5-8866-46fb77a8d382

Please confirm attendance by responding to this email or on the cellphone numbers below.

You are encouraged to register early as the briefing will commence exactly at 10:00 am.

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Issued by the South African Human Rights Commission

Wisani Baloyi – Acting Communications Coordinator Tel: 081 016 8308 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Alucia Sekgathume - External Communications Tel: 082 689 2364 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.