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Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) Western Cape Provincial Office will conduct a training for Human Rights Champions / Community Advice Offices in the Province. The purpose of the workshop is to empower Human Rights Champions on the role they play in supporting the mandate of the SAHRC, protecting the rights of communities and related legislations.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
28 October 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is a state institution established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution) to support constitutional democracy. The SAHRC is mandated in terms of section 184 of the Constitution to promote protect, development and attainment of human rights, and to monitor the observance of such rights within the Republic of South Africa.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
26 October 2022
The objective of the stakeholder engagements is to engage with government departments, civil society organisations and communities with the view to heightening awareness about human rights and institutions that can help with redress for human rights violations, with a specific focus on the role of the Commission in promoting, monitoring and protecting human rights.
19 October 2022
The Commission has developed the Social Harmony National Effort (SHiNE) initiative intended to deal with the myriad of social and economic challenges faced by the country, which are eclipsed only by the levels of inequality and disharmony in the country as a whole. The aim of SHiNE is to commit every South African to reflecting on and acting in small but important ways to develop respect and harmony in our homes and among the diversities that exist in our midst.
19 October 2022
In the aftermath of the Enyobeni tragedy and various media reports on social ills affecting the youth, it has been identified that social media consumption and use influences social ills and human rights violations. Section 16 (1) of the Constitution of the republic of South Africa provides that everyone has the freedom of expression. This freedom is extended to individuals, but consumers and users bear the responsibility to not infringe other people’s rights. The youth has an increased access to social media and this has resulted in the risks of human rights violations.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
18 October 2022
The Constitution provides that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection, benefit of the law. Further everyone has the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Office (ECPO) confirms having received a complaint from the occupiers of the Glen Boyd Farm in Makana. Their complaint relates to, amongst others, their living conditions, safety and security and evictions.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
18 October 2022
Children on the move - migrant children, children refugees, unaccompanied and separated migrant children continue to face discrimination in South Africa. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), through its various monitoring activities, has observed that children on the move are sometimes subjected to migrant law enforcement detention despite the known negative implications of detention on child development and wellbeing.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) in the Free State Province will be conducting a stakeholder engagement with the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality, Department of Rural and Land Reform, and Marena A Makholokoeng in the Harrismith. The stakeholder engagement will be focusing on land and food security. South Africa has about 17 million individuals that are experiencing inadequate to severely inadequate access to land and food security (Stats SA, GHS 2020).
Attention: Editors and Reporters
17 October 202
The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) has noted a systemic issue in the manner in which the South African Police Services (SAPS), City of Cape Town Law Enforcement and Private Security Companies conduct themselves during evictions of unlawful occupiers and interactions with homeless persons in the Western Cape.
17 October 2022
The development and launch of the Commission’s Social Harmony National Effort (SHiNE) initiative intended to deal with the myriad of social and economic challenges faced by the country which are eclipsed only by the levels of inequality and disharmony in the country as a whole. The aim of SHiNE is to commit every South African to reflecting on and acting in small but important ways to develop respect and harmony in our homes and among the diversities that exist in our midst.
16 October 2022
The media has a substantive role to play in society in disseminating and publishing information as well as educating and entertaining the public. Consequently, the media has a mandate in shaping the views and perceptions of communities on any given topic, whether of national importance or personal enjoyment.
14 October 2022
In a significant move towards improving rights realization and protection within the province of the Eastern Cape and South Africa as a whole, the South African Human Rights Commission (Commission) in the Eastern Cape will be signing Memoranda of Understanding with all the universities within the Province, namely Walter Sisulu, Rhodes, Fort Hare as well as Nelson Mandela Universities. This will occur during a high level engagement on the 17th of October 2022, in Gqeberha, which will be led by the Commission’s National Deputy Chairperson, Commissioner Fatima Chohan, and supported by the area focus Commissioner, Adv. Andre Gaum.
14 October 2022
Over the years, the Commission in the North West has received a few complaints and enquiries relating to the eviction of persons and the demolition of such persons’ homes and properties pursuant to eviction and demolition orders issued by the Royal Bafokeng Traditional Court.
Historically, the Commission addressed such complaints and enquiries by referring the affected persons to Legal Aid South Africa for further assistance. However, noting that the Commission continues to receive such complaints, it believes these complaints should be addressed at a more systemic level, noting the impact of evictions on the affected persons and their families.
13 October 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission Gauteng provincial office (GPO) will visit Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, on 13 October 2022.
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital is a large central accredited general hospital in the province of Gauteng, that also serves as a referral hospital for a number of hospitals in the republic.
Date: 10 October 2022
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The SAHRC’s North West Provincial Office received a complaint concerning the violation of the rights of the farm dwellers at Straatsdrift farms in Groot Marico under the jurisdiction of Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality. The human rights challenges raised involve, among others, shortage of water; lack of proper sanitation and healthcare services; inadequate housing; lack of police visibility; abuse of labourers’ rights and lack of basic municipality services at the Straatsdrift farms.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
05 OCTOBER 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) together with the Departments of Basic Education (DBE) as well as the Justice & Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD), will host the 2022 National Schools Moot Court Programme (NSMCP) finals at the University of Pretoria on 6 to 7 October 2022, and grand finale at the Constitutional Court, Johannesburg on 09 October 2022.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
05 October 2022
In the matter of Solidarity & Another v Black First Land First & 2 Others EQ2/19 Equality Court Gauteng Local Division, a complaint of hate speech in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (‘the Equality Act’), was instituted against the Black First Land First (First Respondent) and two members of Black First Land First (the Second and Third Respondents) for comments they made following the death of three white learners arising from the collapse of a bridge at Driehoek Hoerskool in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
Friday, 30 September 2022
Twenty-eight years into democracy, access to safe and decent sanitation continues to be a huge challenge, which has a disproportionate impact on the lives of women, children and persons with disabilities. Additionally, the usage of the demeaning bucket toilet system, which is an affront to human dignity, continues in South Africa. According to the Statistics South Africa’s Non-Financial Census of Municipalities for the year ended 30 June 2020, several households continue to use the bucket toilet system. Although between 2004 and 2019 a gradual and steady decline in the use of the bucket toilet system was recorded, however a sharp increase was noted, with 47,130 units being in use in 2020 compared to 42,434 units in 2019. The highest numbers of households using the bucket toilet were recorded in the provinces of Free-State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the North West.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) has established the Disability Advisory Committee on the Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM). The seminal event marks a culmination of efforts initiated by the Commission in April 2019, to establish an IMM for South Africa. The IMM, under Article 33 of the Convention for the rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention/CRPD), seeks dedicated and independent monitoring of the rights of persons with disabilities in each country which has adopted the obligations under the Convention.
The IMM in South Africa, is located within the South African Human Rights Commission and is among the first IMMs in the continent.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
29 September 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission Gauteng provincial office (GPO) will host a Deaf Awareness campaign at The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg on 29 September 2022.
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The Human Rights Commission is the national institution established to support constitutional democracy. It is committed to promote respect for, observance of and protection of human rights for everyone without fear or favour.
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