Attention: Editors and Reporters

13 May 2019

The Eastern Cape Provincial Office will be embarking on Public Outreach Engagements in Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Koukamma Local Municipality. The Public Outreach Engagements are intended at advancing the mandate of the South African Human Rights Commission and will be in collaboration with Public Protector South Africa and Black Sash.

10 May 2019

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will convene a second sitting of the inquiry into the violent protests that erupted in Alexandra Township earlier this year .This inquiry will form part of the Commission’s investigation into the possible violation of basic human rights and allegations of maladministration and improper conduct concerning the Alexandra Renewal Project.

Tuesday, 07 May 2019

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) welcomes yesterday’s judgment by the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court (sitting as the Equality Court), which ruled that the slogan “Land or Death” amounts to hate speech in terms of section 10 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (”the Equality Act”) and in terms of section 16 (2) (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (“the Constitution”).

03 May 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will conduct a joint site inspection with the Office of the Public Protector in Alexandra tomorrow.

30 April 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) will hold a public meeting in Ivory Park, Midrand on Thursday, 02 May 2019, to address service delivery concerns identified in a memorandum delivered to the Commission on 23 April 2019. The Community of Ivory Park has raised issues relating to the provision of basic services, the formalisation of informal settlements and the allocation of title deeds.

Attention Editors and Reporters
26th April 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) celebrates twenty five years of democracy with all in South Africa.

Through negotiation and dialogue, South Africa managed to rid itself of a dark history based on the inequality of colonialism and apartheid. The 27th April 1994, marks the date South Africa held its first truly inclusive, free and fair democratic elections. For the first time, all could participate in a fundamental expression of civil and political rights and vote in a national election and choose their political leadership despite race, gender or class.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

On 28 March 2019, both houses of parliament ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). The OPCAT establishes international and domestic mechanisms of torture prevention through a system of regular visits to places of deprivation of liberty in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 

17 April 2019
Attention: Editors

The South African Human Rights Commission (“The Commission”) will host an inquiry into the recent violent protests in Alexandra Township. This inquiry will form part of the Commission’s investigation, in collaboration with the Public Protector’s office into the service delivery complaints that have given rise to the protests.

16 April 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will hold public meetings in Rus-ter-vaal and Ramaphosaville Informal Settlement tomorrow. This follows the deaths of two people on 10 April 2019 when Red Ants Security was called upon to perform an eviction in the area on behalf of the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

15 April 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

In March 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) became aware, through various social media platforms, of a widely circulated audio recording concerning a meeting held by MEC Faith Mazibuko with her senior Managers in which she was heard saying the following “I empower you, you are not empowerable. Which other department has an Indian that is a CFO? Which department has an HOD that is a ‘mlungu’? Ayikho [there is none], including national.”

11 April 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will visit Rustervaal Informal Settlement today after a resident allegedly died after he was shot with rubber bullets and a member of the Red Ants member was apparently beaten to death by angry mobs.

Date: Wednesday, 10 April 2019    
For immediate release
Attention: Editors/ News desks


The Public Protector and the Human Rights Commission (the Commission) are to combine efforts in a bid to get to the bottom of service delivery complaints that have given rise to recent violent protests in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg.

10 April 2019

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South Africa Human Rights Commission has invited the Municipal Manager of the Rand West City Local Municipality to appear before it on Thursday, 11 April 2019, as it continues with its investigations into allegations of raw sewage flowing from the municipality’s Sewage Processing Plant into the Tweelopiespruit & Hartbeespoort.

09 April 2019
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will visit the Sibanye Gold, Driefontein Division, in Carltonville tomorrow to get a first-hand experience of the situation on the ground. This visit follows reports of a four-and-half month long strike at three of Sibanye Gold mines, in which nine people have been killed so far.

08 April 2019

South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or the Commission) is deeply concerned about the reports of several burglaries, and vandalism of school premises over the last week at the Reuben Birin Special School for the Hearing Impaired in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
The vandalism of this school impacts negatively on the realisation of the right to access basic education for 140 children with disabilities. The right to education is a fundamental right protected by section 29 of the South African Constitution. Accordingly, fundamental human rights cannot be denied to anyone, regardless of their disability. Furthermore, as all human rights are indivisible, interrelated, and interdependent; such occurrences are inextricably tied to violations of other basic rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, including the right to an environment that is not harmful to health and well-being.

Attention: Editors and Reporters
Date: 03 April 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will conduct a site inspection of the Sebokeng and Rietspruit Waste Water Treatment Plant in the Emfuleni Local Municipality. The inspection seeks to gauge progress made since the deployment of the army to address the crisis.

Attention: Editors and Reporters
Date: 03 April 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will visit Alexandra today to get a first-hand experience of the situation on the ground. This visit follows reports that the situation in Alexandra was on a knife-edge as protests have escalated.

Attention: Editors and reporters

Date: 01 April 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission has invited the Head of the Provincial Department of Health in Gauteng to appear before it on Tuesday, 02 April 2019, as it continues with its investigation into the health system in the province.

Monday, April 1, 2019

Attention: Editors

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or the Commission) strongly condemns the recent attacks against non-nationals that have taken place in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and other places.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

27^th March 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) will be launching the Report; containing the findings, recommendations and directives of the Commission; on Thursday, 28^th March 2019. The Commission held a National Investigative Hearing (the Hearing) into the status of Mental Healthcare in South Africa from the 14^th to the 15^th November 2017.