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Feb 27, 2023

Johannesburg - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has not yet commented following damning allegations of racist remarks by acting CEO, Chantal Kisoon.

A video of Kisoon standing and addressing employees during a strategic planning session, believed to have been recorded by staff members, surfaced on social media.

According to reports, Kisson is heard on the video referring to black managers at the commission as “black babies”.


28 Feb 2023

NATION PRESSURE MOUNTS ON SAHRC TO SACK CEO Chantal Kisoon accused of calling staff 'black babies' NICOLA DANIELS This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. THE SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC was locked in meetings last night amid calls for the sacking of acting chief executive officer, Chantal Kisoon, for referring to staff as "black babies" during a strategic planning session last week.
27 Feb 2023

SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) employees are aggrieved after the acting CEO of the commission allegedly passed racist remarks against senior black managers, referring to them as "black babies" during a planning session.

According to reports from employees, the disgruntled managers showed the acting CEO, Chantal Kisoon, the door during a meeting in Thaba Eco Hotel in Johannesburg on Thursday and escalated her alleged racial comment to the chairperson of the commission, Bongani Majola.
27 Feb 2023

REV UP FOR Co Pastor unapologetic on his stance regarding God and homosexuality MIN GESPIN: Oscar Bougardt. Yoke Mense praat aam el eda REK JOU EK SMS your message to ION1.1Each text costs RI.50 Whatapp your message to 0787505627 I Dude, these nor taln duos, h Solt Africa is 1.d Medlin,. Thanks stems the only reliable Wig in Eskorn.I.J8. REK OFTHE CONTROVERSIAL reverend Oscar Bougardt has been reported to the SA Human Rights Commission again for saying homosexuality is an "abomination to God".
16 Feb 2023

A date has been set in July for the High Court in Gqeberha to hear the legal matter between controversial Afrikaans singer, Steve Hofmeyr, and the South African Human Rights Commission.

The Commission has dragged Hofmeyr to court over his remarks on social media that Disney's plan to have more inclusive characters, is to groom children to have sex with animals.

Hofmeyr also said that the LGBTQIA+ community represents bestiality.
12 February 2023


EASTERN CAPE - Two people have died following heavy rains in the Chris Hani District of the Eastern Cape.

Rescue teams are searching for more people who might have been swept away by floods.
13 Feb 2023

MORE than 1000 people were evacuated from Silvertown and eGoli townships in Komani after heavy rainfalls caused floods. The Komani river which runs through the town was overflowing. I Pictures: BHEKI RADEBE NATION Eastern Cape floods claim three lives SOME shacks along the Komani river banks were flooded. Gift of the Givers also arrived in the area to provide aid to the affected communities. CHEVON BOOYSEN This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. AUTHORITIES have so far confirmed three deaths following devastating floods in the Eastern Cape over the past week. Four local municipalities Enoch Mgijima, Dr AB Xuma, Emalahleni, and IntsikaYethu were affected by the flooding which left road infrastructure and bridges severely impacted, while some have collapsed.
5 Feb 2023

THE South African Human Rights Commission is probing why children in Cape Town, one as old as 13, have never seen the inside of a classroom. The investigation follows the story of a widowed father, Mario Claasen, who has been struggling to admit his three sons, aged seven, nine and 11, to at least three schools for the past five years. The resident of Happy Valley, near Blackheath, said his children have never received formal education after different schools slammed the doors on them despite their hunger to learn. "My eldest son who turns 12 this year cannot even write his name. His sevenyearold brother can because a good Samaritan found and paid for preschool for him to do Grade R. It's heartbreaking," said Claasen. The SAHRC said it would urgently look into the matter and escalated the case to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga. "The failure to place the children at school will increase the level of poverty in communities, instead of getting people out of it through education," said commissioner Chris Nissen.
27 January 2023

Cape Town - The tragic deaths of five seasonal farmworkers in the Northern Cape apparently due to an ongoing heatwave in the province has once again put under the spotlight their working conditions, and renewed calls for farmers to put human life before profits.

In total, eight people were confirmed dead, the latest on Monday, as temperatures reached around a scorching 43oC.

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said it would investigate, among others, claims that the workers’ requests for water while working in the heat were not heeded, while Northern Cape SAPS spokesperson Cornelis Prins said they were investigating four inquest dockets – one in Augrabies and three in the Kakamas area.
21 January 2023

Durban - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has confirmed that they are investigating the allegations of a Durban mother who claims that her son was contaminated with E coli through tap water.

Laura Garibdass, from Shallcross, alleged that the eThekwini Municipality has not been completely transparent about the purification of tap water. She believes that her son, Yash, 4, was hospitalised for five days due to E coli contamination.

Garibdass claimed that the only way her son became contaminated by E coli was through consuming tap water from their home.
22 January 2023

The South African Human Rights Commission released its final report this week, finding that the claims were unsubstantiated.

JOHANNESBURG - Trade union, Solidarity, said that it hopes that the outcome of the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) investigation into claims of racism at Laerskool Schweizer-Reneke serves as a lesson.

The commission released its final report this week, finding that the racism claims were unsubstantiated.
20 Jan 2023

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has issued a final investigative report on the 2019 incident at the Schweizer Reneke school where a teacher was accused of being racist.

The teacher, Elana Barkhuizen was suspended after a photograph of children in her class went viral.

The picture showed black children separated from white children.

The photograph sparked public outrage, with many people labelling the incident as racist.
20 Jan 2023

Former North West Education MEC Sello Lehari’s successor has been instructed to apologise for Lehari's conduct after he was found to have falsely accused teacher Elana Barkhuizen of racism.

It was also found that Lehari had put Barkhuizen's life in danger by publicly disclosing her identity.

Barkhuizen was the teacher who took a photograph which showed four black pupils sitting at a separate table from white children in a Grade R class in 2019. The photo went viral on social media at the time and sparked wide outrage.

The photograph led to allegations of racial segregation and unfair discrimination at Laerskool Schweizer-Reneke.
11 January 2023

Cape Town - In a move seen as global recognition of South Africa’s contribution to torture prevention, South African Human Rights Commissioner Chris Nissen has been elected to the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT).

As the commissioner responsible for civil and political rights at the SAHRC, Nissen has for the last three years been at the forefront of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for torture prevention.


The NPM carries out its mandate through a system of regular visits to what Nissen refers to as “places of deprivation of liberty.”
10 January 2023

The complaint follows remarks Malema made in October last year.

AfriForum has demanded feedback from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) after the rights group served Julius Malema and the EFF with a written notice to retract and apologise for allegedly making statements which amount to incitement to violence.

The complaint followed remarks Malema made in October last year at the party’s Western Cape third provincial People’s Assembly.

‘You must never be scared to kill’
05 January 2023

Nothing has changed for Temba, Hammanskraal, residents. When they open their taps all they get is slimy, smelly undrinkable water.

In 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission declared the water in Hammanskraal unsafe for human consumption and the situation has not changed. Clean water is trucked in as an alternative measure but residents complain the service is erratic.

When TimesLIVE visited the area, north of Pretoria, a 58-year-old woman with crutches, standing outside her gate with six 25L buckets, unsure if the water tanker would arrive, said: “We have to run around looking for water. Have pity on us, we have been suffering for a long time for water, we have to wait for the tankers to come.”
3 January 2023

Families of inmates at the Boksburg prison, east of Johannesburg, are concerned for their relatives’ safety. Prison guards are seen firing rubber bullets at inmates in videos circulated on social media and shared with the SABC.

Inmates are also seen throwing stones at the guards. Some of the detainees have been injured.

Prisoners are also seen hurling stones at the guards. Some of the prisoners have been wounded.
9 November 2022

The South African Human Rights Commission has given the EFF and its leader, Julius Malema, 10 days to apologise and retract inciteful statements following several complaints.

A video of Malema addressing delegates at the party’s provincial people’s assembly in the Western Cape has gone viral, prompting complaints the EFF leader used inciteful language.

SAHRC chairperson Bongani Majola said the commission has assessed the video and is satisfied that the utterances amount to hate speech and may also lead to transgression of the promotion of equality act.


27 November 2022

A Benoni woman is scheduled to appear in court in March 2023 after being released on a warning for allegedly calling black people rapists and thieves and urging for them to be banned and killed.

60-year-old Belinda Magor was arrested on Saturday after a criminal case was opened against her. Her voice note went viral on social media, allegedly after making comments while supposedly defending pit bulls.

25 Nov 2022

A Benoni woman who described black men as being worse than pit bulls and should be killed is facing a probe by the South African Human Rights Commission.

The voice recording was posted on the Facebook page of the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation which is campaigning for the breed of dogs to be banned and came a day when another child was mauled to death by a dog in East London.

About us

Understanding PAIA

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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