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Attention: Editors and Reporters
16 November 2022
On 17 November 2022, the North West Provincial Office of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will conduct a provincial human rights dialogue themed “Enhancing the promotion and protection for Children’s rights to Education, Equality and respect for their language, culture and religion”.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
South Africa is one of the 156 States that recognises the right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment as envisaged in section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution). A safe, clean, and healthy environment is integral to the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water, and sanitation. Without a healthy environment, we are unable to fulfil our aspirations or even live at a level commensurate with minimum standards of human dignity.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
14 November 2022
The Mpumalanga Provincial Office (MPO) will be conducting workshops to popularise and raise awareness about the Constitutional Court judgement which declared Section 10 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992 invalid and inconsistent with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (“the Constitution”) the extent that it prohibits an unmarried father from giving notice of the birth of his child under his surname, the absence of the child’s mother or without consent.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
14 November 2022
The purpose of this statement is to correct certain misapprehensions held and widely expressed by the EFF and Mr Malema, as well as in some media reports/articles, about the steps that the South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) has taken to date in respect of this matter and to provide a very brief explanation of the Commission’s discretionary powers in receiving complaints of human rights infringements more generally.
14 November 2022
Attention: Editors and Reporters
In a “REPORT INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES SORROUNDING THE DEATHS OF MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS: GAUTENG PROVINCE”, the Health Ombuds recommended that the Minister of Health should request the South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) to undertake a systematic and systemic review of human rights compliance and possible violations nationally related to mental health.
9 November 2022
The investigation follows allegations of environmental pollution and raw sewage pouring into the Wemmer Pan Lake. The Commission in the Gauteng Province, received complaints with photos via email from local businesses such as RANDCO and River Bend Villas, indicating the perilous nature of the lake’s pollution. According to the complaints received and media reports, the lake is heavily polluted, covered by an almost shiny oily layer and the stench of hydrogen-sulphide. This has negatively affected the local community, businesses, and those who use the lake for recreational purposes.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
9 November 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) has received various complaints relating to statements made by the President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (“EFF”), Mr Julius Malema MP, as well as posters/banners displayed by the EFF at the meeting of the EFF’s Provincial People’s Assembly in the Western Cape on 16 October 2022.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
09 November 2022
The United Nations General Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. The Day seeks to raise awareness and foster action towards access to safe sanitation. The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Target 6.2 of the SDG 6 calls for the achievement of safe toilets for all by 2030. Despite this noble goal, the world is seriously off track in achieving this target. According to estimations, the world will need to work four times faster to be able to deliver on the promise of safe toilets for all by 2030.
Media Advisory: SAHRC Gauteng Provincial Office to conduct monitoring activities across the province
Attention: Editors and Reporters
08 November 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission (‘the Commission’) Gauteng Provincial Office is conducting various monitoring activities across the province. Section 184 (1) (c) of the Constitution states that the Commission must monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
07 October 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission’s (“the Commission”) Northern Cape Provincial Office (ECPO) will be conducting various monitoring activities in Namakwa District Municipality District. Section 184 (1) (c) of the Constitution states that, the Commission must monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic. The role of monitoring and assessing potential and actual human right violations provides the Commission with an opportunity to ensure redress and to ensure that human rights are upheld in the Republic.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission (The Commission) has instituted legal proceedings under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000 against Mr Steve Hofmeyr based on comments made by Mr Hofmeyr relating to the LGBTIQ+ community in April 2022.
02 November 2022
The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC) confirms that it has interacted with both the national and certain provincial structures (KZN & Gauteng) of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the past few days. It is aware of the protest marches by regional structures of the DA to two of the SAHRC’s provincial offices as well as the media interest in the wake of such protests.
Media Advisory: SAHRC Free State Office will host an empowerment workshop for Human Rights Champions
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The SAHRC Free State Office will host an empowerment workshop for Human Rights Champions. The workshop will educate Human Rights Champions on the role they play in promoting democracy, the SAHRC's mandate, protecting the rights of communities, and related legislations.
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.
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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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