31 Jan 2024

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has been warned that the SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC report into the July 2021 unrest should be a major red flag for him to bulk up the country's defence and stop micromanaging State Security matters. During the release of the report on Monday, SAHRC Commissioner Philile Ntuli said the destruction witnessed during the July 2021 unrest was symptomatic of unresolved systemic conditions, such as postCovid19 economic recovery, high unemployment, lawlessness, discrimination, socioeconomic divides, and issues within the security sector.

30 Jan 2024

THE South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities CRL Rights Commission have blamed the government for failing to protect the victims of the 2021 July unrest which claimed the lives of more than 335 people in KwaZuluNatal and Gauteng. The COO of SAHRC, Philile Ntuli, revealed that the historical war between Africans and Indians in Cato Manor in 1949 and Inanda in 1985 was one of the reasons behind the rioting.

15 Jan 2024

THE SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC says it is imperative for the national Department of Basic Education to conduct a baseline assessment to determine a reasonable cap on the costs of basic school uniforms, considering the socioeconomic circumstances of the country. This comes as parents are busy with lastminute shopping as schools are set to open this week. Acting communications coordinator of the SAHRC, Wisani Baloyi, said this was one of their key recommendations from the report issued last year which brought to light various challenges that impact the rights and wellbeing of learners across the nation. Baloyi said this recommendation was aimed at ensuring that school uniforms were affordable, reducing imbalances among students and promoting a more inclusive educational environment.

30 Jan 2024

the SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC finding no evidence linking the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma to the 2021 July unrest, it was "a trigger" for the looming unrest, according to experts. They previously warned unrest was imminent, with political analyst Arthur Shopola saying he was not surprised by the commission's finding "because that thing was long coming". "A hungry mob is an angry mob. I am using this quotation simply to say that our country's socioeconomic status is very alarming, to a point where unrest is very possible," he said. "At the time, it just needed a trigger and, regrettably, the Constitutional Court pulled the trigger with the arrest order for Zuma.

30 Jan 2024

SAHRC Commissioner Philile Ntuli has revealed that the commission's report had found that July unrest in 2021 was an orchestrated event which required that individuals act with one voice to achieve its end. She said the various state institutions which investigated the events which spread from KZN to Gauteng including the blocking of the N3 and N2 and the destruction of factories, malls and other institutions, were orchestrated.

10 Jan 2024

THE SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC is seeking to make school uniforms affordable, including getting the Department of Basic Education DBE to control the procurement of school uniforms and to provide for the wearing of gendernonconforming outfits to accommodate diverse gender identities.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

07 February 2024

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (“the Commission”) office in the Western Cape will accompany newly appointed Commissioner Aseza Gungubele, on site inspections in the Rawsonville and Worcester region as a continuation of his provincial visits to familiarize himself with the complaints in the province. Following successful school monitoring and stakeholder meetings in January 2024, the Commissioner will travel to Spookiesdorp and Avian Park, to view the conditions under which the respective communities are living.

Date: 07 February 2024

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The SAHRC Limpopo Provincial Office (LPO) will conduct the Human Rights Champions Workshop from the 07^th to the 8^th of February 2024. The workshop is part of empowering the Human Rights Champions who play an important role in different communities and who assist the SAHRC in the advancement of human rights.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

6 FEBRUARY 2024

The North West Provincial Office of the Commission (NWPO), in collaboration with Commissioner Nomahlubi Khwinana, will conduct school monitoring at various schools in the North West. The purpose of the monitoring is to assess the schools’ readiness for the 2024 academic year, with a particular reference to the state of the infrastructure, availability of LTSM, adequacy of staff and other support services at the various schools.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

05 February 2024

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (Commission) Eastern Cape Provincial Office (ECPO) will be conducting monitoring activities in the Sarah Baartman District and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipalities from 4^th February to 9^th February 2024. Section 184 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that the Commission must monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic.