A school on the West Rand was damaged by a sinkhole in February but three months later, most pupils have not fully returned to the school.

04 May 2023

Schooling has remained interrupted at Relebogile Secondary School with only matriculants attending classes after the school was damaged by a sinkhole three months ago.

The DA joined the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Wednesday for an oversight visit to the school in Khutsong, West Rand. Parts of the school, including the toilets, collapsed into a sinkhole after heavy rains in February. The area is known for dolomite and is prone to sinkholes.

5 May 2023

What threatens our local government? Asanda Matlhare This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Corruption, mismanagement, service delivery and looting were factors highlighted at Gibs on April 25 during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Helen Suzman Foundation. Bearing the 'reimagining local government' topic in mind, political analyst Lukhona Mnguni said although several issues were threatening the local government sphere, the walltowall municipalities remained a constant issue which still has to be interrogated.

2 May 2023

While the community of Matseding Village is still waiting on the Sekhukhune District Municipality to drain their overflowing pit toilets, the South African Human Rights Commission in Limpopo says it is concerned that such conditions will leave residents exposed to several diseases.

23 May 2023

One of the key recommendations calling for the national government to take over the running of the city of Tshwane’s water and sanitation due to poor management is yet to be implemented.

Two years ago, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) released a damning report revealing that the pollution of water resources in Hammanskraal was as a result of failure by the city to maintain wastewater treatment works in the area. It found the city had failed to fulfil its constitutional objectives.

 Attention: Editors and Reporters

05 JUNE 2023

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC/Commission) in Eastern Cape will be embarking on various monitoring activities in Elundini, Walter Sisulu and Emalahleni local municipalities. Section 184 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Republic states that the Commission must monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic. 

Attention: Editors and Reporters

4 JUNE 2023

The National Child Protection Week is an annual event led by the Department of Social Development (DSD) to raise awareness of the rights of children. The 2023 National Child Protection Week celebration is from the 29^th of May to the 4^th of June. The theme as proposed by DSD is “Let us Protect Children during COVID-19 and Beyond”.

The Commission has observed that there is a huge need to promote the rights of our children given the climate in which they currently live. Within this National Child Protection Week, an 8-month-old child died in an unregistered creche. Even though the crime statistics presented by the Minister of Police General Bheki Cele for the period 01 January to 31 March of 2023, show that the number of child murders dropped slightly, compared to the same period last year, it is still a matter of concern. This concern was also shared by the Christian Democratic Party leader Honourable Kenneth Meshoe when he said, ‘Why are children targeted and not protected’. It is thus clear that there is a need to promote, protect and monitor the rights of children to ensure that they thrive.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

1 June 2023

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) Gauteng Provincial Office (GPO) will conduct an inspection in loco, with the City of Tshwane and other stakeholders on 1 June 2023.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

30 May 2023

The Eastern Cape Provincial Office (“ECPO”) will host a human rights engagement with the Provincial Executive Committee (“PEC”) of the province to strengthen the working relationship with the South African Human Rights Commission (“Commission”). Subsequent to the human rights engagement conducted in the previous financial year, the ECPO and the PEC has improved their relationship, resulting in an improved observance of human rights. The engagement will further focus on engaging on the systematic human rights challenges the ECPO has identified in the province and the need for government to address these human rights violations. The provincial government will also be appraised on the most prevalent complaints within the province, the most unresponsive government stakeholders, as well as general human rights trends within the Province from the 2022/2023 financial year.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

30 MAY 2022

The Western Cape Provincial Office will today, 30 May 2023 be embarking on monitoring activities in and around Cape Town in accordance with Commissioner Makwetla’s provincial visit and the provincial SHiNE program of action. Section 184 (1) (c) of the South African Constitution states that the South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) must monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic. 

29 May 2023

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC/Commission) will conduct a Human Rights Champions’ workshop with Community Advice Offices in the Lejweleputswa District. The workshop aims to foster a culture of human rights, a deeper understanding of human rights and increase the realisation of human rights to enable participants to assist in identifying human rights abuses within the communities in which they live and work. It will further enable participants to conduct human rights and Constitutional awareness campaigns with their communities and develop long-term working relations with the SAHRC.