Attention: Editors and Reporters

 25 January 2023

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (“the Commission”) Eastern Cape Provincial Office will be embarking on monitoring activities with a focus on health care centres and mental health care institutions in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan, Sarah Baartman District, Chris Hani District and the O R Tambo District Municipalities.

In 2019, the Commission released a report on the investigative hearing conducted on the status of mental health care in South Africa. Recommendations flowing from the report for the Eastern Cape Department of Health included, ensuring that mental health care institutions are fully staffed and trained, that the mental health provincial strategic plan is finalized, human rights violations are recorded and submitted to the Commission and that inter-sectoral forums are instituted in all districts. In view thereof, the SAHRC in Eastern Cape is conducting monitoring exercises to determine to what extent key stakeholders have implemented the directives of the Commission.

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.  The role of monitoring and assessing human rights and potential human rights violations, provides for an opportunity for the Commission to ensure redress and to ensure that human rights are upheld in the Republic.

The provincial activities will take place as follows:

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For further information, contact the SAHRC Provincial Manager, Dr Eileen Carter @ 043 722 7828/072 638 9016 or email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Advocacy and Research Officer, Zukiswa N Mqakanya @ 043 722 7828 or email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.