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Wednesday, 26 August 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) expressed its shock at the footage of Mr. Bulelani Qolani, being dragged naked and forcibly evicted from his shack, in an informal settlement in Cape Town, by Anti-Land Invasion Unit (ALIU). The Commission thus took action as it viewed this incident as a gross violation of Mr. Qolani’s rights to dignity, freedom and security of the person. It is a complete disregard for persons who are without adequate housing due to poverty, particularly during the State of National Disaster as declared in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
Wednesday, 19 August 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) tasked with the Constitutional mandate to protect, promote and monitor the attainment of human rights, as set out in Chapter Two of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights; views every potential infringement of human rights with equal vigour.
19 August 2020
This Thursday, the Legal Resources Centre will be in the Supreme Court of Appeal Court (SCA) on behalf of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) who are the Amicus Curiae in Standard Bank, Nedbank and Firstrand Bank IN RE: Nedbank v Thobejane and Various Others (999/2019; 47/2019).
18 August 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC or the Commission) welcomes President Ramaphosa’s announcement on Saturday 15 August 2020 of the further easing of lockdown restrictions in the coming week, while echoing the President’s call for extra vigilance to prevent a spike in infections.
9 August 2020
The 9th August 2020, is National Women’s Day in South Africa. The day commemorates the famous 1956 Women’s March against repressive pass laws, and generally against the oppression and subjugation of women and thus holds great historical significance in the establishment of the constitutional democracy we enjoy in South Africa today.
30 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or SAHRC) wishes to clarify that the matter whether to investigate the procurement of PPE is still under discussion and that the announcement this afternoon was unfortunately pre-mature.
29 July 2020
Attention: Editors and Reporters
On Thursday, 30 July 2020, the South African Human Rights Commission (“The Commission”) will conduct a site inspection of the Nasrec field hospital in Johannesburg. The hospital has been established to help alleviate the burden of COVID infections in the province. The Commission seeks to ascertain the facility’s state of readiness to receive an increased number of patients and take stock of any challenges that the facility is facing. This inspection will include engagements with Department of Health officials, organised labour and medical staff.
23 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC or the Commission) regards the South African government’s decision to keep schools closed for all grades (except Grades 7 and 12) until 24 August 2020 as regrettable and unjustifiable.
The decision means that by 24 August 2020 over 10 million South African children, depending on the grade they are in, will have lost over 50% or 100 scheduled school days as a result of COVID-19 school closures.
23 July 2020
In her media statement of 15 July 2020, Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach, MP and DA Spokesperson on Justice and Correctional Services, makes a number of unfounded allegations which, in the view of the South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC), go against the provisions of section 181 (3) read with section 181(4) of the Constitution, among others.
23 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission welcomes the apology from Mr Tony Ehrenreich, to the South African Jewish Board of Deputies regarding a particular statement that circulated on social media in August 2014 which the Commission, after investigation of the complaint, had found demonstrates a clear intention to promote hatred of the members of the Second Complainant in the matter, the SAJBD. The Commission had directed that Mr Ehrenreich apologise to the SAJBD for the statement in question and hereby confirms that such apology has indeed been made by him.
Wednesday, 22 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) is deeply saddened by the passing of Andrew Mokete Mlangeni, the last remaining Rivonia Trialist.
15 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC or the Commission) is constitutionally mandated to promote, protect, monitor and assess the observance of all human rights in South Africa.
Tuesday, 14 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) and the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma held a joint meeting to discuss possible areas of collaboration to help in the furtherance of human rights against the backdrop of the Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
Monday, 13 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) learnt with great sadness about the passing of a former Commissioner of the SAHRC, Thomas Madikwe Manthata.
Friday, 03 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) notes with serious concern the state of audit outcomes in the sphere of local government. On 1 July 2020, the Auditor-General, Mr Kimi Makwetu released the MFMA 2018-19 report on the local government audit outcomes. The report depicts an extremely worrying negative trend on the audit outcomes of the municipalities. The overall picture painted by the report is that things are not well within the local government sphere at all.
Thursday, 2 July 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC) strongly condemns the actions depicted in footage circulating on social and mainstream media, of the City of Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion Unit, accompanied by City Law Enforcement officers, violently removing a naked man from a shack about to be demolished, in eThembeni, near Empolweni, in Khayelitsha, on Wednesday the 1st July 2020.
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission welcomes the proclamation of various sections of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) by the President on 22 June 2020. In terms of the proclamation, sections 110 and 114(4) of the POPIA will commence on 30 June 2021. These sections of the POPIA will amend the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) and further enable the handover of PAIA functions from the Commission to the Information Regulator.
Monday, 29 June 2020
Attention: Editors and Reporters
The South African Human Rights Commission notes with concern that the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) was suspended at the start of lockdown, and has yet to be comprehensively reinstated.
Attention: Editors and Reporters
19 June 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC or the Commission) notes with interest an important research paper released on 16 June 2020 by academics Servaas van der Berg and Nic Spaull University of Stellenbosch.
Van Der Berg & Spaull 2020 Counting the Cost – COVID-19, Children and Schooling (15 June 2020)
Attention: Editors and Reporters
16th June 2020
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) will be commemorating Youth Day on Tuesday, the 16th June 2020, along with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Movement for One South Africa (MOSA), the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), Democratic Alliance Youth (DA Youth) and a veteran youth activist from the 1976 Youth uprising.
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.
Sentinel House, Sunnyside Office Park, 32 Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
011 877 3600 (Switchboard)