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.

3 November 2022

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.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

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.

01 November 2022

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.

31 October 2022

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.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

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.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

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.

Date: 17 October 2022  

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) in the Free State Province will be conducting a stakeholder engagement with the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality, Department of Rural and Land Reform, and Marena A Makholokoeng in the Harrismith. The stakeholder engagement will be focusing on land and food security. South Africa has about 17 million individuals that are experiencing inadequate to severely inadequate access to land and food security (Stats SA, GHS 2020).

Attention: Editors and Reporters
17 October 202

The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) has noted a systemic issue in the manner in which the South African Police Services (SAPS), City of Cape Town Law Enforcement and Private Security Companies conduct themselves during evictions of unlawful occupiers and interactions with homeless persons in the Western Cape.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

17 October 2022

The development and launch of the Commission’s 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.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

16 October 2022

The media has a substantive role to play in society in disseminating and publishing information as well as educating and entertaining the public. Consequently, the media has a mandate in shaping the views and perceptions of communities on any given topic, whether of national importance or personal enjoyment.

Attention: Editors and Reporters
14 October 2022

In a significant move towards improving rights realization and protection within the province of the Eastern Cape and South Africa as a whole, the South African Human Rights Commission (Commission) in the Eastern Cape will be signing Memoranda of Understanding with all the universities within the Province, namely Walter Sisulu, Rhodes, Fort Hare as well as Nelson Mandela Universities. This will occur during a high level engagement on the 17th of October 2022, in Gqeberha, which will be led by the Commission’s National Deputy Chairperson, Commissioner Fatima Chohan, and supported by the area focus Commissioner, Adv. Andre Gaum.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

14 October 2022

Over the years, the Commission in the North West has received a few complaints and enquiries relating to the eviction of persons and the demolition of such persons’ homes and properties pursuant to eviction and demolition orders issued by the Royal Bafokeng Traditional Court.
Historically, the Commission addressed such complaints and enquiries by referring the affected persons to Legal Aid South Africa for further assistance. However, noting that the Commission continues to receive such complaints, it believes these complaints should be addressed at a more systemic level, noting the impact of evictions on the affected persons and their families.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

13 October 2022

The South African Human Rights Commission Gauteng provincial office (GPO) will visit Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, on 13 October 2022.

Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital is a large central accredited general hospital in the province of Gauteng, that also serves as a referral hospital for a number of hospitals in the republic.

Date: 10 October 2022 

Attention: Editors and Reporters

The SAHRC’s North West Provincial Office received a complaint concerning the violation of the rights of the farm dwellers at Straatsdrift farms in Groot Marico under the jurisdiction of Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality. The human rights challenges raised involve, among others, shortage of water; lack of proper sanitation and healthcare services; inadequate housing; lack of police visibility; abuse of labourers’ rights and lack of basic municipality services at the Straatsdrift farms.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

05 OCTOBER 2022

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) together with the Departments of Basic Education (DBE) as well as the Justice & Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD), will host the 2022 National Schools Moot Court Programme (NSMCP) finals at the University of Pretoria on 6 to 7 October 2022, and grand finale at the Constitutional Court, Johannesburg on 09 October 2022.