Attention: Editors and Reporters

Monday, 04 March 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC or Commission) welcomes the cabinet decision of 28 February 2019, to refer the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) to parliament for ratification in terms of section 231 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The Commission would like to commend the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Honourable John Jeffery for his role and support in this regard.

Attention Editors and Reporters
1st March 2019

Justice Kate O’Regan, former Constitutional Court judge, outlining the importance of media freedom in South African National Defence Union v Minister of Defence and Another, stated that:
“Freedom of expression lies at the heart of a democracy. It is valuable for many reasons, including its instrumental function as a guarantor of democracy, its implicit recognition and protection of the moral agency of individuals in our society and its facilitation of the search for truth by individuals and society generally.”

23 February 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called on SuperSport employees to make submissions that could help in its investigations into allegations of racism. The call comes after former Springbok winger, Ashwin Willemse, made racism allegations against two of his colleagues Nick Mallett and Naas Botha.

23 February 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission has expressed concern over the increasing cases of sexual abuse at schools.

The commission yesterday visited the Curro Academy in Mahikeng, North West, following reports that a nine-year-old boy was raped at the school while waiting for transport. The school failed to produce CCTV footage of the school's premises showing the incident due to load-shedding occurring during the alleged incident.

26 February 2019

The South African Human Rights Commission has welcomed a decision by the Equality Court, which ordered a Springs family to pay a former worker R200,000 in damages after force-feeding him faeces. Joseph Mona was allegedly called a "useless k****r" by his employer‚ Harry Leicester‚ in December 2017 after he failed to switch on a septic tank pump.

26 February 2019

Concerns regarding the lack of water and adequate sanitation in the North West will come under the spotlight when the provincial department of local government and human settlements meet with the municipality of Bojanala on Tuesday.

26 February 2019

DURBAN - The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) yesterday announced the court date when the matter of whether gratuitous displays of the old official flag of apartheid South Africa constitutes hate speech, unfair discrimination and harassment based on race will be heard.
In February 2018 the Nelson Mandela Foundation announced that it had made an application to the Equality Court for an order declaring this.

21 February 2019

An official at Sasol Secunda has accused the petrochemical giant of intentionally polluting the Vaal River. The employee made submissions at the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) inquiry into the contamination of the river, held at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.

21 February 2019

Cape Town - Ashwin Willemse's fight against SuperSport is going full steam ahead with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) set to investigate alleged racism and discrimination at the pay channel.
It has been nine months since former Springbok wing Willemse walked off a live broadcast during a Super Rugby match, later accusing co-analysts Nick Mallett and Naas Botha of racism.

21 February 2019

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Thursday called on employees and independent contractors working at SuperSport to make submissions on potential racism at the channel.