Attention: Editors and Reporters

22 April 2024

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (Commission) Western Cape Provincial Office (WCPO) will, at the invitation of Commissioner Aseza Gungubele, be in Beaufort West to engage with stakeholders. Commissioner Gungubele will visit the region from 23 -24 April 2024 for the purpose of engaging stakeholders there. He will conduct monitoring visits to selected monitoring targets on 23 April 2024 and on 24 April 2024 will meet with stakeholders from a range of government departments and the Municipality. Commissioner Gungubele will also meet with the community later on the same day at the Community Hall in Mandlenkosi.

17 April 2024

The South African Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) is a state institution established under chapter 9 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (“the Constitution”). The Commission is mandated, in terms of section 184(1) of the Constitution, to promote respect for human rights and a culture of human rights; to promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights; and to monitor and assess the observance of human rights in the Republic.

Attention: Editors and Reporters

16 APRIL 2024

The Gauteng Provincial Office (GPO) of the South African Human Rights Commission (Commission) in partnership with OUT LGBT Wellbeing will be conducting a human rights awareness workshop on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE).

Attention: Editors and Reporters

11 April 2024

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (Commission) Western Cape Provincial Office (WCPO) reminds parents who have not yet done so that the closing date to apply for admission to grades 1 and 8 for the 2025 academic year is on Friday, 12 April 2024. Parents are urged to avoid waiting until the last minute to ensure opportunity to address application challenges that may be faced.

07 Mar 2024

SA Human Rights Commission officials walked in the shoes of Ntabenkonyana Senior Secondary School pupils on Wednesday morning from Mbizana village in Middledrift. Pupils leave their homes daily as early as 6.45am to walk more than 101un to and from school. SGB chair Mbuyiseli Venene said the school had more than 350 pupils from grades 8 to 12, with more than 300 requiring scholar transport. Other villages near the school are Njwaxa and Gqadushe. Venene said the school was built at a central point that made it far from the three villages.

13 Mar 2024

THE South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC is investigating a complaint relating to Knysna residents allegedly being subjected to drinking contaminated water after a corpse was found in the local reservoir. The corpse was found in the Khayalethu reservoir in November last year when municipal personnel noticed the body floating in the water and alerted authorities. SAHRC commissioner Chris Nissen confirmed that a commissioner was deployed to the Knysna area two weeks ago and received the complaint among other issues related to the community.

06 Mar 2024

With March themed as Human Rights Month, the Human Rights Commission of South Africa SAHRC will observe the 2024 Human Rights Day at the Steenbok Community Hall on Friday March 8. Human Rights Month reminds South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in the country. On March 21, 1960, apartheid police officers in a black township. Sharpeville, opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting against oppressive laws.

24 Mar 2024

Chris Barron asked South African Human Rights Commission HRC chair CHRIS NISSEN... We have the best human rights in the world on paper, don't we? Of course. The world admires our bill of human rights, and chapter nine of the constitution gives the mandate to the HRC to fulfil it. So why are people still being denied the most fundamental of these rights, the right to clean water? While we have the bill of rights it is those who have to implement it who are failing. Why hasn't the HRC held them to account? We've been fighting for the political will to implement the bill of rights. Why have there been no consequences for not implementing the right to clean water? This is a problem that we have. I want to admit we have not been forthright in this. It's only now.

28 Mar 2024

Two dedicated activists from KwaZuluNatal have been honoured by the South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC for their unwavering commitment to humanitarian efforts in the local community. Roshan Jainath, who helped rebuild the Khan Road informal settlement, which suffered damage during the July 2021 unrest when shacks were torched, said that he was humbled to receive this award. "It was a collective effort with the Peace and Development Forum that rebuilt the informal settlement.

26 Mar 2024

The Town Hill Hospital's ageing infrastructure was brought under the microscope after the South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC visited the institution yesterday. SAHRC commissioners are in the province over the next few days to conduct impromptu, unannounced visits at some institutions as part of their initiative to prevent and monitor if torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishments are taking place at the facilities. The commission's national preventative mechanism NPM is also monitoring the conditions of the buildings and found that the Town Hill Hospital, which is a specialised psychiatric hospital in Pietermaritzburg, was old and the infrastructure was in need of maintenance and upgrading.