South African Human Rights Commission 25 Years

In this final episode of a five-part podcast series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the South African Human Rights Commission, we look at a recent and important investigation. In this investigation the Commission found that raw sewerage was flowing through the Emfuleni Local Municipality and into the Vaal River and that this violated the rights to access to water, to dignity and to a safe environment. All five episodes in this series are now available for download and streaming. The series has formed part of the 25-year celebrations of the Commission. It has been hosted by Legal Officer Zamakhize Mkhize and produced by Elna Schütz with assistance from the Commission’s Advocacy and Research team in Gauteng.

One way the South African Human Rights Commission furthers a culture of human rights in the country is by ensuring that a balance is struck between the individual rights of some and the individual rights of others. In this episode, we look at what this means in practice by examining the case of Gretha Wiid, a Christian educator and sex educationist whose views on sex, gender and sexual orientation, shared in workshops and books for children, undermined the dignity of LGBTQI+ individuals. This is the fourth of five episodes, which are being will be released over the next few months. This podcast forms part of the 25-year celebrations of the Commission. It is hosted by Legal Officer Zamakhize Mkhize and produced by Elna Schütz with assistance from the Commission’s Advocacy and Research team in Gauteng. You can find more information about the SAHRC on our website at www.sahrc.org.za. Complaints of any human rights violations can also be submitted on the website.

In this episode, we examine the case of MT, an asylum seeker originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose refugee status remained unresolved for almost a decade. We refer to MT’s case to illustrate that anyone and everyone in South Africa has the right to approach the SAHRC to lay a complaint if they feel that their rights – from the right to dignity through to the right to administrative justice – have been violated. This is the third of five episodes which forms part of a series marking the 25-year celebrations of the Commission. It is hosted by Legal Officer Zamakhize Mkhize and produced by Elna Schütz with assistance from the Commission’s Advocacy and Research team in Gauteng. You can find more information about the SAHRC on our website at www.sahrc.org.za. Complaints of any human rights violations can also be submitted on the website.

The South African Human Rights Commission has dealt with a number of complaints of racism in the last years under its mandate to protect and promote human and socio-economic rights of everyone living in South Africa. In this episode, we discuss some of these cases, such as those of Adam Catzavelos and Angelo Agrizzi, and look at how the Commission in tandem with the Equality Courts seek justice. This is the second of five episodes, which are being released over the next few months. This podcast forms part of the 25-year celebrations of the Commission. It is hosted by Legal Officer Zamakhize Mkhize and produced by Elna Schütz with assistance from the Commission’s Advocacy and Research team in Gauteng.   You can find more information about the SAHRC on our website at www.sahrc.org.za. Complaints of any human rights violations can also be submitted on the website.

These podcasts look at the work of the Gauteng provincial office of the South African Human Rights Commission as part of the 25-year celebrations of the Commission. In this episode, Legal Officer Zamakhize Mkhize looks back at the case of Martha Marais, who was chained to a bench at Mamelodi Hospital in Pretoria. It is a good example of how the Commission can protect the human rights of people living in South Africa in practical ways and have longer-lasting impact, including on our right to dignity and to healthcare, especially for the elderly. This is the first of five episodes, which will be released over the next few months. You can find more information about the SAHRC on our website at www.sahrc.org.za. Complaints of any human rights violations can also be submitted on the website. This podcast series is being produced by Elna Schütz with assistance from the Commission’s Advocacy and Research team in Gauteng.

The South African Human Rights Commission celebrates its 25 years of promoting and protecting the human and socio-economic rights of everyone living in South Africa. To celebrate this anniversary, this podcast series will look at the work of the Gauteng provincial office of the SAHRC over the last years. This is an introduction.