Greenpeace appalled by private companies’ assault on pollution laws

Greenpeace South Africa has written to the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs to ask government to make Eskom comply with pollution laws.

Sasol and Natref instituted a court application against the National Air Quality Officer in May 2014 in an attempt to set aside most of South Africa’s hard-won air pollution regulations for big industry.

Greenpeace says if this litigation succeeds, it will have incalculable consequences for South Africa’s environment, air quality and the health of citizens.

For more info visit Greenpeace.

Portfolio Committee on Basic Education receives a report from Equal Education

Equal Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) have sent a shadow report to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education highlighting key aspects of the Department’s successes and failures during the last financial year (2013/2014).

Issues addressed in the shadow report included scholar transport, The National School Nutrition Programme, Under performing schools, School Infrastructure and the section 100(1)(b) intervention in the Eastern Cape.

The purpose of the submission is to aid the Portfolio Committee in its preparation for the 2013/14 Budget Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR) – set to be adopted on 21 October 2014.

To read more visit EE website.

Call for department of Home Affairs to recognise transgender rights

Social, Health and Empowerment Feminist Collective of Transgender and Intersex women of Africa (S.H.E), Gender Dynamix (GDX), Transgender and Intersex Africa (TIA) and Iranti-org. have joined hands to call on the Department of Home Affairs to recognise its duty to uphold the values and rights in the Constitution of South Africa.

The organisations want the Department to respect the rights of the transgender community to dignity, equality and freedom of expression.

This comes after Nadia Swanepoel, a transgender woman, went on a hunger strike against discrimination and prejudice she said she had experienced at Home Affairs for 3 years.

For more info visit their website S.H.E.