Human Rights

Dying with dignity

Nelson Mandela may not be aware of it but he has got us talking about death; something we have never had the courage to do before. This is certainly a discussion he wanted us to have. As President of the country he appointed the South African Law Commission to write a report on end-of life issues, and it was Nelson Mandela himself who tabled this in parliament.

Sean Davison

Opinion | 6 August 2013

The Kurdish Question: Is a political solution possible?

A process has begun in Turkey which has the potential to find solutions to the Kurdish question.

Mansoor Jaffer

Opinion | 5 August 2013

World Cup or not, Brazilian protesters have had enough

South Africa and Brazil have quite a few things in common. Both are economic powerhouses and members of BRICS. They both play an important role in regional and global affairs acting as political advisors to their nearby countries.

Fabio da Graca

Opinion | 5 August 2013

Don’t be fooled: Zimbabwe’s land reform is no success

It is election day in Zimbabwe. This is a good day to reconsider the Zimbabwean land reform experience and what to make of it, especially as we consider what should be done about land reform in South Africa.

Jack Lewis

Opinion | 31 July 2013

Free and Fair elections

Five years after violence marred the last elections, Zimbabweans are to take to the polls on the 31 July. The question is: will it be a free and fair election?

Nwabisa Pondoyi

Brief | 31 July 2013

Zimbabwean injured in work accident receives no compensation

Jabulani Murire is a 38-year-old, married Zimbabwean man with three children. His family is struggling to survive after he became bedridden following a car accident while on duty.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 30 July 2013

Sex work and disability: a crucial need seldom spoken about

On 19 July 2013, the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) hosted the Sisonke Open University Seminar on sex workers and people with disabilities. Ntokozo Yingwana, an Advocacy Officer at SWEAT, said that the seminar dealt with disability in the sex industry. She said she hoped the conference would help lift the stigma on this topic.

Jonathan Dockney

News | 24 July 2013

Jewish security organisation plays fast and loose with law

"He had me around the neck and he was huge so I had very little capacity to do anything much… I fell down and we went down the stairs and then we got into this car park …"

Yael Even Or

News | 17 July 2013

Deaf demand more Sign Language

Sign Language is the primary language used by the deaf community in South Africa, yet to this day it is not officially recognized or well-integrated into everyday life.

Nwabisa Pondoyi

News | 16 July 2013

How the police are failing rape survivors in Khayelitsha

There are severe problems with the way Khayelitsha police are handling rape cases explains Camila Osorio.

Camila Osorio

Feature | 10 July 2013

Making sex safer

It has been a little over a month since Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, announced in his annual National Health budget and policy speech that the South African government will start administering free vaccinations against human papilloma virus (HPV) in schools beginning in February of 2014, but there is still much to discuss about the vaccination roll-out program.

Edirin Okoloko

Feature | 10 July 2013

Sex workers versus organisations against human trafficking

Sex workers have been fighting to enjoy their right to dignity. For this to happen, they say, sex work has to be decriminalised. On the other hand, organisations opposed to human trafficking are also opposed to sex work. We spoke to representatives of both sides.

Nwabisa Pondoyi

Brief | 10 July 2013

Group demands to know party funders

On 27 June 2013 protesters, under the campaign My Vote Counts which is run by activist organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi, gathered outside Parliament to demand that political parties disclose the names of their funders.

Pharie Sefali

News | 3 July 2013

Labelling Israeli injustice

For three long years, activists across the country campaigned to ban Israel’s practice of falsely labelling goods that are made in its illegal settlements as "made in Israel". In April this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued a regulation banning this practice.

Jonathan Dockney

Opinion | 3 July 2013

Egypt’s second revolution

As massive protests swept across Egypt on Sunday, many outside of Egypt were surprised to see the sheer volumes of people that were unhappy with President Mohamed Morsi and his government, so soon after the revolution.

Mary Fawzy

Opinion | 3 July 2013

Dancing and tears greet book treaty for blind

On 22 June a treaty for the blind was heading for disaster as negotiators stalled and refused to budge on hardline positions. Three days later a negotiator stepped out of a boardroom in the Atlas Medina hotel in Marrakesh and announced to a crowd of tense and exhausted observers, "We have a text!" The tears and dancing that followed is hardly what you’d associate with the making of international law.

Marcus Low

Opinion | 3 July 2013