Human Rights

latest news & developments

Moving People, Caring for People: The Journey to an Inclusive South Africa

ACSA Chairman Irvin Phenyana explores how connecting Transport Month and Mental Health Awareness Month reveals the need for dignity, compassion, and accessibility for…

Thirty years later: The struggle for intersex children’s bodily autonomy continues

Decades after activists first protested against medically unnecessary cosmetic surgeries on infants, the South African Human Rights Commission is championing bodily autonomy and…

Effects of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Image: Supplied

UN inquiry finds Israel continued genocide in Gaza after ceasefire

A United Nations inquiry chaired by Indian jurist Srinivasan Muralidhar reports that Israel continued genocidal acts in Gaza following a ceasefire, citing systematic attacks…

New Report Calls for Hundreds of Trillions in Reparations Over British Colonial Environmental Damage

A groundbreaking report presented at the University of Lagos calls for trillions of dollars in reparations from the UK, highlighting the massive, long-term environmental…

Water crisis looms

Bronkhorstspruit crisis highlights SA’s water service failures

The SAHRC and Wits have launched the Water Rights Tracker, revealing that 107 of South Africa's 144 water services authorities are in a poor or critical state as infrastructure…

Eugene De Kock’s presence at the Franschhoek literary festival triggered traumatic memories about the atrocities of apartheid for many

Eugene de Kock blames NPA for failure to prosecute apartheid-era crimes

Testifying at the Khampepe Commission, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock accused the National Prosecuting Authority of criminal negligence for failing to seek his…

The Union Buildings in Pretoria was designed by Sir Herbert Baker

Shrinking Civic Space: Why protecting the right to organise matters

As activists gather for the Rights and Remedies School, South African civil society faces an increasingly hostile environment marked by political delegitimisation, lawfare, and…

Eugene de Kock.

Eugene ‘Prime Evil’ de Kock testifies at Khampepe Commission

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock is testifying before the Khampepe Commission, shedding light on apartheid death squads and the failure to prosecute unresolved crimes.

Madlanga calls for corruption to carry a higher price

Delivering the Oliver Tambo Memorial Lecture, retired Constitutional Court justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga urged institutions to make corruption hazardous and unprofitable while…

Stop the smear campaign

SAJBD National Director Wendy Kahn responds to Ebrahim Fakir, rejecting collective blame and calling for unity between Jewish and Muslim South Africans.

Nobel laureate outshines a day of intolerance

Durban-born human rights champion Dr Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, delivering a timely and powerful message of justice, inclusion, and human…

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe.

Sonke demands ANC action against Gwede Mantashe over sex-for-jobs remarks

Sonke Gender Justice has demanded disciplinary action and an unconditional apology from Mineral and Petroleum Minister Gwede Mantashe following crude remarks regarding…

US president Donald Trump

US court blocks sanctions on groups assisting ICC Gaza investigation

A US federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from sanctioning human rights groups that provide evidence to the International Criminal…

Pillay demands genocide trial for Netanyahu

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu face trial over genocide allegations in Gaza, standing by the findings of the…

GIVING TESTIMONY: Former President Thabo Mbeki addressing the TRC

“The NPA should take full responsibility for failing TRC victims and families.”

Former president Thabo Mbeki has denied claims of political interference in Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases, arguing that the National Prosecuting Authority must take…