New project to shield journalists, rights defenders
From online harassment to physical threats, intimidation, and even assassination, those who speak truth to power are increasingly under attack.
A coalition led by the SA National Editors Forum, Lawyers for Human Rights and Amnesty International South Africa is fighting back.
They have launched the Create Project, designed to keep truth-tellers safe from violence and intimidation.
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The Star
21-07-2025
- The Star
South Africa's human rights crisis: Calls for action ahead of National Dialogue
Manyane Manyane | Updated 5 hours ago Civil rights organisation, Amnesty International South Africa, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to redirect the R700 million allocated for the National Dialogue. The organisation advocates for this budget to be invested instead in safeguarding and fulfilling the basic human rights of South African citizens. Ramaphosa formally announced the National Dialogue last month. It is intended to be a platform for reflection on the nation's current state, envisioning its future, and establishing the foundation for the upcoming National Development Plan. The process, scheduled for August 15, 2025, will unfold in phases, including local consultations and sectoral engagements, to provincial and national gatherings, over the period of a year. Ramaphosa also pointed out that this is a chance for South Africans to shape the next chapter of democracy, adding that it is an opportunity to forge a new social compact for the development of the country. While South Africa's transition to democracy years ago was a landmark event, the country continues to grapple with significant challenges stemming from its past and present realities. Despite progress in some areas, deep-seated issues such as poverty, inequality and unemployment persist, often linked to the legacy of apartheid and the slow pace of land reform. Furthermore, corruption and state capture have undermined public institutions and service delivery, impacting basic services like water, electricity, and healthcare. Amnesty International South Africa's executive director, Shenilla Mohamed, said that while nation-building and social cohesion are important, the government should ensure that the budget allocated does not come at the expense of addressing the country's most pressing challenges. 'Most of the country's population lives in dire conditions and does not have access to basic essential services such as water and sanitation,' said Mohamed. 'Repeatedly, we hear people complaining of raw sewerage flowing through townships, inadequate housing, poor medical services, lack of quality education, high rates of gender-based violence, crime, and the list goes on. To address these violations and ensure the fulfilment of basic human rights, we need more government action and increased investment,' she said. Asked to comment on the statement, Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya did not respond. Amnesty stated that, despite a progressive legal landscape, rates of sexual and gender-based violence remain staggeringly high, with the number of reported offences in 2023/2024 sitting at 53,285, adding that the South African Police Service continues to fail in ensuring quality investigations. The organisation said that when it comes to basic services, over 3 million people have no access to basic water supply service, while 5.3 million households do not have access to safe and reliable drinking water. 'Decades of corruption and the mismanagement of public funds have weakened the government's ability to safeguard the country's water security, especially in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. Climate change is another threat to a wide range of human rights and will continue to impact the rights to life, health, housing, water, and sanitation. Without proper investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, we will continue to see destruction and loss of life during floods and other extreme weather events. 'There are a number of ways to spend R700 million. We urge the South African government to invest in the protection and fulfilment of people's human rights,' said Mohamed. Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the National Dialogue is a costly distraction meant to give the impression that Ramaphosa's administration is doing something. He said this is all about smoke and mirrors, something that Ramaphosa has mastered and perfected. 'The National Dialogue has no legal and constitutional standing. Its recommendations are not legally binding. To that extent, it is just another talkshop that is meant to cover up Ramaphosa's glaring failures,' he said. Another political analyst, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said there is no need for the National Dialogue to uncover challenges facing the country, adding that they are well-known. [email protected]
IOL News
20-07-2025
- IOL News
South Africa's human rights crisis: Calls for action ahead of National Dialogue
Amnesty International South Africa has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to invest the money allocated for the National Dialogue in the protection and fulfilment of people's rights. Image: Supplied / GCIS Civil rights organisation, Amnesty International South Africa, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to redirect the R700 million allocated for the National Dialogue. The organisation advocates for this budget to be invested instead in safeguarding and fulfilling the basic human rights of South African citizens. Ramaphosa formally announced the National Dialogue last month. It is intended to be a platform for reflection on the nation's current state, envisioning its future, and establishing the foundation for the upcoming National Development Plan. The process, scheduled for August 15, 2025, will unfold in phases, including local consultations and sectoral engagements, to provincial and national gatherings, over the period of a year. Ramaphosa also pointed out that this is a chance for South Africans to shape the next chapter of democracy, adding that it is an opportunity to forge a new social compact for the development of the country. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ While South Africa's transition to democracy years ago was a landmark event, the country continues to grapple with significant challenges stemming from its past and present realities. Despite progress in some areas, deep-seated issues such as poverty, inequality and unemployment persist, often linked to the legacy of apartheid and the slow pace of land reform. Furthermore, corruption and state capture have undermined public institutions and service delivery, impacting basic services like water, electricity, and healthcare. Amnesty International South Africa's executive director, Shenilla Mohamed, said that while nation-building and social cohesion are important, the government should ensure that the budget allocated does not come at the expense of addressing the country's most pressing challenges. 'Most of the country's population lives in dire conditions and do not have access to basic essential services such as water and sanitation,' said Mohamed. 'Repeatedly, we hear people complaining of raw sewerage flowing through townships, inadequate housing, poor medical services, lack of quality education, high rates of gender-based violence, crime, and the list goes on. To address these violations and ensure the fulfillment of basic human rights, we need more government action and increased investment,' she said. Asked to comment on the statement, Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya did not respond. Amnesty stated that, despite a progressive legal landscape, rates of sexual and gender-based violence remain staggeringly high, with the number of reported offences in 2023/2024 sitting at 53,285, adding that the South African Police Service continues to fail in ensuring quality investigations. The group also highlighted the situation of human rights defenders and whistleblowers who have been killed with impunity. 'Yet these are the brave individuals who expose acts of criminality and abuse by government, corporations and people in power. While South Africa is in the process of strengthening whistleblower legislation, there is no legislation for the protection of human rights defenders. A human rights defender is anyone who, individually or in association with others, acts to defend and/or promote human rights at a local, national, regional, or international level.' The organisation said that when it comes to basic services, over 3 million people have no access to basic water supply service, while 5.3 million households do not have access to safe and reliable drinking water. 'Decades of corruption and the mismanagement of public funds have weakened the government's ability to safeguard the country's water security, especially in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. Climate change is another threat to a wide range of human rights and will continue to impact the rights to life, health, housing, water, and sanitation. Without proper investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, we will continue to see destruction and loss of life during floods and other extreme weather events. 'There are a number of ways to spend R700 million. We urge the South African government to invest it in the protection and fulfilment of people's human rights,' said Mohamed. Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the National Dialogue is a costly distraction meant to give the impression that Ramaphosa's administration is doing something. He said this is all about smoke and mirrors, something that Ramaphosa has mastered and perfected. 'The National Dialogue has no legal and constitutional standing. Its recommendations are not legally binding. To that extent, it is just another talkshop that is meant to cover up Ramaphosa's glaring failures,' he said. Another political analyst, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said there is no need for the National Dialogue to uncover challenges facing the country, adding that they are well-known. 'He is always having a State of the Nation Address (SONA) and he can't tell us that he is not aware of the problems. What is it that he has been talking about? The whole thing is not necessary. We don't need a National Dialogue to understand our problems,' he said.
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- The Citizen
Operation New Broom is echo of apartheid past
If Operation New Broom is the new face of immigration enforcement in South Africa, then shame on all of us. In a move that belongs more in the archives of apartheid than in a democratic constitutional state, the department of home affairs has launched 'Operation New Broom', a campaign whose stated aim is to 'combat illegal immigration' through biometric verification and mass raids. Sweeping with a 'broom' is no innocent metaphor, it's drawing a very intentional parallel between illegal migrants and rubbish, a dehumanising tell-tale signal of stripped rights, dignity and humanity. An affront to every value enshrined in our Bill of Rights. If this is the new face of immigration enforcement in South Africa, then shame on all of us. Barely two days after the campaign was launched on 21 May, more than 50 individuals, including children, pregnant women and asylum seekers, were rounded up during an early morning raid at the Plastic View informal settlement in Tshwane. Minister Leon Schreiber called it 'a new era of digital border enforcement'. What followed was hardly innovation; it was humiliation, institutional cruelty dressed up in the vocabulary of tech-enabled governance. Lawyers for Human Rights and 20 other organisations said the operation 'marks a troubling descent into repressive state practices reminiscent of the apartheid past'. That is no exaggeration. Operation New Broom is not a policy, it is abuse of power, a show of force for the sake of political optics, where the primary victims are those least able to defend themselves. Children were taken from schools and homes without due process. Babies were detained at the Lindela Repatriation Centre, a facility unfit to care for them. ALSO READ: Home Affairs launches Operation New Broom to tackle illegal immigration The constitution is clear: the detention of children must be a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period. These events lay bare a troubling trend: the creeping securitisation of SA's borders and the scapegoating of migrants to mask governance failures. This cannot be claimed to be part of an effort to address unlawful entry, it is a campaign showcase masquerading as immigration enforcement, a political theatre dressed as policy. A familiar playbook keeps unfolding: blame the foreigner, distract the public and dress up persecution as patriotism. Ahead of the 2026 municipal elections, politicians like Gayton McKenzie (Patriotic Alliance) have already begun calling 'Abahambe' (let them go) for the removal of migrants along ethnic and racial lines, embracing his xenophobic labelling. Taking centre stage globally and in SA at the same time was the media frenzy surrounding the 59 Afrikaners granted refugee status by the US on the basis of alleged racial and economic persecution. A sad irony that is difficult to ignore, particularly from within the African continent and SA itself, where the principles of Ubuntu, as enshrined in the constitution, call for compassion, shared humanity and the protection of the vulnerable. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly affirmed Ubuntu as a guiding principle not only in private law, but in matters of state conduct. ALSO READ: Big changes coming for ID, passport applications and birth registrations – Home Affairs It is meant to embody dignity, empathy and social solidarity – all of which are absent from Operation New Broom. Though the department has framed its action as lawful and measured and Cabinet has publicly praised it, nothing about the manner in which these raids were conducted passes constitutional muster. This is not a crisis that ends at the border. Migrants may be the primary targets today, but the machinery of arbitrary enforcement rarely limits itself to one category of individuals. Even SA citizens without access to proper documentation already encounter a contrarian bureaucracy on many levels. In August last year, 700 000 IDs were automatically unilaterally blocked by the department, some merely on the suspicion of fraud or due to duplicate IDs reflecting in the systems, with no prior warning or due diligence. The courts confirmed this to be unconstitutional because it lacked fair procedures, such as notice, investigation and an opportunity for appeal. The dysfunction is systemic and it does not discriminate as neatly as the policies claim to. Without constitutional watchdogs and public scrutiny, no-one is immune. Today's raid is tomorrow's precedent. Some have pointed to the use of biometric verification as a sign of progress and, indeed, it can significantly streamline processes and increase efficiencies on multiple levels. ALSO READ: EFF calls for treason charges against corrupt Home Affairs officials But in the hands of untrained officials and opaque institutions, such tools carry significant risk. Mismanagement is not a technical glitch, it is a gateway. Without safeguards, digital enforcement quickly slides into digital authoritarianism. Deploying facial scans and fingerprint readers without legal safeguards or oversight is not governance, it is surveillance. When the state uses such tools in vulnerable communities already suffering from economic exclusion and neglect, it amounts to profiling at scale. This is not a moment for silence or bureaucratic indifference. It is a moment to remember that democracy is measured not by how we treat the powerful, but by how we treat the most vulnerable. State-led roundups, data-driven profiling and the slow bleed of constitutional values is a recipe for instability. Amnesty is not capitulation; it is legal realism. It is an invitation to build a functioning migration system that does not rely on repression to operate. It is time for a new broom, yes, but one that sweeps away injustice, not people. One that restores rights, not just order. NOW READ: Trump-Musk breakup: Will 49 'refugees' return to South Africa?
