Programme News
18 July 2015
(News)
By relocating the so-called Plastic View informal settlement to a new plot alongside Garsfontein Road, east of the Woodlands Boulevard, the City of Tshwane will simply create another undesirable element for residents to put up with.
This is according to residents of the Pretoria east suburbs of Woodlands, Garsfontein, Moreleta Park and Mooikloof, who expressed concerns about the proposed...
17 July 2015
(News)
An imprisoned rapist has been sentenced to 10 more years in jail for another three rapes‚ but he may not spend any more time behind bars in the end.
Magistrate Hleziphe Nkasibe said in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg on Thursday that the sentence was sufficient in serving the purposes of retribution and rehabilitation.
Nkasibe was sentencing Jacob Mokoele‚ 35...
17 July 2015
(News)
“I will go back and continue to write without fear or favour… Not because I am a hero, but because that is the right thing to do.”
These were the words of Bheki Makhubu, editor of The Nation magazine in Swaziland, following his recent release from prison.
On Thursday night Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) welcomed back the recently released Swazi human rights lawyer Thulani...
13 July 2015
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights would like to invite you to attend its one-day seminar within the framework of this year’s Public Interest Law Gathering being held at the Wits Law School from 22-24 July 2015. This seminar will focus on refugee and migrants’ rights, with special attention on xenophobic violence that took place earlier this year. Please find the official programme attached....
13 July 2015
(News)
Although the Department of Home Affairs claimed new visa regulations were needed to protect tens of thousands of children who were trafficked in South Africa, it now appears it was a gross exaggeration.
Home Affairs has for some time quoted a figure of 30,000 children being trafficked in or through South Africa annually to justify the draconian new visa regulations, which have the tourism...
10 July 2015
(Press release)
A sixteen year old boy who entered South Africa with his aunt after he was orphaned during armed conflict in the Congo was not included in her asylum seeker permit because he was not her biological child. This meant that, although he qualified to apply for asylum he had no papers and thus battled to get access to education and health services. With the assistance of Lawyers for Human Rights and...
10 July 2015
(News)
The High Court in Pretoria has ruled that foreign children who enter South Africa with a relative who qualifies as an asylum seeker should be included as a dependent.
The ruling was made on Thursday, said Zita Hansungule of the Centre for Child Law in a statement.
"This gives the child immediate protection and ensures that they are not separated from people with whom they have a relationship...
1 July 2015
(News)
On 24 June the Pretoria High Court struck from the roll an application by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that tried to put an urgent end to Operation Fiela. Lara Wallis explains why this is deeply concerning.
As Operation Fiela has swept through the country, it has violated the rights of many people, both South Africans and foreigners. LHR’s urgent application to interdict unlawful search...
30 June 2015
(News)
The Kutlwanong Democracy Centre was launched at the end of May. The centre is located at 357 Visagie Street in Pretoria.
The national director of Lawyers for Human Rights, Jacob van Garderen told De Rebus that the centre is a unique hub for civil society in Pretoria. He said it brings together a range of organisations working in human rights, social assistance and development.
Services offered at...
25 June 2015
(News)
Stereotypes and myths have largely informed South Africans’ views on issues of migration and foreign nationals. These myths perpetuate xenophobia in South Africa and are used seemingly as a basis for policy decisions around migration.
Extensive research by institutions such as the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) and African Centre for Migration and Society has gone a long way in...