Address by Imam Dr. A. Rashied Omar at a rally outside Parliament to deliver an Open Letter to President Zuma, Premier Zille, Minister Mthethwa and Mayor de Lille, Thursday 13 December 2012 Comrades and Friends, My Sisters and Brothers, I bring you greetings of peace from the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum; and its…
On 12 December 2012 the Safety and Violence Initiative (SAVI) – a newly established unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT) – hosted a public seminar titled ‘Safety and Violence in Khayelitsha’. The purpose of the seminar was to provide a platform for discussion about the causes of a lack of safety and widespread…
A Call to Partners, Colleagues, Members of The Media, and Friends of the SJC: We Need Your Support To Bring Safety and Stability To Khayelitsha! As you are reading this, Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa and others are preparing for a court battle in the Cape High Court tomorrow to prevent the Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha…
In November 2012, five SJC members travelled to Nompumulelo in the Eastern Cape for the first leg of a “knowledge exchange” with the Nompumulelo Safety Forum (NSF). The “knowledge exchange” was initiated by the Open Society Foundation of South Africa – a funder of both the SJC and the NSF. The NSF is comprised of…
On 14 November 2012 The Cape Times newspaper published a scathing editorial on sanitation in Cape Town and South Africa more broadly. This follows a feature article in the same edition which uncovers the dangers of using toilet facilities in Khayelitsha’s informal settlements, and local government failure to ensure the service works as it should. …
In August 2012 the O’Regan/Pikoli Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate allegations of ineffective policing and breakdown in relations between the police and the community in Khayelitsha. Its establishment followed sustained campaigning and advocacy by the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) and partner organisation over a number of years and the lodging of a formal…
7 November 2012 Please Tweet using #CoI and #Mthethwa Download a pdf of the statement here. PRESS ALERT: O’REGAN/PIKOLI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY: MINISTER MTHETHWA’S ACTION – MORALLY UNTENABLE, FACTUALLY FLAWED, LEGALLY UNSUSTAINABLE POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY MUST NOT COME BEFORE SAFETY & LIVES On average every day in Khayelitsha one person is murdered, two people are sexually assaulted…
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE: RESPONSE TO POLICE CHALLENGING O’REGAN/PIKOLI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY The press conference will be held at: Ndifuna Ukwazi, 47 Strand Street, Wednesday 7 November at 13h00 All media are invited In November 2011 our organisations lodged a formal complaint against the Khayelitsha police citing ineffective policing and a breakdown…
Mthetwa To Go To Court In Attempt to Stall Commission of Inquiry into Policing in Khayelitsha On 29 October 2012, the O’Regan/Pikoli Commission of Inquiry (CoI), tasked with investigating problems with policing and crime in Khayelitsha, conducted its first hearing. Activists and members of the Social Justice Coalition, Treatment Action Campaign, Equal Education, Triangle Project…