SUPPORT THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INVESTIGATING PROBLEMS WITH POLICING IN KHAYELITSHA! SJC ORGANISES FOUR MARCHES IN ONE DAY FOR IMPROVED POLICING IN KHAYELITSHA & FOR INCLUSION OF CAPE TOWN’S POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY JOIN US IN KHAYELITSHA, 6 OCTOBER 2012, 10h00 – 12h00 In August 2012 the Commission of…
Article by Gareth Newham (Programme Head – Crime and Justice Programme, Institute for Security Studies) Appeared on Institute for Security Studies website, and the Cape Times newspaper on 31 July 2012 Recent events in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape have highlighted how the failures in the criminal justice system in general, and policing in particular,…
The Social Justice Coalition’s vigil at Solomon Mahlangu Hall in Makhaza attracted about 300 people who share a concern for safety in their communities. Vigilante killings have been responsible for the death of eleven people in Khayelitsha, where “mob justice” has become an increasingly frequent response to the State’s failure to adequately curb crime and…
Cape Town, in bidding for World Design Capital 2014, committed itself to transforming lives by design – rebuilding community cohesion; reconnecting communities through infrastructural enhancement; and repositioning the city for the knowledge economy. A grand vision, no doubt, but how do we get designers and communities talking the same language and collectively solving pressing social problems to get us there?
This letter from some SJC branch leaders was hand delivered to the Office of Premier Helen Zille on 14 June 2012, and printed in the Cape Times on 15 June 2012.
On Saturday 25 February a group of 16 students from the University of Cape Town’s Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ) came to Khayelitsha to offer free legal advice to residents of RR Section. Facilitated by the SJC, a number of people came to seek advice – ranging from issues such as police brutality…
Cape Town has been awarded the right to host the World Design Capital 2014 (WDC2014) against stiff competition from cities across the planet, in large part because of the Cape Town Partnership’s bold and candid bid. The bid promised to use the year-long event to “deal with the vast imbalances that exist in our society”,…
The Social Justice Coalition (SJC),Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Free Gender, Equal Education (EE), Triangle Project and Ndifuna Ukwazi submitted a formal legal complaint demanding a Commission of Inquiry into the Khayelitsha criminal justice system. The complaint against SAPS, the Metro Police and their interface with the prosecuting authority and judiciary was prepared by the organisations…
The Social Justice Coalition (SJC) has observed that refuse collection in informal settlements is often irregular and of very poor quality. Refuse is often left rotting for days or weeks, contributing to the spread of disease.
All refuse collection for informal settlements in the City of Cape Town is outsourced to private contractors, which in our view limits accountability and recourse. In addition, the provision and maintenance of sanitation services, which are also outsourced, are either non-existent or of a poor quality.
In two weeks time South Africans will celebrate Freedom Day – a day which commemorates seventeen years since we queued patiently to vote in our country’s first democratic elections. Much has changed for the better over this time, but many of our poorest citizens continue to wait for the delivery of basic services to reinforce…