Zoliswa Nkonyana Murder Trial Set To Conclude After Five Years

JOINT STATEMENT: Social Justice Coalition, Treatment Action Campaign, Free Gender, Triangle Project and Sonke Gender Justice.

On 4 February 2006, Zoliswa Nkonyana was brutally murdered in Khayeltisha, Cape Town. A group of young men stabbed, clubbed, kicked and beat her to death. Zoliswa was 19 years old and lived openly as a lesbian. For this, she lost her life. She died only metres from her home.

SJC Meets with Mayor of Cape Town to Discuss Access to and Quality of Sanitation in Informal Settlements

On 7 July 2011, a delegation from the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) met with Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille and officials from departments including Water and Sanitation, Housing, Development Services, Electricity, Solid Waste Management and Utilities. The SJC’s delegation was joined by Reverend Suzanne Peterson, who represented Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum (WCRLF); and Professor Maurice Kibel, Emeritus Professor of Public Health at University of Cape Town.

SJC and ISS Call for Urgent Investigation of Public Protector’s Findings and Alleged Police Misconduct

Reports in yesterday’s press have indicated that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has issued a warrant of arrest for Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, on charges of corruption and fraud. The allegations regard events in 2008, when she worked at the South African Law Reform Council (SALRC). Madonsela has denied the allegations.

The warrant of arrest comes at a time when the Pubic Protector was finalising her second report, the first of which implicated SAPS National Commissioner Bheki Cele and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde in engaging in unlawful, improper conduct that violates South Africa’s laws and Constitution relating to procurement, tenders and leasing of premises for the police worth R500 million.

SJC Commends Mayor Patricia De Lille For Complying With High Court Ruling On Makhaza

The Social Justice Coalition (SJC) welcomes the commencement of construction of concrete enclosures for the 1316 toilets in Makhaza built without walls and roofs in 2009, in compliance with the ruling of the Western Cape High Court.  Mayor Patricia de Lille’s statement yesterday represents an encouraging change of direction in the City’s approach to the…

Health Professionals Endorse SJC’s Campaign for Clean & Safe Sanitation

The recent outbreak of an epidemic of severe enteritis in Germany should certainly make us sit up and take note and action. This particular epidemic was most unusual in that the cause was a highly toxic and virulent EHEH variant of the common E coli bacterium. E coli bacteria are relatively harmless inhabitants of the normal human gut.This outbreak occurred and spread fairly widely in a country known for its high standard of sanitation and hygiene. The consequences of an epidemic of this nature possibly occurring in the informal settlements in this country are too horrendous to contemplate.