Category Archives: Human Rights

Thoughts on Human Dignity

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Recently, I expressed my dismay at a bathroom that charged me one rand (ten cents in the US) to enter it. I asked an acquaintance with me, “What’s the point of charging R1?” She answered that it was to keep homeless people out of the bathroom. I felt rage and horror at the establishment’s alleged discrimination against homeless people. However, my friend disagreed with me, arguing that the discrimination was not unfounded.

To give a context: my acquaintance is a South African living in the township in Cape Town that has been identified by a media statement of the SAHRC as a crisis area in regards to toilet sanitation. For 6 weeks toilet workers in the area have been on strike because of low wages. The residents attack city workers who try to clean it in the meantime. The protest is now very political and largely blames apartheid and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for leaving Black South Africans in poverty today and the DA (the political part in power in the Western Cape) for not making more substantial changes.

While this person is not directly affected by the sanitation issue in the area she lives in, I was still shocked that my acquaintance was so inhospitable to the thought of sharing toilets with homeless people. Sure there are other issues to consider, but at the end of the day, homeless people deserve the same amount of dignity as anyone else.

What are your thoughts?

The Latest at the SAHRC

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Transkei, Reforest Fest, and Obz Open Street 127

When applying for the Lumos Travel Award, my grant proposal consisted of an interdisciplinary mixture of three program placements. I wanted to work in entrepreneurial consulting, human rights, and sustainable development in different organizations for four months each; however, my plans have slightly shifted. I will now be finishing my time with the SAHRC rather than changing internships for my third placement.

My entrepreneurial consulting placement at TSiBA was one of the best places to start my work in Cape Town. Now I can see how important it was for me to work in different fields and organizations. The placement was highly compatible with my degree in entrepreneurship, but my interests are diverse and I knew I would also want exposure in human rights.

Lately, my work at the SAHRC includes attending:

  • ALgal interventions with local universities;
  • A lecture on the transformation of the Justice Branch by Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Mogoeng Mogoeng;
  • A farmworker rights summit in Citrusdal;
  • A SAHRC presentation on the rights of children to the Parliament Portfolio Committee for the Department of Basic Education;
  • The Judicial Inspectorate Q1 briefing to the Department of Corrections Parliament Portfolio Committee;
  • An event with presentations from the SA Dept of Corrections and Nicro discussing issues surrounding prison overcrowding and potential solutions hosted in Pollsmoor maximum security;
  • An inspection in a local township to investigate the water and sanitation conditions after a series of strikes and protests.

Thus far, my work at the SAHRC has been challenging and fulfilling. I feel like I am achieving several personal and professional goals and that I have the ability to achieve even more. My increased length of time working at the SAHRC allows for me to take on more substantial projects, augmenting my level of impact on the local (especially marginalized) community.

Recent Events

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Recently, I have been restless. Living in Cape Town city center without a car confines me to commuting on public transportation and mooching off of friends with cars. Obviously both are quite limiting and leave little in my control. Living here without a car removes the independence and privilege I have taken for granted growing up in the States. My discontent was a strong motivation for me to take some opportunities spending time outside of the city.

The end of summer brings about an urgency to appreciate nature and venture to other recommended outdoor locations and activities. Lately, I have been able to explore Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, Sea Point, and Crystal Pools. Apart from these adventures, I have also been able to attend a Disabilities Expo created by my friend Cathy Arendse.

I planned a mini road trip to Noordhoek Beach, which of course did not happen. Instead, a day later a group of my friends and I ended up on the beach in Fish Hoek. While I still have not made it to Noordhoek, I had a lovely day in a new area with delightful company. After enjoying the sun, we had fish ‘n chips in Kalk Bay before I met up with some family friends visiting Cape Town. I also got the chance to indulge in Kalk Bay’s delicious cuisine when my friend Nicole’s family friend, Tiffany was in town. We ate at an eclectic restaurant called Brass Bell for dinner and relaxed while watching the waves crash against the shore.

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My friend, Will, designed my next extravagant plan which involved taking the cable car up Table Mountain, hiking across the mountain, and down through the Nursery Ravine trail to Kirstenbosch to work merchandise with GreenPop at the Jeremy Loops concert. This plan actually happened, much to my surprise, and it was one of my favorite days here so far. The hike was beautiful and I spotted some of my favorite African animals—dassies! The hike took about four hours; slightly shorter than estimated. Will and I were motivated to make it to the concert in plenty of time to hear Jeremy’s upbeat tunes and mad harmonica skills. We got into the gardens and concert free because we walked to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens through Table Mountain, and we got into the concert free since my friend Will works at GreenPop. Previously, my friends Lauren and Hannah also interned at GreenPop, introducing me to the wonders of “green living” in Cape Town. While I knew GreenPop was a great organization, I had never heard the CEO, Jeremy Loops’ music, and was blown away by his wonderful performance at the concert.

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March seems to be the month for concerts. I also went to a tiny venue in a lounge of a house in Sea Point called Studio 7. It was there that I hear some of the best blues music I have ever come across. Dan Patlansky brought the house down. He was so talented that we later bought tickets in Kirstenbosch to another performance on his tour. We didn’t quite make it to actually hear him play, as most plans go here, but we did make it in time to hear a band that is basically the South African version of Creed. Hilarious. Furthermore, it was a beautiful venue and a lovely way to spend the public holiday, Human Rights Day. The day started through a bold move to rent an automatic car and drive to hike Crystal Pools. While I haven’t driven in six months, I decided that I would probably be to my advantage to forget driving on the right hand side during my left hand side adventure. It was surprisingly much easier than I anticipated. I drove 157km, parallel parked, parked in a tight space, drove into a small garage, filled up the tank of gas, crossed traffic, and drove on the highway without any misfortune finding me or my road trip pals. It gives me hope for more such trips and potentially renting a car for a longer period of time.

Finally, the last significant event I have attended lately was a Disabilities Expo held at CPUT Bellville campus and hosted by an organization called Nicky’s Drive. The purpose of the event was to inform the public about barriers created through physical disabilities and discuss potential solutions. My friend Cathy Arendse was the main organizer of the event, which showcased the founder of Nicky’s Drive, Nicky Abdino. Nicky is a clinical psychologist who was born without arms and with shortened legs. She drives herself anywhere she wants to go. Through fundraising and progress in technology, engineers were able to build a shoulder steering mechanism for Nicky to have independence in mobility. In addition, I was able to met Cathy’s former Fulbright mentors from Vanderbilt who also spoke at the event. The event was so uplifting, insightful, and influential; it made me far more grateful to be able to travel independently with or without a car.

Busy Beginnings at the SAHRC

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My work at the Western Cape (WC) providence South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) could not have started any faster. Work at the SAHRC has been fairly hectic[1] so far, causing me significant stress to work quickly and perform at high standards. I couldn’t be happier, though, because I feel that my skills are being fully utilized and challenged. Also, my experiences at the SAHRC have already given me hope that social justice and reconciliation are still happening in South Africa. Furthermore, I am so glad I am working at more than one organization and position. I would not have had as deep of an experience if I had limited myself to only one internship, industry, and organization—no matter which placement it was.

So far, the majority of my work has been in relation to issues within farm dweller communities. In several of the WC’s rural towns, farm workers have recently been conducting strikes to raise awareness of violations of their human and legal rights pertaining to labor, housing, education, policing/justice, social security, and transportation. Unfortunately, many of these strikes have turned violent, often through police-initiated brutality. In relation to farm dweller rights, my work has consisted of:

  • Creating a report on my research of historical and current farm dweller issues, relevant regulatory bodies, related stakeholders, and citing of each reference
  • Meeting with stakeholders including the Department of Agriculture, Women on Farms, PLAAS, LHR, Cheadle Thompson & Haysom Inc. Attorneys, Western Cape Economic Development Partnership, SPP, Mawubuye LRM, and CSAAWU for a roundtable discussion about the issues surrounding farm dweller communities to map current problems and stakeholder responsibilities.
  • Summarizing the stakeholder meeting in a report to SAHRC headquarters in Jo’burg
  • Writing and editing the stakeholder meeting minutes and contact details to be sent to each participant
  • Visiting de Doorns[2] to assist with complainant interviews

My other responsibilities at the SAHRC include:

  • Visiting Parliament to listen to the SAHRC presentation on Water and Sanitation Findings to the Department of Human Settlements
  • Meeting regularly with the WC staff and legal officers working on farm dwellers’ rights
  • Reading several newspapers daily to identify and file human rights issues for future research
  • Training for the filing and input of new complainants
  • Assisting administrative duties by answering calls and managing complainant intake
  • Logging detailed minutes of my daily work

It is hard to believe that I’ve been working at the SAHRC for less than a month. I am intrigued to see what other issues I will work with later. Thus far, my manager has been very present and communicated openly about the importance of balancing the Commission’s needs with my own personal and professional goals. I am looking forward to see what else I learn through my new placement.

[1] One of South Africans most overused and improperly used words

[2] De Doorns is a rural community past Worcester that has experienced a significant amount of police violence