From children’s rights to gender, queer community and gender rights, access to housing, water and sanitation to healthcare, government has made strides in ensuring that people's rights are protected. However, civil organisations say while a lot has been done, there is a long way to go in ensuring a democratic SA for all.
Our reporters Koena Mashale, Noxolo Sibiya and Jeanette Chabalala ask organisations to reflect on 30 yearsof a free SA as the country commemorated Human Rights Day yesterday.
Child Rights:
The Children Institute at the University of Cape Town said the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted children’s access to education, healthcare and birth registration, among others.
The institute’s communication and education specialist Lori Lake said the value of grants falls way below the food poverty line. “There is very little you can buy with R510 a month or R17 a day. So, while the CSG [child support grant] may be enough to take the edge of children’s hunger, it is not sufficient to provide children with a diverse and nutrient-rich diet,” said Lake.
“...Access to basic education is widespread (98%), yet 81% of grade 4 learners struggle to read for meaning. Despite government commitment to invest in young children outlined in the National Integrated ECD Policy, early learning programmes are underfunded, with only 47% of children developmentally on track,” said Lake.
UNICEF SA communication specialist Sudeshan Reddy said since the advent of democracy 30 years ago, the rights of children have been enshrined through the constitution (Section 28 of the Bill of Rights).
Reddy said SA continues to lead by example through its commitment to the passing of institutional and policy measures related to the realisation of child rights.
SA has come a long way from apartheid days
From children’s rights to gender, queer community and gender rights, access to housing, water and sanitation to healthcare, government has made strides in ensuring that people's rights are protected. However, civil organisations say while a lot has been done, there is a long way to go in ensuring a democratic SA for all.
Our reporters Koena Mashale, Noxolo Sibiya and Jeanette Chabalala ask organisations to reflect on 30 yearsof a free SA as the country commemorated Human Rights Day yesterday.
Child Rights:
The Children Institute at the University of Cape Town said the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted children’s access to education, healthcare and birth registration, among others.
The institute’s communication and education specialist Lori Lake said the value of grants falls way below the food poverty line. “There is very little you can buy with R510 a month or R17 a day. So, while the CSG [child support grant] may be enough to take the edge of children’s hunger, it is not sufficient to provide children with a diverse and nutrient-rich diet,” said Lake.
“...Access to basic education is widespread (98%), yet 81% of grade 4 learners struggle to read for meaning. Despite government commitment to invest in young children outlined in the National Integrated ECD Policy, early learning programmes are underfunded, with only 47% of children developmentally on track,” said Lake.
UNICEF SA communication specialist Sudeshan Reddy said since the advent of democracy 30 years ago, the rights of children have been enshrined through the constitution (Section 28 of the Bill of Rights).
Reddy said SA continues to lead by example through its commitment to the passing of institutional and policy measures related to the realisation of child rights.
Gender Rights:
Father a Nation spokesperson Craig Wilkinson said SA is still struggling with excessive rates of rape, gender-based violence (GBV) and violent crime.
Wilkinson said gender justice is going backwards rather than forward, and that the country seems to be fighting a losing battle.
“We’ve come a long way in terms of gender equality though; SA ... have numerous woman empowerment initiatives which are excellent, our policies are very good and corporates are coming to the party."
Wilkinson said attitude towards stereotypes needed to change so that people can have a common understanding culturally, from a global cultural perspective.
Housing, water and sanitation:
Abahlali baseMjondolo secretary Sandikazi Masiza said government's failure to provide housing could be lessened by giving people access to serviced stands where they can build houses for themselves.
"People want to build their own homes because RDPs seem to be a dream. People have an interest in doing things themselves but there is no will to give them access to land."
Masiza said illegal occupation of land shows that people are actually more interested in doing things themselves than waiting for government. She said since moving to Good Hope informal settlement in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, in 1996, the only improvement was the provision of chemical toilets which hardly get cleaned.
Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA researcher and advocate Lauren Royston said there was development of the case law around evictions where the most progress has been made. "What we have seen in the enactment of the prevention of illegal eviction and unlawful occupation of land acts. They have laid a foundation for realising the right to adequate housing at least in part when it comes to evictions..."
Queer Rights:
Triangle Projects' health manager Sharon Cox said in many ways, the queer community have come a long way. "It was recognised then, as it is now, that the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons needed to be explicitly stated [in the constitution]. What this does is provide a legal framework. What it doesn't do and what no piece of legislation can ever do, is change the attitudes of people, groupings or structures.
"LGBTIQ+ people continue to face prejudice, discrimination and/or having to out oneself because of the default heteronormative view," Cox said.
OUT LGBT Well-being civil society engagement officer Sibonelo Ncanana said there have been many significant changes impacting the LGBTIQ+ community – from seeing the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1998, to ushering in the Civil Union Act in 2006 which allows same-sex couples to marry.
"South Africa remains a country troubled with intolerances towards members of the LGBTIQ+ community, many of whom who face daily marginalisation from the communities in which they live in.
"Some other strides by the South African government have been the LGBTI National Intervention Strategy which was approved late last year. However, this NIS remains unfunded, meaning that government cannot implement proposed programmes that seek to deal with discrimination against the LGBTI community."
Healthcare:
Section 27 head of health rights Khanyisa Mapipa said in the advent of our democratic dispensation, the government was faced with the steep task of health reform which required the introduction and implementation of policies that promote accessibility and affordability of healthcare, particularly among those who were previously denied equal access to the health system.
"Some of the critical improvements made by the government in healthcare include a focus on the provision of primary healthcare at a district healthcare level and making these services free of charge. As a result of this and other policy interventions, South Africa has seen a marked improvement in the health outcomes of marginalised groups.
"However, the past 30 years has not been without its challenges. While there have been improvements in the infant mortality rates over the past 30 years, the statistics in this regard have fluctuated.
"The early 2000s saw a surge of HIV infections and the burden of the disease weighed heavily on the healthcare system as HIV denialism peaked. Improvements over the years as a result of the concerted rollout of antiretroviral treatment have saved millions of lives."
People's Health Movement coordinator Tinashe Njanji said SA is one of the most unequal countries.
"Pre-1994 we used to have a healthcare system for whites and a healthcare system for non-whites. Currently, we now have a healthcare system for the rich and a healthcare system for the poor. However, the wheels towards an equitable healthcare system are not moving as they should be. The two health systems are two worlds apart.
"Aiming to guarantee that all South Africans have access to universal health care, the National Health Insurance (NHI) program has undergone some developments in recent years..."
Njanji said underfunding and budget cuts causes lots of challenges. "In the past few years, health posts have been frozen. [There are] longer waiting times for treatment and surgical procedures, a reduction of the number of beds and staff burnout [occurs]."