Four examples of what can be expected:
- The HRRC shows that the State has not nearly fulfilled its mandate to address inequality, specifically socio-economic inequality. According to the World Bank’s tracking of the Gini coefficient (a measure of income inequality), South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world;
- The State has failed dismally in providing access to education to children with disabilities. They face multiple layers of discrimination and this issue requires urgent, targeted State intervention;
- The Report Card also shows that the State’s proposed employment equity measures in the newEmployment Equity Amendment Bill 2018, which envisions sectoral numerical targets, are a far cry from the nuanced approach desperately needed to address socio-economic disadvantage;
- Although statistics show that fewer infants were infected with HIV in 2018 and life expectancy has increased, the extent of maladministration and governance failures reported at provincial healthcare facilities – as indicated in the HRRC – place the right to access to healthcare in an extremely vulnerable position.
The Report Card assesses the fulfilment of each right in the Bill of Rights for the year under review. Court decisions, proposed legislation, repeated incidents reported in the media and the reports of well-established bodies were considered to grade the fulfilment of each right.
The purpose of the Report Card is to identify trends in human rights violations and to inform the public of these vital developments. It is also hoped it will act as a catalyst for change in ensuring human rights are upheld and protected.
At today’s event, guest speakers will share their views on the impact of developments in 2018 on certain rights. They include:
- Mr Ghalib Galant, Deputy National Coordinator of the Right2Know Campaign (R2K);
- Mr Jay Kruuse, Director of the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM); and
- Ms Fiona van Kerwel, Project Manager of the Words Open Worlds Project (WOW) at the University of Stellenbosch.
The launch will be live-streamed via the CFCR’s Facebook Page, from 17h30 onwards. A snapshot of the Report Card’s findings in relation to each right can be accessed HERE, and the full Report Card will be available after the launch, on the CFCR’s website.
Issued by the Centre for Constitutional Rights
19 March 2019
