Sonke Gender Justice mourns the loss of veteran broadcaster Xolani Gwala
Today Sonke Gender Justice pays its respects to seasoned broadcaster Xolani Gwala. We are profoundly saddened by the news of his passing after a two year long battle with cancer. His family confirmed the news to his 702 colleagues and listeners this morning. Born in 1975 at Impendle, KwaZulu-Natal, ‘XG’ or Bra X as he […]
Sonke and #UniteBehind will have a joint action to highlight the issues of GBV and women and children’s safety on public transport
The action, taking place at the tail end of transport month on the 31st October 2019 at the Cape Town Station will see activists, public transport commuters and other road users share their experiences and converging to demand authorities to address their collective concerns. The action will be followed by a march to parliament, where […]
Convicted Dros rapist Nicholas Ninow showed no remorse for his actions and sought to evade accountability on the basis of his abuse of drugs and alcohol
Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) welcomes the judgment of the Pretoria High Court handed down on 17 October, which sentenced convicted child rapist, Nicholas Ninow, to life imprisonment. Ninow was also sentenced to 5 years for drug possession and defeating the ends of justice, which will run concurrently with the life sentence. Crime Statistics for the […]
Launch of the Decriminalisation of Petty By-Laws Campaign in South Africa
Today, World Homeless Day, marks the official launch of a civil society campaign to decriminalise poverty-related by-laws in South Africa. We reject the effective criminalisation of poverty through municipal by-laws currently targeting the poor and the most marginalised in South Africa. Various South African municipalities enforce by-laws criminalising or penalising conduct related to the performance […]
Sonke Gender Justice calls on the government to take effective and pragmatic steps to combat the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide
Sonke Gender Justice is calling on the government to take effective and pragmatic steps to combat the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide. Sonke welcomes the decision by the SA legislature to set up time in parliament for a debate on the scourge of GBV and femicides. Given the gravity of this situation we trust […]
Landmark moment for child rights in South Africa
Joint press release by respondents and amici curiae in the case of Freedom of Religion South Africa v Minister of Justice & Constitutional Development & others [Children’s Institute (UCT); Quaker Peace Centre; Sonke Gender Justice; Centre for Child Law; The Parent Centre; Global Initiative to End All Forms of Corporal Punishment of Children; Dullah Omar […]
Recurring attacks of non-nationals of African descent in South Africa must be dealt with urgently!
It is of major concern that South Africa continues to be the site of persecution of fellow Africans from other parts of the continent. Cross-border long distance truck drivers transporting goods to, and through, South Africa have been under attack from locals in recent weeks. The economic capital, Johannesburg, came to a stand-still when businesses […]
Sonke Gender Justice and Lawyers for Human Rights victorious in litigation seeking to improve the independence of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services
Today, on 5 September 2019, the Western Cape High Court handed down judgment in Sonke Gender Justice / President RSA and others. Judge Boqwana declared unconstitutional the provisions in the Correctional Services Act (111 of 1998) which require that the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) is i) dependent on the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) […]
Sonke Gender Justice is calling on the South African government to implement a fully-funded national strategic plan to combat gender-based violence
Sonke Gender Justice is calling on the South African government to urgently implement a fully funded multi-sectoral National Strategic Plan to combat gender-based violence (GBV). South Africa’s femicide rates are disturbingly high. According to The World Health Organisation (WHO), 12.1 in every 100 000 women are victims of femicide in South Africa each year – […]
Eastern Cape water crisis needs urgent government response
Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) is deeply concerned by the ongoing water crisis in the Eastern Cape, which directly affects communities which Sonke works with in the Amathole District Municipality. This crisis infringes the fundamental rights of these community members, including the right of access to sufficient water; the right to clean and decent sanitation; the […]
World leaders must act now to protect girls’ childhoods says Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP Nigeria)
Society for the Improvement of Rural People today publicly called on the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR and the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Pauline Tallen, to reinforce their commitment to end child marriage in Nigeria; at an event held in […]
Sonke launches @catcalls campaign against GBV
In collaboration with an international social media advocacy campaign, Sonke Gender Justice has launched a one-month-long initiative during Women’s Month documenting the lived experiences of womxn, girls and members of the LGBTQI+ community in South Africa. The concept was inspired by the Instagram initiative @catcallsofnyc created by Sophie Sandberg which has garnered a following of […]
Sonke calls for action against Basic Education Spokesperson for irresponsible tweets sexualising women’s bodies as part of a campaign to promote reading
Sonke Gender Justice is concerned that civil servant, Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the national Department of Basic Education (DBE), sees it fit to take to twitter and use images of semi-naked women, posing as if they were reading – with captions such as reading is “therapeutic”, “relaxes the mind, body and soul” and “feels good” […]
Sonke is alarmed by funding crisis faced by Thuthuzela Care Centres and the impact on survivors of gender-based violence
Sonke Gender Justice is alarmed by recent media reports which claim that half of the Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) across the country are without counselling services or forced to rely on only one or two social workers to assist victims of sexual abuse and violence, due to lack of funding.1 This is partly because funding from […]
Sonke welcomes Landmark ruling by Botswana High Court abolishing homophobic laws and condemns treatment of George Barasa by South Africa’s Home Affairs
Sonke Gender Justice welcomes yesterday’s ruling by Botswana’s High Court which abolished colonial-era laws that criminalised homosexuality. Under the Botswana penal code, a person could face up to seven years imprisonment for same-sex relations. The ruling is a significant victory for LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights on the continent, where as many […]
Civil rights organisations call for release of Farirai Gumbonzvanda and her co-accused
MenEngage Africa and MenEngage Global Alliance are regional and global alliances connecting over 44 country networks and 6 regional networks across the world advocating for gender justice and the promotion of human rights, and together with Sonke Gender Justice, we call for the immediate release and dropping of all charges against Farirai Gumbonzvanda, a 25 […]
Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work celebrates President Ramaphosa’s commitment to decriminalise sex work
On 5 June 2019, the Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work, its members and allies will gather at Parliament to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa for his commitment to the decriminalisation of sex work and to the safeguarding sex worker human rights during the signing of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Declaration (March 2019). […]
Sonke and Lawyers for Human Rights call for greater prison oversight from Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services
On 13 December 2016, Sonke Gender Justice and Lawyers for Human Rights filed an application in the Western Cape High Court, citing the government and the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (“JICS”) as respondents. The purpose of the case is to facilitate greater oversight over South African prisons in order to help safeguard inmates’ rights […]
Sonke joins ‘Stop the Bantustan Bills’ campaign to oppose Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill and Traditional Courts Bill
On 5 June 2019, Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) as part of the Alliance for Rural Democracy, will march against the signing into law of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill (TKLB) and the passing into law of the Traditional Courts Bill (TCB). Sonke and our civil society partners contend that these Bills are unconstitutional as […]
SECTION27 and Sonke deeply concerned with Alabama Abortion Act and US restrictions on sexual and reproductive health rights
Civil society organisations SECTION27 and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) are deeply concerned by the recent signing of the “Alabama Human Life Protection Act”, the most recent law in a wave of anti-abortion legislative measures made under the Trump administration. These measures are a direct attack against the advancement of sexual and reproductive rights of women […]
Sonke Gender Justice stands with Caster Semenya following Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling which contravenes her right to physical and bodily integrity
The recent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling which will force athlete Caster Semenya to take medication to significantly reduce her testosterone levels in order to run internationally in events between 400m and one mile, will have far-reaching implications – not just for Caster but for other transgender and intersex people in sport. The […]
Sonke calls for independent review process into Gugu Ncube’s claims of sexual harassment at UNISA
On Wednesday, 13 March 2019, Gugu Ncube was arrested after a peaceful protest she held outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Gugu wore only her panties and a piece of cloth, while holding a placard addressed to President Ramaphosa, which read: “I was raped, sexually harassed […] I spoke out, they lied that I had resigned. […]
Sonke joins SANEF and other CSOs in condemning recent attacks on journalist Karima Brown
Sonke Gender Justice joins the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF) and other civil society organisations in condemning the recent threats made against talk show host, journalist and producer Karima Brown by supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). On Wednesday 6 March 2019, Brown inadvertently sent a message intended for her producers to an […]
Sonke Gender Justice calls for survivor-centred support in Babes Wodumo assault case
Sonke Gender Justice expresses concern at responses to a video shared on social media on Monday 4 March 2019, showing what appears to be the singer Bongekile ‘Babes Wodumo’ Simelane being assaulted by her partner, Mandla ‘Mampintsha’ Maphumulo. This is not the first time allegations of abuse have arisen against Mampintsha, who currently has a […]
