Why Should Bergview Past Pupils Sign the Petition? Because we know what it should feel like to be safe at school. Because we walked those corridors. Sat in those classrooms. Because we were once those learners — and we know they deserve better. Signing the petition is not just about showing solidarity. It’s about standing up against the gross violations of learner safety happening at our former school. It’s about using our voices and influence to demand accountability, change, and protection for the next generation. We cannot be silent while learners are unsafe in a place meant to empower them. Let’s make sure Bergview lives up to the values it taught us. South African schools have a legal and constitutional duty to safeguard the safety and well-being of all learners. Section 28(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa asserts that “a child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.” This principle is operationalized through the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, which obligates schools to implement reasonable measures ensuring learner safety on school premises and during school activities. The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 further mandates that any individual responsible for a child—including educators and school governing bodies—must protect them from maltreatment, abuse, neglect, and degradation.​ Judicial interpretations have reinforced these obligations. In the case of MEC for Education, North West Province v Izak Boshoff Foster and Others [2023] ZASCA 11, the Supreme Court of Appeal held a school liable for injuries sustained by a learner during a rugby match due to the absence of competent first aid providers. The court emphasized that schools, acting in loco parentis, have a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to learners under their care. ​ Moreover,  The "Regulations Relating to Safety Measures at Independent Schools," issued under Government Gazette No. 26663 on 20 August 2004, outline the safety requirements and protocols that independent schools must adhere to. These regulations provide detailed guidelines for maintaining a safe environment for learners and staff. Issued by Bergview College Alumni

The NCGBVF Act, in its current form, does not adequately reflect the 2018 commitment to combat GBVF. The Act must be urgently reviewed, and its shortcomings must be addressed through a participatory process that involves all key stakeholders. While the recent enactment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act (NCGBVF Act) was intended to mark a significant step towards better leadership, coordination, and accountability in the fight against GBVF, it has unfortunately fallen short of its purpose. As it currently stands, the Act is grossly inadequate.  References [1] President Cyril Ramaphosa signs into law National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill and National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 24 May 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouCS6gOqw0k

We have to act now, POWA urgently needs our help. If enough of us come together, we can force President Ramaphosa and Premier Lesufi to act. The team at POWA are doing everything they can, but they need our help. GBVF is a priority in South Africa and a serious social ill that affects women and children. Our President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa declared GBFV as a national pandemic. POWA provides critical services that help victims and survivors. Cutting funding undermines victims.  “While we wait, women continue to die at the hands of men!” - POWA's executive director, Thoko Budaza.

We strive to create Muslim spaces in South Africa that are safe, affirming and supporting to LGBTQ Muslims. We exist, we strive to achieve our full freedom and live with our dignity intact. As Muslims who believe in the oneness, the Beneficent and Merciful. All people deserve to enjoy a life free from oppression and discrimination. Together we can dismantle oppressive institutions and build safe, affirming and kind spaces for LGBTQIA+ Muslims and all persons. [1] https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/muslim-judicial-council-issues-short-fatwa-against-gays-70bdab57-583c-4978-9ca8-891cc0bc9476

This is an issue that affects everyone in our society - learners, educators, school admin staff, and anyone who has, or will have, a child in the school system. There is a saying that 'it takes a village to raise a child'. Well, it takes a caring society to protect its children from exposure to the risk of harm. Alcohol use is already a major problem in our country. Schools in some communities already face the challenge of having large numbers of liquor outlets around them and very close to them. Some already have problems with alcohol being used on their premises. Making it possible for schools to have liquor for the purpose of fund-raising simply increases the risks for all of those at schools - learners, educators, admin staff, and even family members who interact with the school. If schools have a problem raising funds, government and society must work with them to address it in other ways - allowing schools to raise money through liquor is not the answer. We should be better than that as a society, as South Africans. We call on you to join us in urging the government to scrap the sections in the BELA Bill which will allow liquor on school premises and at school events. Support the call for a complete ban on liquor on school premises (except for personal use by staff who live on school property). Demand better funding models for our schools so that all children have access to quality education in a safe and protected environment. Fly a blue ribbon at your school in support of the campaign; wear blue ribbons as a group as you participate in school activities. Write to the Minister at [email protected] to tell her what you think of the alcohol clauses in the BELA Bill. Write to the Portfolio Committee in Parliament by 15 June to register your opposition to the alcohol clauses in the Bill - Mr Llewellyn Brown, the Committee Secretary via email: [email protected] or online at https://forms.gle/MoC6AdbdQyYPk3Y49 or via WhatsApp: +27 60 550 9848. Mr Llewellyn Brown can be reached on 083 709 8450 for enquiries. Download the BELA Bill from https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Bills/2022/B2_2022_Basic_Education_Laws_Amendment_Bill/B2_2022_Basic_Education_Laws_Amendment_Bill.pdf Together we can win this one!

Koffi Olomide has a documented history of violence directed at women. In March 2019 he was convicted of statutory rape in France and between 2002 and 2006, sexually assaulted his dancers [2]. In July 2016, he was deported from Kenya for assaulting one of his dancers [3]. Allowing him to perform in Kenya right after the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls global campaign, right after Human Rights Day, and right before Jamhuri Day would undermine the victims of his actions and derail all the progress our country has made in the fight against GBV. Neither of these scenarios must be allowed nor tolerated, as Kenya already has a GBV crisis and must not reward perpetrators with platforms such as this. It is all our moral responsibility to ensure Kenya does not become a magnet for foreign criminal elements, especially those that violate the human rights of women and girls. [1] https://www.kenya24news.com/lifestyle/koffi-olomide-set-for-nairobi-concert/203042-news [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47615273 [3] https://africa.cgtn.com/2016/07/23/koffi-olomide-deported-by-kenya-after-he-assaulted-one-of-his-dancers/

Martha Libuseng Marumo is a survivor of domestic violence. She spent many years of her marriage trying to keep herself safe from her sexually and physically abusive husband. After years of trying to get help from the police to escape this violence, Martha was told by them that they could not help her because “it is a family matter” [1]. In the end, after many attempts to free herself she took the law into her own hands and killed her husband. In 2005 she was given a life sentence for killing her husband in defense of herself and her children. She recently shared details of her story at the National Gender-based Violence (GBV) summit on how her husband would beat her, force himself on to her, and take away her agency as a woman. Martha’s story isn’t unique but is one of many tragic examples of how the justice system fails women, and other survivors of gender-based violence. Everyday women interact with this unjust system when they try to escape violent and abusive situations. Enough is enough! A recent police report also showed that 59% of South Africans feel dissatisfied with the courts [2]. Our country needs to fix this system that stigmatises survivors and lets perpetrators walk free. It’s time that the judicial system chooses a side: does it care about survivors or does it protect perpetrators?

Gender-based violence has become rampant in South Africa. Women and children are brutally murdered daily. We cannot continue to go on like everything is normal. IT IS TIME TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST GBV. The government and private sector have to come together and remove the systemic barriers to gender equality and advocate for behavioural change in order to turn the tide that has made violence against women and children a societal norm. The two women who were brutally murdered had families and children. They were part of a community who were highly dependant on them. We need to build a justice system that women and children will feel confident in. We need a legal framework that will stand firmly against GBV and be in full support of women and children. The deaths of all these extraordinary women will not be in vain.

Geldenhuys has sexually abuse about a dozen under-aged boys in at least four towns—Balfour, Mafikeng, Randfontein and Pretoria—since he registered with the HPCSA on 12 June 1980. These are only the victims we know of who have reached out to us. Many more have not come forward due to fear, stigma, and the complete failure of the justice system and accountable institutions such as the HPCSA. For example, in 1998, a year early, the HPCSA lifted the tardy three-year suspension it handed down in 1996 of Geldenhuys's membership after he had been convicted in 1991 in Balfour of an "indecent act" against a minor. Geldenhuys was convicted of the same crime again in 2002 in Randfontein, but it is unclear what, if anything, the HPCSA did about this. And after Geldenhuys was again found guilty in 2005 in Pretoria of multiple counts of "indecent assault" on a minor and received a prison sentence of 7 years (later reduced), the HPCSA reinstated his membership – providing him further direct access to minor children, some of whom may be among his silenced victims. The HPCSA lists "upholding and maintaining ethical and professional standards within the health professions" among its missions, but appears to have failed in this instance. Our desire is not to assign blame but to find out what happened and to work with the HPCSA to strengthen the mechanisms by which it works towards this mission – so that no child will again suffer sexual abuse due to the institutional's failures.

Those arrested for allegedly perpetrating such violent crimes pose a severe threat to community safety and the mental and emotional well-being of ordinary citizens. Those on trial for violating human rights should not enjoy the freedom afforded by such rights until such time as they are proven innocent.

Those arrested for allegedly perpetrating such violent crimes pose a severe threat to community safety and the mental and emotional well-being of ordinary citizens. Those on trial for violating human rights should not enjoy the freedom afforded by such rights until such time as they are proven innocent. In addition, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Parliament to pass a law that will prevent the granting of bail to suspects charged with rape and murder earlier this month. Let this serve to remind the President of what he has promised, and that we expect him to keep his word.

South Africa has the highest rates of rape and gender based violence. Women and children are not safe in homes, schools, university campuses, churches, at work - basically everywhere. We need to know who amongst us are convicted sex offenders so that we can protect ourselves There are raging protests all over the country, hashtags. We are tired of talking, this is one action that can help us deal with this scourge head on. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has, in terms of Chapter 6 of the Act, implemented the National Register for Sex Offenders on 30th June 2009. The Register contains information of people who have been convicted of sexual offences against children and mentally disabled people. Currently, the Register is not available to the public, only employers can access it. If the Registry's intention is to protect children and mentally disabled people against sex offenders why is it not accessible to the public?