On 2 January 2017, a strong, beautiful and tenacious young woman, with a heart made only of gold, was taken from us. A bright light in the lives of all who knew her, this loving mother of three children, was brutally assaulted and killed by her husband in Westlake, Cape Town. This mother of three was allegedly stabbed in full view of the community by her husband and residents claim he had been abusive towards her. South Africa has a femicide rate five times higher than the global average. “Research proves that the chances of a woman being murdered by someone that she knows or is in an intimate relationship with are much higher than any other type of murder… Motives are often financial, adultery or a love-triangle, custody or a residential battle for children.” – Anni Hesselink. In the words of community leader Vusumzi Nelani “This is a very sad case. This is what happens to many women and if the court is lenient this abuse will continue so we want the court to take this case very serious.” (News24, 26/07/2017) Please take a few minutes to sign today if you can. There are witnesses and three vulnerable young children we need to protect!! If we want our voices against domestic violence to count, we need them to count in court too!! Please share this link for friends, family and colleagues to sign. Thank you very much.

Just recently, the body of 22-year-old LGBTQ activist Noluvo Swelindawo was found near the N2 highway in Driftsands, a community near Khayelitsha. She had been shot in an alleged hate crime. It is in this light this, and many other cases of ongoing hate crimes against the LGBTI community that we welcome Cabinet’s approval to publish the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill for public comment. The Bill tackles a number of highly complex issues that require consultation with those most affected by the changes - if it is to achieve its stated aims to prevent and combat deaths like Noluvo's - and a proper consultation process takes time. We have waited for many years for the public release of the bill, and it is of utmost importance that the public consultation period allows civil society and the public in general to thoroughly and meaningfully engage with the bill and its potentially far-reaching provisions. After it has taken government nearly four years to draft the Bill, it is alarming that the public has been given a mere five weeks (until 1 December 2016) with a short extension over the holiday season (to 31 January 2017) to comment thereon. If the purpose is to craft an effective bill, the state needs to commit to coordinate robust public engagement and undertake in a process of deep reflection to ensure that the bill that is passed is the best bill possible. The current timeline does allow us to attempt to reach this ideal. As such, we are calling on the Department of Justice (DoJ) to extend the deadline for public comment to the 30 June 2017. We further request clear and detailed information on DoJ’s plan for convening extensive public consultations with representatives from civil society, non-governmental and community-based organisations and interested individuals on the draft bill.

We can improve service delivery and fight corruption in our Municipality by ensuring all Service Delivery Agreements (SDAs) are public and easily accessible to all. Some politicians, officials and businesses are scared about transparency, but if they aren't doing anything wrong, what have they got to hide. * This campaign by amandla.mobi is supported by Heinrich Böll Stiftung.

Amidst the violence at Wits University, Sarah Mokwebo, Hlengiwe Patricia Ndlovu and Lerato Motaung stripped during the protest at the main campus saying they were tired of being brutalised. The three women‚ faced the police with their hands crossed over their heads in an effort to stop the violence. Skhumba Hlope thereafter uploaded a video of himself body shaming the three women, making reference to "droopy breasts" also making fun of their stretch marks and bellies. While we completely support freedom of expression, Skhumba's comments are part of institutionalising the policing of women's bodies and reinforcing the idea that they exist for public consumption. By taking him off air until he publicly apologises, Kaya FM will be sending a firm signal to us all that the station does not endorse such views.

Researchers who took into account cost of living, have found that South Africa has the second most expensive data costs among BRICS countries [1]. Previously as reported by IOL, many have claimed that Mzansi’s data costs are the highest in the world: 1GB (gigabyte) of data costs R150 in Mzansi, compared to R11 in India, R22 in Nigeria and R23 in Namibia [2]. However, this comparison is not adjusted for cost of living, so in order to compare apples with apples. Indra de Lanerolle, an expert whose research concerns Internet access, use and development and the Internet's social, political and economic effects, in South Africa and the continent, agrees with the call for a 50% cut on data costs when he asserts, "On three major networks (which account for more than 95% of all mobile customers) 500MB – the amount of data they set as a minimum – of data costs between R85 and R105. So for the average South African 500MB per month is unaffordable. In fact mobile data prices would have to fall by about half to be affordable." [3] The digital divide excludes the majority of people in South Africa from accessing information and news, applying for jobs, accessing education resources online and keeping in touch with family and friends. High data costs perpetuate inequality. The internet must be democratised now! The nature of South Africa’s economy forces many to leave their loved ones to find work in urban areas, but lowering the cost of data will allow people to call, share pictures and videos with loved ones back home. Without access to data, most of us as the members of amandla. mobi would not even be able connect and fight for social justice, let alone know what is going on in our country given the SABC censoring news lately. [1] http://www.fin24.com/Tech/Multimedia/data-prices-how-sa-compares-to-the-rest-of-the-world-20160930 [2] http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/datamustfall-cut-costs-or-else-icasa-warns-2072293 [3] https://theconversation.com/internet-freedom-why-access-is-becoming-a-human-right-59125

The Lenasia Tech Grounds has been left in a terrible state for more than 20 years. In the last few months the City of Johannesburg had issued a tender to support the call by the community to upgrade the facility. Approximately 4.2 million rand was allegedly allocated by the City for this project, on a scope of work not agreed to by any of the stakeholders. The Lenasia Tech Grounds is one of the largest facilities in Johannesburg that caters to sports teams and communities in the South of Johannesburg. The facility caters to the needs from areas such as Soweto, Lenasia, Lehae, Thembilihle, Lenasia South, Lawley, Ennerdale, Orange Farm and Eldorado Park. Thousands of young and old continue to use this facility but with growing neglect many have stopped playing sport and/or have moved on to other clubs in far more privileged areas. Draining local talent and make it difficult to sustain on going sports programs. "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair"- Nelson Mandela. Unfortunately this continued neglect of the facility further entrenches the divide between communities and has only left us with despair and hopelessness. “Gauteng Cricket Board CEO Gregory Fredericks made a statement that illustrated the stark reality facing suburbs and areas associated with the Group Areas Act movement during Apartheid. After highlighting that cricket, unlike other sporting codes, requires facilities and fields that are different in that it is played over longer durations, and associated infrastructure should in fact cater to those requirements, he made explicit the point about how dehumanising it is to have clubs in the province that compete at various levels, with no access to basic amenities throughout the day. This point can be clearly understood when seen through the lens of the Tech facility In Lenasia. A spread of 8 fields, with a single built structure of toilets that are not properly maintained and have minimal functionality remain the central feature of this facility. This council facility is shared by cricketers and soccer players alike, and this in no way assists either sporting code.” (Mangera, A, Sport as a Catalyst for Community and Social Development, 2017) We, the concerned residents of the Lenasia and Thembilihle area, sports bodies, cultural groups and organisations from in and around Lenasia who make use of the facility regularly, civil society and religious bodies, are calling for accountability from the Mayor, the MMC, and all department heads responsible for this project by the City of Johannesburg. This facility caters to thousands of people from all over the region and yet no clear scope of work had been given to the relevant stakeholders and to date all the work done at the facility does not account or reflect the expenditure of the tax payer’s money. We require immediate intervention and assessment into this matter to ensure all funds can be accounted for and spent on the development of the facility. With high levels of corruption rampant within all spheres of government we demand accountability and transparency. Monies spent from the public purse must be spent in its full extent to the development of our communities and not for profiteering tenderprenuers and corrupt officials. Either money was not spent, the tender was overpriced or there was a lack of oversight and monitoring done by the city on the services provided. Our country is in dire need of ethical leadership and we hope that those responsible will take harsh measures for any wrongdoing found in the above mentioned issue. What has happened to Lenasia's Sporting Facility funds? https://soundcloud.com/radioislam/what-has-happened-to-lenasias-sporting-facility-funds https://risingsunlenasia.co.za/53264/lenasia-sports-fraternity-arms-sports-facility/ Video Call to Action: https://wp.me/p8PLB1-1w

Between late 2017 and early 2018 our country went down in history for the biggest listeria outbreak in history, affecting over 1000 people and killing almost 300. Many families were robbed of their loved ones by the very thing they work to put on their table- food. Thousands of lives were affected by the decisions of a group of individuals employed by the biggest and most indispensable industry in the universe, its all good and well that the perpetrators are being held accountable for their actions and it is also commendable that they are cooperative and willing to attempt to compensate for the damage caused (though 300 fold irreversible)- my issue is not about corrective action, its in preventative action, the listeria outbreak should have opened our eyes to the fact that the giant that is our food industry is not indestructible, in fact in as much as the industry is one of our greatest assets, it can easily turn into our biggest serial killer, with unsuspecting civilians as its prey and deadly bacteria as its modus operandi- we need to implement not only corrective action but preventative action as well, surely we can't wait until another outbreak or more lives lost before we educate society that listeria is not the only food-related pathogen? That there are a handful of other deadly germs that are waiting for ideal conditions to pounce. I think Africa has always placed so much focus on food availability and food security and I feel that not enough emphasis has been placed on what we should look out for when we finally get our hands on food. We need to educate the general public on what to look out for, how to prepare and store food safely, what to do when they suspect food is unsafe etc to help prevent another negative world record again.