Mental health patients are one of our vulnerable populations, and needs care and protection. Care for those suffering from mental illnesses should be conducted in a dignified manner. The 2013-2020 South African Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic highlights the fact that "the human rights of people with mental illness should be promoted and protected". The relocation of the Life Esidimeni patients are in stark contrast to the Mental Health Policy and the South African Disability Act. A number of reports have indicated that the necessary care and human rights treatment of these patients have not been met. "Just because You can't Speak; doesn't Mean You don't have Anything to Say" MENTAL HEALTH CARE ACT 17 OF 2002 ACT To provide for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of persons who are mentally ill; to set out different procedures to be followed in the admission of such persons; to establish Review Boards in respect of every health establishment; to determine their powers and functions; to provide for the care and administration of the property of mentally ill persons; to repeal certain laws; and to provide for matters connected therewith. PREAMBLE RECOGNISING that health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being and that mental health services should be provided as part of primary, secondary and tertiary health services; RECOGNISING that the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996), prohibits against unfair discrimination of people with mental or other disabilities; RECOGNISING that the person and property of a person with mental disorders or mental disabilities, may at times require protection and that members of the public and their properties may similarly require protection from people with mental disorders or mental disabilities; and RECOGNISING further that there is a need to promote the provision of mental health care services in a manner which promotes the maximum mental well-being of users of mental health care services and communities in which they reside [http://www.hpcsa.co.za/Uploads/editor/UserFiles/downloads/legislations/acts/mental_health_care_act_17_of_2002.pdf] WHITE PAPER ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Approved by Cabinet on 9 December 2015 The White Paper is a call to action for government, civil society and the private sector to work together to ensure the socio-economic inclusion of persons with disabilities. We therefore seek to create a caring and inclusive society that protects and develops the human potential of its children, a society for all where persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights as their fellow citizens, and where all citizens and institutions share equal responsibility for building such a society. “Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms. To promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other measures designed to protect or advance persons or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination may be taken.” The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 [http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/39792_gon230.pdf]

Ma Grace, a pensioner from Makwassie in the North West province, experienced airtime deductions from her SASSA account despite her not owning a cell phone. In February 2014, Minister Dlamini ordered SASSA to refund Ma Grace for these monthly airtime deductions. Mr Bani, a pensioner from Nyanga near Cape Town, received a partial refund for unauthorised & unlawful loans deductions from INFAJFIN in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape after months of seeking recourse. But there are still scores of beneficiaries who are struggling to register their recourse complaint, let alone enjoy the benefit of a refund! In May 2016, in a decisive move, the Minister of Social Development issued new regulations to stop the tide of unauthorised and unlawful debit and other deductions from the SASSA bank account. But in June 2016, Net1, a few of its subsidiaries and other commercial companies took DSD and SASSA to court in four legal cases. The Black Sash and six co-applicants asked the court to order that the Minister publish regulations to protect social grants from exploitation if: (a) DSD and SASSA’s interpretation is correct; and (b) that the interpretation renders the new regulations unconstitutional. Government should be given the opportunity to fix the new regulations, if defective, to protect vulnerable beneficiaries from predatory and unscrupulous financial and other third party service providers. Finally, we note the Constitutional Court order in April 2012 that SASSA must lodge a report within 14 days, of not awarding a new tender, “on whether and when it will be ready to assume the duty to pay the grants itself” (in-source). In November 2015, SASSA submitted a plan to ConCourt with clear deliverables & timeframes for taking over payment of grants by the end of the CPS/SASSA contract in March 2017. We are closely monitoring SASSA’s progress in this regard.

The case of black political prisoners still in jail sends a message that the life of a black person does not mean anything even to other black people more specifically black government(with a colonised minds).It i more important to this democratic to release a mass murderer like De Kock than to release Kenny Motsamai.

Over the last few weeks, we have heard of Black learners at different schools across Mzansi being subjected to having swimming caps put over their heads to determine whether their hair is "neat"; receiving demerits for speaking in their native languages and being told their natural hair is "untidy". This is a result of both the abuse of process in the form of code of conducts to discriminate and exclude, as well as the arbitrary implementation of these codes. This is happening despite the fact that the South African government has guidelines for the consideration of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) when developing code of conducts. You see the South African Schools Act states the "main focus of the Code of Conduct must be positive discipline; it must not be punitive and punishment oriented but facilitate constructive learning" and that it is done in consultation with "parents, learners, educators, and non-educators at that school" [1]. This is to ensure that process includes as many stakeholders as possible, including the learners who will be required to adhere to the code of conduct. Also to ensure that it is not used to discriminate and exclude, both through its content and arbitrary implementation, but rather contribute towards learning and development. Our education system, like many other South African systems, continues to suffer from colonial hangovers perpetuated by those who want to continue to use our schools as a means of maintaining the status quo. As learners from different parts of the country demand an end to this, lets stand in solidarity with them and make sure that our leaders know this is a key issue, and we won't stop until they ensure that the schools in their respective provinces adhere to these guidelines. [1] http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/18900.pdf

From 1960 to 1983, the apartheid government forcibly moved 3.5 million black South Africans in one of the largest mass removals of people in modern history. There were several political and economic reasons for these removals. First, during the 1950s and 1960s, large-scale removals of Africans, Indians, and Coloureds were carried out to implement the Group Areas Act, which mandated residential segregation throughout the country. More than 860,000 people were forced to move in order to divide and control racially-separate communities at a time of growing organized resistance to apartheid in urban areas; the removals also worked to the economic detriment of Indian shop owners. Sophiatown in Johannesburg (1955-63) and District Six in Cape Town (beginning in 1968) were among the vibrant multi-racial communities that were destroyed by government bulldozers when these areas were declared "white." District 6 land earmarked for restitution was 150 hectares, but developments on the land have reduced the land to 42 hectares. More is planned to be taken away. By having D6 declared a National Heritage Site stops further encroachment, meant for restitution. It does not stop an appropriate and comprehensive development that speaks to restitution and restoration. Shahied Ajam, director of the District Six Working Committee, says: “The social evils affecting our people today can be attributed to the apartheid legacy, where gangs and drugs are a direct result of people being dispossessed ... and having to defend their territory.”

Community safety is compromised here and we can't keeping seeing the same result in the Crime Stats report. People are increasingly unsafe and our constitutional rights are surely in jeopardy here with the state failing to provide adequate security. Imagine this: a community where people don't have enough space due to overpopulation and informal settlements, a clear breeding ground for many social ills with this ignored problem of ever-increasing crime stats. All of this happening in a City with an impeccable tourism track record and is considered the go-to place around the world. This irony can no longer be ignored. It's in these small actions, i.e. building a much-needed police station that we can start to turn the tide and provide support to the communities that desperately need it. Clearly those in power in this province aren't interested.

Without the qualification one studies for many doors remain inaccessible to the students who cannot afford to settle account while they have academically qualified to graduate. If the purpose of our nations creation was meant to usher in an age where social caveats become meaningless & society is developed by empowering those who were previously left out of the development of their fatherland then surely denying access to someone whose single mother might have been able to pay their fees but falls short because of the death or insolvency of a parent or guardian; should that person continue to live in the shadow of poverty accepting any menial work while depriving the nation of an educated and industrious talent? Surely our nation can do better by a youth who offers so much promise for tomorrow; and surely a youth whose only solemn plea to its government and institutions of higher learning remains steadfast and sincere in the acquisition of education which is meant to benefit the entire society regardless of race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation or whatever artificial social constructs that stop us from looking at people as they are; people. The promises made to the parents of my generation are now long overdue; our youth need their society to raise them up because without our youth in a position towards social mobility the continued degeneration of our nation is a gurantee. Economic apartheid needs to be abolished so that no more African children have to feel outcasts in the land of their birth based only on the commas and numbers on their academic records instead of the fortitude of the discipline it took to achieve these qualifications amidst strenuous circumstances. We can no longer turn our backs on the vulnerable members of our society and expect them to fend for themselves and then wonder why crime, murder, drug abuse and the like continue to adversely affect SA's youth. The time for change is NOW!

Right now, learners at Pretoria High school are demanding that racist practices at the school are brought to an end. Girls attending the school have been forced to straighten their hair; are accused of conspiring when standing in groups and face other intolerable comments and actions. We stand in solidarity with the learners, who marched at the school on the 26th to say enough is enough. It is unacceptable that in a country in which Black people are a demographic majority, we still today continue to be expected to pander to whiteness and to have it enforced through school policy. Black children should be allowed to just be children, without being burdened with having to assert their humanity.

Claimants rights are important to correct the injustice of the past. Some claimants have died not seeing justice, among them, the great Chief Muyexe.

Steven Anderson is a well-known spewer of hate speech against specifically the LGBTI community as this article attests to. http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/06/24/watch-anti-gay-pastor-who-wants-to-kill-them-all-gets-bad-news-and-throws-massive-temper-tantrum/ Southern Law Poverty Center deemed Anderson and his church, Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ, a hate group. Also, the Secret Service was out to Anderson's house to question him because he and his church prayed for Obama's death. He is coming to Kempton Park to bring his unique brand of hate to South Africa, and this cannot be tolerated or allowed as LGBTI rights are protected by the Constitution, and there is already enough homophobia the flames of which do not need fanning. This is not a petition against Christianity, but against using Christianity as an excuse to call for the death of a certain sector of society and to spread a message of hate and intolerance. GaySA Radio is taking the lead on this and asking everybody who stands for peace and love to sign this petition. We are calling on all LGBTI organisations as well as Human Rights Organisations, as well as the South African public at large and the international community to show their support. www.gaysaradio.co.za For live updates listen to http://gaysaradio.ndstream.net

Black lives matter.

As South Africans, we have a limited understanding of the complex issues facing Zimbabwe, but what we do know is that the struggle against injustice and inequality cannot prevail if citizen voices are silenced. Last week's national stay-away and subsequent protests in response to government corruption, wage disputes and import and export bans, among others, have been met by severe police brutality, the intimidation and arrest of journalists and protesters and internet censorship. Pastor Evan Mawarire, who has been leading the #ThisFlag movement, has also been arrested and charged with inciting violence and disturbing the peace. We can no longer remain silent about the conditions facing our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe. Lets stand together and support the demands of the #ZimShutDown2016 and #ThisFlag movements. Sign and share this petition as a show of African solidarity!