South Sudan is Africa’s youngest country having gained independence 8 years ago from Sudan. A civil conflict broke out in 2013 and it is estimated that 400,000 people have been killed during this war. Rape is being used as a weapon of war in South Sudan by soldiers from all sides of the conflict. This means thousands of women and children in South Sudan are not safe. Time and again we have heard horrific stories of rape including of children as young as 10 years and grandmothers over the age of 65 years. Even more horrifying is UNICEF’s estimates that as many as 25% of the victims of conflict related rape and other forms of sexual violence in South Sudan are children. As South Africans, we are deeply concerned about the conflict related sexual violence in South Sudan which has spiked dramatically after the signing of the September 2018 peace agreement. We are shocked by the outright dismissal and denial of conflict related sexual violence cases by South Sudanese authorities which encourages perpetrators and further traumatises the survivors of such violence. We believe in Ubuntu, sisterhood and the Pan-African spirit that binds us with South Sudan under the African Union and choose today to stand in solidarity with the women and children of South Sudan. We call on President Ramaphosa and International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor to work on our behalf towards ending conflict related sexual and gender-based violence in South Sudan. Sign this petition and stand in solidarity with the women of South Sudan fighting sexual and gender-based violence. Your voice will join thousands more who are calling on President Ramaphosa and International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor to use South Africa’s leadership position in the African Union and the UN Security Council to help bring about real and lasting peace in Africa’s youngest nation.

Schools are institutions of learning and not only learning about modules placed in curriculum's but also raising and emphasizing the importance of self-discovery and identity. Students need to learn more about themselves as well as their cultures and then teach others about it. When we teach young black girls that their hair has to be changed so they can suit a certain school culture what are we teaching them about themselves and how they were born? Schools should embrace the black culture and not try to change it. Most of these schools implemented their hair policies way before African black children were allowed into the then-White-only schools so they are not very inclusive of the black culture and the way African hair grows.Were the hair policies of schools reviewed after Apartheid and changed to suit everyone's hair needs? Each school can have different policies and school cultures as long as black pupils do not feel like they are being prejudiced against how they look as Africans. Schools need to also enforce educating themselves on African black cultures and how the African hair grows if they continue to enforce hair policies. [1] Pretoria Girls High pupils were victims of racism-MEC, Lizeka Tandwa for News24, 2016/12/03 [2] Gauteng High School embroiled in natural hair scandal, Silindelo Masikane for the eNCA, Monday 11, March, 2019 [3] Several State & Private Schools have bans on Dreadlocks. Afros and braids, Prega Govender for Mail & Gaurdian, 02, September, 2016 [4]School Governing Bodies: Play your part, Department of basic education 2019 [5] Lesufi gives Kempton Park school deadline to change hair policy, Nation Nyoka for News24, 25/07/2017

The issue is important because the article is published as scientific research but draws on colonial stereotypes of African women, and 'Coloured' South African women specifically, as intellectually deficient. The article relies on flawed methodology and science, perpetuating harmful, racist stereotypes.

Children from age 1 to 6 got a very innovative education and my intake of children in 1 year is the proof that We provided a holistic education .

In the days of apartheid, when many turned their backs on activists, the Catholic Church provided refuge, provided a source of comfort to the families of Coline Williams and Robert Waterwich. The youth from UDF's Wesco (Western Cape Student Congress) met regularly at the CWD premises, as did YCW (Young Christian Workers) and several other youth and community organizations. Activists on the run from the apartheid state were given refuge. It is now a space for the working class to engage in cultural activities such as music, art, yoga, the study of history and the history of Table Mountain. The CWD Executive wants to close the building. It is already a community that has few spaces for Culture. It should remain a living cultural space and heritage site. Please sign and share this petition. In addition, for over 50 years the CWD projects operated from this centre and elsewhere. Tens of thousands of people were assisted. There were social workers; there was training for Early Childhood Development. There was a sewing project that brought together refugees with local workers. It housed the science laboratory of the legendary St Columba's school. The residence for the teachers was housed upstairs on site. Over the past three years the then Arts and Culture manager, Andre Marais has managed to build up the Athlone Cultural Hub. Under his stewardship the Western Province Mountain Club is now housed in the building. They take youth of the area up Table Mountain and give talks about the history of the mountain. The Academy of Music has their administrative office on the premises. A jazz band, with local artist Trudy Rushin, have their practice sessions on site. The Revolutionary Yoga group operates at the Hub. There is also a dance club. There is a library of 30 000 classics and 10 000 movies. There have been several cultural activities held. There have been several education schools run by UCT Summer School. There is a corner for volunteers to read children stories. A memory garden has been started for Coline Williams and Robert Waterwich, who were killed in the struggle against apartheid. Robert was a former student of St Columba's and he would have used the laboratory. On the 13th February 2019 three rooms were renamed after the Trojan Horse 3. The library has been named after Shaun Magmoed. The section where the social workers used to operate, in front, has been named after Michael Miranda, while the upstairs section which used to be the dormitory of the teachers and lately was the section that housed the ECD, was named after Jonathan Claasen. Retired teachers are prepared to run free maths and science classes on site. A local resident is prepared to offer free carpentry classes. There is a strong case for the building to be declared a living heritage site, especially now that a funder has stepped forward that has offered to cover running costs, including that of Cultural Hub manager. Help us keep the building open.

South African women earn 27% less than men [2]. Our country already faces so many gendered social and economical issues and the gender pay gap also contributes to these issues. Our national women’s soccer team Banyana Banyana is just one example of women who work hard, yet they still remain underpaid and underfunded compared to Bafana Bafana (national men’s soccer team). If the argument has been that men work harder than women and “deserve” a higher pay, then without a doubt our women’s team have proven themselves to have worked harder than the men, but the willingness to increase their salaries still remains low. Earning an equal salary should not be about one’s gender, it should be about the fact that people do the same work in the same industry, and therefore should be paid the same. The time is now - SAFA must take action and pay the women what they deserve. References: [1] Jordaan calls for help to boost Banyana salaries amid outcry, Matshelane Mamabolo for IOL, 30 November 2018 [2] Do South African women earn 27% less than men?, Gopolang Makau for Africa Check, 27 September 2017

The conditions under which mothers birth are incredibly important for the health of both mothers and babies. Birth is a mother's first in-person interaction with their babies and we owe it to them both to facilitate a calm, quiet and respectful space for that.

A Sexual Offences Unit will ensure that survivors of gender based violence receive specialised and sensitive support and resources that will help towards their healing journey. Campuses that have an already existing ‘gender office’ need to change their systems so that they serve the concerns of everyone on campus, and are in line with the proposed Sexual Offences Unit. The Black Womxn Caucus, an intersectional women’s organisation at Wits University have called for a ‘rapid response rape team’ for gender based violence to be established on the campus. The movement advocates for a thorough understanding of gender violence as it occurs in many forms and in many spaces, and reinforces the violences that womxn and gender non-comfornimg bodies are subjected to in this country. As the number of rape, sexual abuse and killing of womxn and children in this country continues to increase so does the call from those most affected by violence in our society to organise ourselves to fight gender based violence. The Black Womxn Caucus insists that if their Vice Chancellor at the time, Adam Habib, among others, were able to establish a rapid response team [4] to clamp down on student protest action following the #FeesMustFall movement, there is no reason the university should also prioritise the establishment of a ‘rapid response team’ to address gender violence on campus. The Sexual Offences Units should include: support staff who encourage everyone on campus to go for prosecution through reporting their cases; this includes a 24 hour psychologists available at all times for emergencies, and a space for activists to assist in sharing insights to developing better models aimed at reducing all forms of violence on campus. This unit must also represent the different socio-economic backgrounds of members of the institutions community, and be able to cater to survivors of all backgrounds.

Imagine having to stand in a queue outside the clinic from 6:00am, have the doors open around 7:30am, and only be attended to around 14:00pm. This is the reality of people who live in Kagiso who have been complaining about the poor services at Maki Legwete Clinic. Last week, Tshidi* took her eight month old daughter to the clinic, she became worried when her daughter's temperature spiked up in the middle of the night. Her child also had sore red eyes, she cried continuously and was restless throughout the night. "Akere kea tseba gore di line tsa ko clinic di jwang, so ka kopa ntate wa ngwana wa ka gore a eme ko queue ka bo 6:00am hoseng" Because I know how long the queues are at the clinic, I asked the father of my child to stand in line from 6:00am in the morning." Tshidi* arrived with the child around 7:00am before the clinic opened, and it was already packed, she sat in the queue and was finally assisted around 14:00pm. "Nurse ha ya check-a ngwana sintle, o butsitse feela ka di symptoms, a re fa panado le iliadin" The nurse didn't check my child properly, she only asked about the symptoms and gave us panado syrup and iliadin. Tshidi* left the clinic feeling that she did not receive proper assistance, or that she could ask sensitive health questions she had intended to. Often, young mothers are stigmatized, nurses sometimes give them a bad attitude, and make unwelcoming remarks about the fact that they gave birth at a young age. For 18 year old Tshidi* this is something she experiences frequently, and this makes it difficult and uncomfortable for her to even ask questions about her own health. Two days later , 06 September 2018, Tsidi's daughter's condition had not improved even though she had given her medication as prescribed by the clinic. Tshidi's mother became worried about her granddaughter's condition, she took a day off from work on Thursday, and accompanied Tshidi* to see a doctor for a check up. "Ke kolomaka di ntlu tsa makgowa, ha ke na tjelete, ha Kliniki i sa thusi ngwana sintle, jwale ka Mme o tla kadima tjelete gore o thuse ngwana wa go akere" I clean white people's houses, I have no money, if the clinic doesn't assist, as a mother you'll even borrow money to assist your child." The doctor discovered that the child in question has flue, weak eye-sight, and her eyes are also easily irritable. According to Tshidi, in less than 48 hours of seeing the doctor and using the prescribed medication, she could see an improvement in her daughter's condition. Many woman rely on local clinic services because they cannot afford private health care or medical aid. Unfortunately, Tshidi* is not the only person who has received poor services from the mentioned clinic. For 55 year old Mme Martha* it is having to walk for almost an hour just to get to the clinic, and then having to wait in a long queue that she has a problem with. "Ke tla dira eng, ke domestic worker, ga ke na tjelete ya go ya bona doctor..." What can I do, I am a domestic worker, I don't have money to see a doctor... " A few weeks ago, a number of Economic Freedom Fighters (#EFF) members (mostly residing in and around Kagiso) were gathered outside the clinic in protest. The main road, Geba Street, was blocked, in order to address the issue of poor service delivery. In South Africa, generally, clinics provide poor services. In 2009, a report entitled "Public Inquiry: Access To Health Care Services" was launched by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The report mainly focused on (among other issues) complaints regarding poor health services across South Africa. This report was published in 2009, it's 2018 and people are still facing similar issues. Why is that? It is highly advisable that the manager of Maki Legwete Clinic should read the mentioned report, especially the proposed solutions to similar issues faced by the clinic. Earlier this year, the Mitchell's Plain Community members were up in arms about poor services from the Mitchell's Plain Community Health Center. In an article by Kaylynn Palm: https://www.google.co.za/amp/amp.ewn.co.za/2018/01/05/wc-clinic-slammed-for-poor-service-delivery several similarities can be drawn between issues of poor service delivery faced by the Mitchell's Plain community, as well as the Kagiso community. In 2015 two children died outside Lenasia South Clinic due to poor clinic services: https://www.google.co.za/amp/amp.ewn.co.za/2015/02/16/Another-child-dies-after-being-denied-clinic-access. The stories regarding poor health services in South Africa are endless... Maki Legwete Clinic must be reminded of Section 27 of The Constitution of South Africa, which stipulates that: Everyone has the right to "access health care services, including reproductive health services." Access to the clinic is a basic and fundamental right. People deserve to be treated with respect, regardless of their age. For better services from Maki Legwete Clinic, sign the petition below. #PoorClinicServices #MakiLegweteClinic *Not their real names SOURCES: https://www.google.co.za/amp/amp.ewn.co.za/2018/01/05/wc-clinic-slammed-for-poor-service-delivery http://www.ngopulse.org/article/sa-healthcare-system-failing https://www.google.co.za/amp/amp.ewn.co.za/2015/02/16/Another-child-dies-after-being-denied-clinic-access

Two years ago, with what sparked an international conversation on the issue of rape and rape culture, commonly known as the #RUReferenceList protests, women and non-binary individuals set precedent for other institutions across the country to participate in a national discussion on problematizing how unsafe campuses are. In 2016 women, from all walks of life across the country demonstrated in solidarity with those at Rhodes University – highlighting not only the prevalence of GBV in our society, but also the failure of institutions in protecting its students. Since the advent of democracy, our institutions pride themselves in being leaders of transformation in society. They have prided themselves in being vehicles providing a vast range of knowledge to individuals entering their spaces. Yet, when it comes to issues of gendered discrimination and the effects it has on individuals – particularly women and minority groups – our cries seem to be invalid, and our experiences erased. We are tired of saying “enough is enough!” when it only suits the institution’s agenda. Your ‘enough’ does not suffice as every day we continue to live in fear of when our bodies will become another statistic to the vast crimes we experience on a daily basis. A Sexual Offences Unit will ensure that survivors of gendered and sexual orientation violence are met with the utmost sensitivity, specialized support and resources that will help towards their healing processes. The Sexual Offences Unit should include: support staff who encourage students to go for prosecution through reporting their cases; this consists of 24 hour psychologists available at all times of emergencies, and a space for student activists to assist in sharing insights to developing better models aimed at reducing all forms of violence on campus. This unit needs to be cognizant of all socio-economic demographics of the student body, and thus be able to cater to survivors of all backgrounds. The unit will provide sensitized support to student survivors who might not want to go through reporting their cases at the SAPS where they face further victimization due to a lack of training, resources and subsequently compassion. Rhodes University needs to cultivate a space that will ensure a prioritization of justice to survivors of sexual violence. In conjunction to this, the unit will have to implement the recommendations that were presented by the Sexual Violence Task Team at the end of 2016 in response to the demands of the student led protest #RUReferenceList. This unit will be very important as students leave college and university environments to enter the working space where issues of harassment are also prone. Socialization plays a huge part in curbing violence in our country, and it should start at home, in this case, at school. Rhodes University, much like society at large, needs to tackle gendered discrimination systemically through acknowledging and institutionalizing a culture of accountability in relation to the violence students experience. We need to push for our spaces of higher learning, the communities that we occupy every day, to internalize on a personal level policies and practices that speak to dismantling this culture of protecting perpetrators and stigmatizing survivors.

Domestic workers are denied compensation for injuries because they are excluded from the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). But an amendment to the law has been proposed. But we only have 7 days before public submissions close, and we need to come together in numbers to ensure the law is changed. Maria Mahlangu, a domestic worker drowned in 2012. Her family was offered only R2500 compensation. Johanna Motha was bitten by her employer's dog and set home without medical treatment. She ended up dying as a result of her injuries. These are just two of the countless incidences of injury and illness domestic workers have faced on the job. SADSAWU( South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union) brought an application against the Minister of Labour and the Compensation Commissioner for domestic workers to claim compensation in terms of the Compensation for Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993(COIDA), in response to the poor compensation Mahlangu's family was offered. The case has been pending since 2015. The case has recently been postponed, after being set for the 15th of October. This case is an example of the consequences of domestic worker's exclusion in this Act. We call on you to recognize this case, as well as the rights of domestic workers. The reality is that domestic work opens itself up to abuse. This abuse is targeted at Black working class womxn, who work behind closed doors and make up the largest percentage of domestic workers. Issues like health are always linked to racism and classism. Domestic workers are not seen as equals to their employer and are treated with contempt and disrespect. In the past domestic work, was not regulated by government, because they were not part of key labour legislation. Their work, was therefore seen as casual and informal, and little respect was paid to the work they do. This attitude of disregard towards domestic workers, is still seen in the way employers treat domestic workers. We are not paying enough attention to the health of domestic workers. Even though domestic work is included in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, they are still not a part of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act [1]. This means domestic workers cannot seek medical compensation for costs linked to work related injuries and diseases. Domestic workers have to cover their own medical expenses when injured on the job. This is often times impossible- due to the small sum of money they are paid. Domestic workers should be paid R1787.80 a month [2], this is hardly enough to cover basic living expenses and transport to work. A study by Dr. Lindiwe Innocentia Zungu on the health conditions domestic workers experience. The findings were that there are a range of workplace health hazards. These included “chemical hazards due to detergents and other chemicals used for cleaning purposes, and physical hazards from activities involving manual handling and/or repetitive movements, e.g. scrubbing floors, moving furniture, washing and ironing clothes.... Furthermore, psycho-social hazards due to urbanization were also prevalent among participants who resided in their employers’ premises.'' [3] It is clear that domestic work can be dangerous, physically and mentally. This is why it is important that we demand for the Minister of Labour to commit to including domestic workers in the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. By including domestic workers in this Act, they will have access to health care, when faced with injury or illness acquired on the job. Their inclusion in this Act is also a message of recognition for the important work they do. By getting enough signatures on this petition, together we can demand the Minister of Labour to commit to making domestic work a priority and include them in the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. [1] “The 2018 minimum wages for nannies and domestic workers.” Nic Anderson. 13 December 2017 for Parent24 [2]“Bill on labour brokers gets green light”Nov 12 2013 Sapa. Fin24 [3]"Employment conditions and challenges associated with being a domestic worker in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. "Dr Lindiwe Innocentia Zungu, Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Health Sciences.

1. Over 20 000 people are threatened by farm evictions in the Western Cape, Tshintsha Amakhaya is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to keep his promise following an announcement he made in Paarl in 2014 that there will be a moratorium as an immediate ban on legal and illegal farm evictions. Following the massive farm workers strike in De Doorns, Ramaphosa said, “We are calling on all farmers who have plans for evictions to stop the evictions.” However, the moratorium never came to effect. Instead, instances of farm evictions and human rights violations on farms persist. Today, Drakenstein Municipality has about 1,127 pending eviction matters. 2. The thousands of illegal evictions of farm workers and other farm dwellers continue to be evicted across the country despite the clear protections contained in the Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997 (‘ESTA’) that a farm worker and persons living in the same dwelling as the worker may only be evicted: a) in terms of an order of the court b) once the court is satisfied that the eviction would be just and equitable c) and once the Land Claims Court has confirmed the order; 3. The great hardship, conflict and social instability caused by such evictions on a group of people already rendered vulnerable through their insecure tenure. 4. The disproportionate impact of these illegal evictions on women due to the commercial agricultural system that continues to confine women to an auxiliary labour category increasing their vulnerability to labour-related evictions. 5.The total system failure to protect the rights and security of farm workers and dwellers due to poor enforcement and resource endowment of ESTA; 6. The continued failure of municipalities to provide adequate alternative shelter as legislatively prescribed. 7. The Constitutional imperative, in section 25(6), to ensure that person whose tenure of land is legally insecure as a result of past racially discriminatory laws or practices, like farm workers and other farm dwellers, are provided with either legally secure tenure or comparable redress. Both farm workers and dwellers should be prioritised and be at the forefront of cases on which expropriation without compensation will be tested. “We used to work hard on this farm until we were retrenched in 1999. Nothing happened on the farm for 11 years and most of us couldn’t find work again. Now this farmer wants to evict us” This a desperate cry by a mother whose family is facing eviction from the farm she's worked and lived in for years [1]. She, like many others, now face a bleak future of being dumped on the road side with no protection and nowhere to go. President Cyril Ramaphosa made a promise in 2014 to stop farm evictions until people can be given dignified housing [2]. Even more recently, Deputy Minister Mcebisi Sikwatsha has seen with his own eyes the desperate situation farm workers are faced with [3] and also made promises to take it up with his Minister and President. We however cannot leave it to them. Thousands of illegal evictions of farm workers and other farm dwellers continue to be evicted across the country despite the clear protections contained in the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA). Places like Drakenstein are eviction hotspots with 1,127 pending evictions matters [4]. Evictions bring great hardship, conflict and social instability. The failure to protect the rights and security of farm workers and dwellers due to poor enforcement of ESTA and the failure of municipalities to provide adequate alternative shelter as legislatively prescribed need to be addressed. We need to stand with those being evicted and demand that government responds to the cries of the people. Will you tell President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to stop all farm evictions and help protect the rights and security of farm workers and dwellers? [1] [3] Western Cape could be testing ground for land expropriation without compensation, says minister, Barbara Maregele for Groundup News. 5 June 2018. [2] Ramaphosa asked to keep his promise to freeze farm evictions, Barbara Maregele for Groundup News. 5 April 2018. [4] Woman faces eviction after 51 years on a farm, Barbara Maregele for Groundup News. 31 May 2018.