Our children are missing classes because there’s no water. Even if they come home, there is still none, and we cannot afford to buy. The bathrooms at school are filthy, and there’s no drinking water. Recently, the municipality put Jojo tanks at the school, but the water is dirty and unsafe [1]. This situation is denying our kids their right to an education. As parents, we are deeply worried that they will fall behind. We must unite as a community and urge the municipality to take action now, so our children can learn and thrive without these challenges. References [1] South Africa: No Teaching At Botshabelo School for Nine Months Due to Water Shortages by Molefi Sompane for Health E-News https://allafrica.com/stories/202603030471.html.

EXCLUSION MASQUERADING AS PROCEDURE We acknowledge the City's position that changes to Ward Committee Rules must follow formal legislative processes and that community organisations should register on the Community Organisation Database (COD) in order to be informed of when this process will take place. However, we reject the notion that only registered organisations will be part of this process. The City cannot admit that a formal legislative process is required and then proceed to include only ‘registered organisations’ in that process. This would directly contravene section 12(3)(b) of the Systems Act, as well as the constitutional spirit of participatory democracy. The current ward committee rules were adopted without meaningful public input. They fundamentally undermine democracy at the local level: • Ordinary residents cannot vote for ward committee members, stripping individuals of direct representation. • Participation is restricted to registered organisations, marginalising informal community structures, unregistered groups, and individuals. • Ward councillors and subcouncils hold excessive discretion over sector allocation without public input. • The rules permit disproportionate representation for improvement districts, which are not independent from the City and whose sole interest in any given ward is purely economic. • The 10-seat limitation and lack of subcommittee mechanisms reduce representativity in large, diverse wards. Furthermore, a 30-day notice-and-comment process on pre-drafted rules is insufficient for meaningful participation in a deeply unequal city where access to information and digital literacy varies wildly.

This issue affects far more than one household. Across South Africa, many children are raised primarily by unmarried mothers who have never been married to the father of their child. In these families, the child may bear the mother’s surname, reside permanently with her, and depend on her for daily care, financial support, and long-term decision-making. Yet when it comes to something as fundamental as obtaining a passport, the system treats these families identically to intact or formerly married households without recognising the practical differences in caregiving realities. The current framework, administered by the Department of Home Affairs, can unintentionally create financial and procedural barriers. Where consent cannot easily be secured, primary caregivers are often directed toward High Court litigation — a costly and time-consuming process that many South Africans simply cannot afford. For unemployed graduates, working-class mothers, and families navigating economic hardship, this becomes more than an administrative inconvenience. It can delay access to employment opportunities, educational prospects, and lawful international travel that may directly benefit the child. This petition is not about excluding fathers or undermining child protection safeguards. It is about ensuring that regulations reflect lived realities while preserving appropriate protections against abduction or misuse. A differentiated administrative process with affidavits, proof of residence, and reasonable notification measures would maintain accountability while removing unnecessary procedural burdens. Reform in this area would demonstrate responsiveness to modern family structures and alignment with the constitutional principle that a child’s best interests are paramount. Public support matters because regulatory reform rarely occurs without visible civic engagement. When citizens speak collectively and respectfully, it signals to decision-makers that a policy issue is not isolated, but systemic. Building public awareness and pressure increases the likelihood that the Department will prioritise review, initiate consultation, and consider structured amendments. By joining this campaign, you are not opposing safeguards. Rather, you are advocating for fairness, administrative justice, and practical reform that strengthens families rather than complicates their path forward.

The auctioning of valuable public assets prioritises wealthy private developers over the constitutional right to housing and dignity. It represents a form of neocolonialism, denying black and indigenous people access to land while reinforcing historical patterns of exclusion.  We hold that public land is not surplus stock. It is one of the last remaining instruments available to address the enduring violence of apartheid spatial planning – a system of practice conceived by the colonial Dutch and British and engineered into policy under the National Party that forcibly removed communities, segregated opportunity, and entrenched generational inequality. We recognise that land in Cape Town holds the memory of genocide, dispossession, and the ongoing epistemic trauma and violence against the living descendants of the |Xam and Khoena peoples.  That Cape Town remains one of the most spatially unequal cities in the world. The daily commute from the periphery to economic centres, the overcrowded informal settlements, the persistent land hunger. We know these are not accidents: they are the living architecture of apartheid, still embedded in land ownership and urban design.  We believe that to dispose of public land without first exhausting its potential for social housing, restitution, affordable housing, and community infrastructure is to perpetuate that injustice. 

The right to trade at this market arises from long-standing, continuous, and customary use, not from temporary municipal permission. The proposed Informal Trading Plan seeks to replace these established trading practices with a permit-based system. Permits that are renewable, limited, or revocable place generational livelihoods at risk and create ongoing insecurity for families who depend entirely on this market for survival. The Trafalgar Flower Market is a living heritage space and an important part of Cape Town’s cultural and economic history. Regulation that threatens displacement or exclusion undermines this heritage and erode the dignity of long-standing traders.

For the past few years, parents have raised concerns about bullying, missing belongings, and unsafe behavior during scholar transport rides. These concerns are often raised to the schools or the taxi association that runs the scholar transports.  In some cases, parents only discovered the seriousness of the situation after repeatedly asking questions. This shows a clear gap in supervision and communication. Transport is not just about getting children from one place to another; it is an extension of their school day. If it is not properly managed, children are placed at risk. This issue affects more than one family. It affects a whole community of vulnerable learners who rely on adults to protect them. When systems fail to provide proper oversight, it sends the message that the safety of children with special needs is not a priority. That is unacceptable. Public pressure is often what pushes decision-makers to act. When many community members sign and stand together, it shows that this is not an isolated complaint but a shared concern. By joining this campaign, you are helping to demand simple, practical solutions, supervised transport, clear safety policies, and accountability. Together, we can ensure that every child travels to school with dignity, safety, and protection.

1. We support South Africa’s commitment to human rights, international solidarity, and the struggle against oppression everywhere.  2. South Africans know from our own history that international pressure, sanctions, and global solidarity are not symbolic gestures. They are powerful tools that can help end injustice. 3. In 2024, Colombia took a principled and courageous decision to immediately end exports of coal to Israel [2][3]. This action cut off approximately 40% of Israel’s coal supply, directly impacting the energy resources that sustain Israel’s assault on Gaza—an assault which many legal experts, human rights organisations, and states have recognised as genocide. 4. However, when Colombia acted in solidarity with the Palestinian people, South Africa-based coal exporters rapidly increased their shipments to Israel, effectively replacing Colombia as a supplier [4]. In doing so, these exporters undermine international efforts to isolate Israel. They materially enable the ongoing devastation of Gaza. 5. South Africa showed moral leadership by taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the IDF’s attacks on civilians in Gaza. We are proud of this principled action, which reflected the values of our Constitution and our historic commitment to ending oppression. Yet our leadership is undermined when South Africa’s resources are used to sustain the same violence we condemn. 6. We cannot condemn oppression while we enable it through trade. We cannot undermine global solidarity against Israel’s systematic and continued destruction of life in Palestine.  7. We call for urgent discussion and concrete action to achieve: 1. The immediate end to trade in South Africa’s natural resources to Israel, especially where such trade aids Israel’s military capacities. 2. The implementation of appropriate sanctions against apartheid Israel, consistent with South Africa’s constitutional values and its obligations under international law.  3. Active support for the re-establishment of an anti-apartheid committee at the United Nations, drawing on the historic precedent that helped isolate apartheid in South Africa. 4. The full and consistent application of South African law to citizens who serve without authorisation in Israel’s army. 8. These measures must be accompanied by strong domestic leadership. We call on the government to take proactive steps to protect jobs and livelihoods as trade patterns change, including through export diversification, import substitution, industrial planning, and direct state support. 9. We believe these steps are necessary to align South Africa’s actions with its stated commitments to human rights, justice, and liberation. We hereby petition Minister Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, and the Honourable Mzwandile Masina, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, to take forward this submission and to engage meaningfully with its proposals in order to uphold South Africa’s commitments to human rights and international solidarity. References 1. Petitions to Parliament. https://www.parliament.gov.za/petitions 2. South Africa boosts coal exports to Israel after Colombia by Sudarshan Varadhan, Wendell Roelf and Steven Scheer for Reuters, 16 December 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africa-boosts-coal-exports-israel-after-colombia-ban-2025-12-16/ 3. Coal and South Africa's complicity in the genocide in Gaza by Imraam Bucus for Mail & Guardian, 25 June 2025. https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2025-06-25-coal-and-south-africas-complicity-in-the-genocide-in-gaza/ 4. SA is now Israel’s largest coal supplier, following Colombia’s ban by Ethan van Diemen for News24, 18 December 2025. https://www.news24.com/business/climate-future/energy/sa-is-now-israels-largest-coal-supplier-following-colombias-ban-20251218-0818 Image credit to Seena Mavaddat.

Currently, our common law regards MAiD as no different from murder in cold blood. This is quite wrong, on both a personal level and as public policy. On the contrary, we regard doctors as caring and compassionate when they enable a competent patient, who voluntarily requests assistance with dying on account of unbearable and intractable suffering, because of disease or injury, to die a dignified death. Hence, with this petition, we wish to show solidarity with DignitySA’s High Court application because we believe that MAiD: • Is an act of compassion motivated by basic ethical values of equality, dignity, freedom of choice, and life;  • Is a constitutional right grounded in the rights to equality, human dignity, bodily and psychological integrity (which includes the right to security in and control over one’s body) and freedom and security of the person in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights; and • Should therefore be recognised as a legitimate medical option at the end of life, or when suffering becomes intractable and unbearable, thus locating MAiD on a continuum with palliative care. #DecrimMAiDinSA #DignitySA #OurLivesOurChoices www.dignitysouthafrica.org

We feel like we are being taken advantage of, and it’s disheartening because we know how desperately we need these internship positions. It’s painful to see people in the department disregard our agreements, believing we won’t speak up out of fear of losing what we desperately need. We urgently need the department to clarify the expectations mentioned above. We are exhausted from being treated this way. It’s time for us to come together and demand the clarity we deserve, to stand up for ourselves and ensure our voices are heard.

Millions in Mzansi cannot afford to put food on the table. The Basic Income Grant will allow people to afford basic needs and lead decent livelihoods. Research by economists and experts has shown that not only is the BIG affordable, but it can also generate far greater economic growth.

Overcrowding on trains is just a recipe for disaster. People could end up losing their lives if this issue is not addressed as quickly as possible. Vulnerable people like school children and the elderly also use those trains, and their lives are being endangered on a daily basis.  The absence of the train we had is causing a catastrophe, and this is why it has to be brought back. Overcrowded trains mean some people never even make it on, which results in them being late for work, getting in trouble with their bosses, and consequently losing their jobs. School children are also facing difficulties because of this. Many of them now have to rely on taxis to reach the southern line trains, which means they have to spend more money. They also get home late, around 5:30 pm to 6 pm, even though school ends earlier, which affects their ability to complete their homework. We must take action now, before the human cost becomes far too high.

• A lot of children from disadvantaged backgrounds are affected since they are the ones who mostly use buses, as they cannot afford to pay for private transportation.  • There are children who can't walk to school because they live near farms with no school close by, and very few taxis • Some of these children are still very young to travel to school on their own, so they need reliable transport. • Their safety is not prioritised, as they are also exposed to human trafficking, as they have to hike to school.  References 1. Concerned parents urge GDE to resolve scholar transport problems by SABC, 03 February 2026. https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/concerned-parents-urge-gde-to-resolve-scholar-transport-problems/