Exploitation should have no place in a democratic South Africa. When a reputable organization like the IEC exploits its workers, what kind of standard is it setting for the nation? "I was employed as a Counting Officer during the recent election. My shift began at 6 PM on election day. Upon arrival, I was immediately thrust into a grueling situation: the electoral staff who had been working since before 6 AM were exhausted, understaffed, and hadn't eaten or taken a proper break. Despite the dire conditions, I worked tirelessly until around 11 PM when voting was concluded, then started counting. The hall where we worked was freezing, forcing most of us to drink warm water just to stay warm because we had no coffee or tea. By 7 AM, we were ravenous. We continued to work on empty stomachs until 1 PM the next day, they did not even arrange breakfast for us. Just like most of the young people who worked during the election, I am a 32-year-old single mother of two, with a Bachelor’s degree and currently pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma with UNISA. My CV is rich with years of experience because, like my colleagues, I seize every job opportunity that comes my way. I just haven't found anything permanent.  To take this job, I had to borrow money for transportation and pay a childminder to look after my kids. When I received the pay notification, I broke down in tears. How am I supposed to repay the people I owe? On top of that, I caught a cold from the prolonged exposure to the harsh environment and lack of sleep. I applied for this job through their online recruitment system and had no contact other than with my manager. Since then, I have been calling all their HR offices and Payroll, only to be constantly referred to the next person, with no resolution in sight. We deserve to be paid for the hard work we put in. Please, pay us the money we earned through our dedication and sacrifice"  It is important to note that we are aware of the underfunding currently plaguing the IEC and other state entities but this should not mean that they should treat workers unfairly. It is not enough to simply dismiss workers by saying they did not sign a register as a reason they still haven't been paid. We live in a country with a high unemployment rate, the IEC as an organisation which values integrity and accountability should serve as an example in how their treat their workers.  References [1]  IEC staff frustrated over delayed and insufficient election payments.  https://www.snl24.com/dailysun/news/iec-staff-frustrated-over-delayed-and-insufficient-election-payments-20240613

Every South African is affected by an ECD | Grade R Teacher one way or the other; in a positive way of Education. These Practitioners | Teachers are very important and critical to the upbringing and grooming of our children with special skills imparted on infants at a preparatory stage, in which is a critical state in the life of a human being. We always ask a similar question: “Why are teachers underpaid and with less benefits while they produce all careers such as Medical Doctors, Lawyers, Social Workers, Police, Public Servants, Surgeons, Scientists, Corporate Business, Politicians, and more. It is well known that public servants such as teachers; must be well taken by the government after adhering pension. But it is not the case with the Grade R Teachers; the Ministry of Education is alleged to recompense or pay all pension teachers a once off payment for only two years of all the years they worked and without a government pension contribution. Justice for Workers and South African Early Childhood Development Teachers Union (SAECDTU) asks for your partnership and solidarity in this noble and matter of National Interest. We cannot allow the government’s maladministration and day-light robbery of hard earned monies of trusted servants (Teachers) who are responsible to care for our children on a daily basis for at least 8-12 hours. I have signed this petition already; join thousands of South Africans who advocates for justice. 

In South Africa, confusing and overly technical nutritional information is buried at the back of the tins, boxes, and bottles we buy at the store. But Front-Of-Pack Warning Labels would provide consumers with easy-to-understand information so we know what products are high in sugar, salt, fat, and added sweetener. Knowing what is in our food could help reduce diseases like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke or heart disease [1]. Some big businesses will do anything to protect their profits, even if it hurts our health. Cigarette companies have tried to stop government warning labels on their products, and already some big food businesses have been finding ways to lobby the health department behind closed doors [2]. We can’t afford any more delays. It’s been 10 years since the Health Department proposed new labelling regulations [3], but according to Daily Maverick, these regulations were “... shot down internally for reasons that remain obscure, according to a former health Department employee” [4]. References [1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(16)30113-9/fulltext  [2] Here’s why you should care about the food industry lobbying the health department behind closed doors, By Laura López González for Daily Maverick, 08 February, 2023 [3] Regulations: Labelling and advertising of foods: Amendment, Department of Health, 29 May 2014 [4] R3337 food labelling regulation changes delayed as health department drags feet in review process, By Adèle Sulcas for Daily Maverick, 16 February 2024

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.

It is not right that the Department pays us below what the country's National Minimum Wage is. This is exploitative and impacts on us very negatively as we also have groceries and home expenses to pay for ourselves and our families. The service we provide is very important and our role as workers should be acknowledged and we should be given the respect we deserve like all the other staff members at the school. The Labour Research Service (LRS) put together this video to show the struggles food handlers are faced with. Watch here it here: https://youtu.be/PBtWU-lVSdk?t=51

We live in a country where women are abused on a daily. “As of the 2022/2023 fiscal year, almost 53,900 South Africans reported being a victim of a sexual crime. Of those, around 80 percent registered being raped, while close to 7,600 South Africans disclosed being sexually assaulted [2].  ”On average, 75 people were killed every day over the last year the ability of the police to solve murders has dropped by 50% since 2012 . They were able to solve around 31% of dockets in 2012 and then they were only able solve 14.5% of murders last year. So, 85% of the more than 27 000 murders reported last year were not solved" [3]. The importance of keeping the alleged perpetrators is to ensure safety of women and children in our communities. We need to put a stop to these violent behaviours that have become a norm in our communities. It has been evident in the previous years that our justice systems are failing to solve about 80% of the cases [4]. The community needs to stand up and take action for justice and for a much safer environment for our children and women. If we do not act on this now, there will be a lot more unresolved problems, there will always be murders of women and children and perpetrators will always run freely in the community. Gender based violence must come to an end. We would hate to see what happened to Relebohile to happen to another girl child. That is why we are standing up, we don’t want another victim! References  [1] https://www.citizen.co.za/sedibeng-ster/news/2024/03/12/relebohiles-19-brutal-killing-sparks-outrage/ [2] https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/analysis/2023-09-18-saps-bungle-farm-murder-cases-as-much-as-other-killings/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBasically%2C%20the%20ability%20of%20the,not%20solved%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said. [3] https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/analysis/2023-09-18-saps-bungle-farm-murder-cases-as-much-as-other-killings/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBasically%2C%20the%20ability%20of%20the,not%20solved%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said [4] https://www.dfa.co.za/south-african-news/action-society-laments-completely-unacceptable-unsolved-crime-rate-45bfd8fb-e5e6-4b7b-ac7f-47f4ba6711bd/#:~:text=In%20a%20statement%20on%20Monday,in%20South%20Africa%20go%20unsolved

1. Hate Speech, incited by political parties is prevalent in South Africa and it fuels xenophobia in communities despite the IEC Code of Conduct forbidding such acts. 2. The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill protects all people in South Africa against hate crimes and hate speech, particularly those based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other form of discrimination. 3. No political parties, their agencies or candidates should scapegoat migrants for their failures for service delivery in an attempt to rally public votes. 4. Hatred, racial discrimination, racism and other intolerances by any members of the political parties, their agencies or candidates is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. 5. Hate speech challenges the dignity of others and causes harm. 6. The Independent Electoral Commission Code of Conduct prohibits political parties and candidates to: - Using language which provokes violence; - Intimidation of candidates or voters; - And publishing false information about other candidates or parties. etc 7. Various media houses reported on Hate Speech stemming from political parties who are scapegoating migrants for their failures to run the country: Despite the IEC’s efforts to combat hate speech towards elections through its Code of Conduct, hate speech still lingers from political parties, their members and individuals which needs to be addressed. We need free and fair elections that are devoid of using hate speech to gain public support. References [1] https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/pa-spurns-sahrcs-hate-speech-claims-against-mckenzie-as-it-doubles-down-on-xenophobic-stance-20230420 [2] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/sep/26/south-africa-anti-migrant-vigilante-operation-dudula-registers-as-party-2024-elections

To unlock young children's' full potential, they need nurturing care across five key areas, as early as the first 1 000 days of their lives: nutrition; early learning; health; caregiving; and safety and protection. These forms of care lay an essential foundation for lifelong learning, well-being, and success. All young children have a right to access these quality services, whether at home with their families, at early learning programmes, at health clinics, or in other settings. Caring for young children is one of the most powerful investments the South African government can make. But, for too long, the government has neglected young children, and the parents, caregivers, and ECD practitioners who nurture them.  The amount the government spends on young children is not enough: children aged zero to five make up 10% of the population yet, in 2021/22, less than 2% of total government spending went to early learning, family support and early nutrition interventions for children in this age group. Families who take care of children at home do not get proper support. The health sector has not fulfilled its mandate to enable parents and caregivers to provide nurturing care. Many children without birth certificates cannot access the Child Support Grant, and when children have access to the Child Support Grant, it is not enough to cover nutritious food, let alone other essentials such as clothing.    Currently, only a third of children aged three to five have access to an early learning programme (such as a creche, nursery school, or playgroup). Even where children do access early learning programmes, practitioners often struggle to provide nutritious food, adequate infrastructure, and age-appropriate stimulation for learning, with the subsidy from the government frozen at just R17 per eligible child per day since 2019. This needs to change if we are committed to the just, equal, and caring society we strive to become.

It is a constitutional right for social grant recipients to receive social grants they are eligible for. All citizens have a right to a fair administrative process by SASSA. The R350 grant is crucial for unemployed and it gets worse when not paid for months because SASSA has not changed your cellphone number after informing the department.

We have been promised the bridge for the past 20 years, but not having the bridge is affecting us as residents, children are unable to get to school when it rains they are forced to only return to school in May after the rainy season, which impacts their schooling. High school learners are even forced to rent places closer to the school just so they are able to attend classes [2] We can’t go to the clinic to get treatment, we can't go to town. It's worse when someone passes on, we are forced to carry the coffin for a very long distance because we can't cross that river it's too dangerous. The river has claimed many lives and the delays by the municipality continue to threaten us as the community of Noqgala [3], if you add your name to this petition you can help us get the municipality to hear our cries we are tired of being ignored, 20 years is a long time and we need clear plans and a timeline of when will the bridge be completed. References [1] https://groundup.org.za/article/r97-million-spent-and-three-years-later-still-no-bridge/ [2] https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2023-06-19-r10m-and-two-years-but-villagers-still-without-bridge/#google_vignette [3] https://youtu.be/XoMGTfRhokU

We have the power to protect children from hunger if we come together and demand the Minister of Finance to take action. Not only would increasing the Health Promotion Levy raise funds that could help fight child hunger, but it would also help reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, which contribute to Non-Communicable Diseases, which are a major health crisis. We’re not the only ones calling on Treasury to act, over 35 top experts on obesity, diet-related diseases and public health from some of the world’s leading universities have written to Treasury officials to support increasing the current HPL to 20%. They are also very impressed with the results of evaluations done on the current HPL.

We have seen the scapegoating of migrants continue to rise, especially in the lead-up to the elections. The popular idea to attribute the presence of migrants as the reason we have high unemployment rates and crime is harmful, and we have witnessed how dire and life-threatening this way of thinking can be. A thorough public participation process should be upheld, and members of the public should be given the opportunity to engage with the decisions made on their behalf and understand how they will be impacted.  Therefore, we call on the Department of Home Affairs to withdraw the bill and not rush such a critical piece of legislation, they should also work hand in hand with civil society for a thorough public participation process.  References  [1]https://lawyersforhumanrights.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LHR-Submission-on-DHA-White-Paper-2024-01-31.pdf  [2]https://seri-sa.org/index.php/latest-news/1355-submission-seri-makes-comments-on-the-white-paper-on-citizenship-immigration-and-refugee-protection-1-february-2024 [3]https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/opinion/2023/2023-11/sas-immigration-proposals---false-claims-and-poor-logic.html [4]https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/spotchecks/are-there-15-million-undocumented-immigrants-living-south-africa-no-another