Campaign: #RISE one million signatures against sexual violence “The list ends here” Invitation Letter to sign a million signatures against sexual violence - the RISE’s Advocacy Event in connection with Sinoxolo Mafevuka’s rape & murder case - (24 Feb 2016) This letter serves as an official invitation to support the RISE Young Women’s Clubs Advocacy Campaign in Connection with Sinoxolo Mafevuka’s rape and murder case by signing this petition. The purpose of the event is to take a stance together against sexual violence. At Soul City Institute, we value and appreciate your department’s support in terms of creating safer communities where girls and young women in particular, are not affected by any type of sexual violence and/or its consequences. Hence we are indeed grateful. The event will be hosted by Soul City. The event will consist of the following main activities: #RISE one million signatures against sexual violence. Here the clubs (branded) will meet at the Khayelitsha mall and call out to the community members to sign a petition (on the poster –size papers) for no sexual violence against girls and women. This will take place on Thursday the 24th of March 2016 from 14h00 to 16h30. Your signature is about taking action in ending sexual violence and amplifying the voices of survivors of sexual violence and those at risk of being sexually violated. Be part of this movement and make your voice heard. This event is initiated by Soul City to eradicate sexual violence against women and girls in the Western Cape. We look forward to a continuing partnership with you.

This is a long term campaign that involves donating 15000+ books and setting up a libraries in various schools and development regions of Gauteng! Creating fun book clubs and end up having spelling bees in local schools. A child that reads is a nation that know..

Akhona is in grade eight. Like many of her classmates, she often misses school when she has her periods because her family cannot afford sanitary pads [1]. Akhona is not alone. On average in Mzansi. a girl will miss 60 days of school because of her period [2]. And some are forced to use socks, newspapers and worse because they can’t afford sanitary pads. Over time this can cause girls to drop-out completely. If they struggle through, they often find themselves unable to fully take part in school activities. Livity Africa's LiveVIPZA campaign, which initiated the parliament challenge, aims to present a plan in June on how to provide sanitary pads to low income communities to the Health Portfolio Committee. But the implementation requires that the Ministers of Basic Education, Health and Social Development kick start the plan. [1] I use a sock as a sanitary pad, says Langa learner http://www.groundup.org.za/article/i-use-sock-sanitary-pad-says-langa-learner_2418/ [2] Dignity Dreams article with information on how many girls miss school a month and in a year: http://www.ngopulse.org/organisation/dignity-dreams

Young people were encouraged to register for the upcoming elections, but Noziziwe Buthelezi* won’t be voting in these elections or ever. She died last week after after a failed, unsafe abortion. While abortion is legal in South Africa, women like Noziziwe* are forced to risk their lives by using unsafe, illegal options. The posters advertising these fill our streets, yet most public institutions have no information about the safe, free alternatives available to women. If enough of us come together, we can demand that the National Department of Health (NDOH) upholds women’s right to access quality, affordable and acceptable sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including abortion. *Not her real name

Student groups across the country have been calling out for free, quality education for all. Yet right now, women are being forced to give up control of their bodies to access higher education. uThukela District Municipality has introduced a ‘Maidens Bursary Award’, which requires that recipients undergo virginity testing not only to receive it, but also every holiday to ensure they are not sexually active [1]. Virginity testing is an invasive, flawed, traumatising and sexist practice, that has no bearing on whether or not women should be granted bursaries. Add your voice to support women’s rights. We can't let women’s access to education be determined by traumatic, invasive process that strips away women’s control over their bodies. Together, we can ensure that public funds are not used to discriminate against women and uphold systems that keep women oppressed and unequal in the society in which we live. [1] Remain a virgin or lose bursary, students warned. Amanda Khoza for Times Live 22 January 2016.

South African teens are the most at-risk group when it comes to suicide, according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group. A quarter of young South Africans experience depression and anxiety, and up to 20% of high school pupils have tried to take their own lives due to issues such as abuse and poverty. Already the quality of education in public schools is sub standard and most learners come from impoverished backgrounds with a lot of issues that affects them psychologically. Additionally, about 52% of SA teachers are abused by pupils. This shows that pupils require consistent psychological and emotional intervention. The following are reasons why public schools in South Africa should have school social workers: 1.School social workers will help address social, emotional and behavioural barriers to learning to support learners, parents, educators and the school as a community to ensure that learning and development takes place. 2. School Social Workers will bring the family (home), the school and the community perspectives to the multidisciplinary team process to facilitate better understanding of the social context of the learners. 3. School social workers will provide prevention, crisis intervention, networking for resources, restorative justice in disciplinary action with the overall aim of providing care and support to school communities within a multidisciplinary team. 4. School Social workers working will provide services to students to enhance their emotional well-being and improve their academic performance. 5. School social workers will assist in raising awareness in schools and surrounding errors in issues such as crime, violence and the importance of mental heal. Allocating every school with a social worker in public schools will assist in changing the narrative around issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Teachers and parents will get to understand the child (pupil) more and why they haven't performing well or acting out of character. This will help in discovering suitable learning styles for each pupil and providing them with quality education.

The number of burn victims is raising because of faulty prima stoves that explode. My sister Khensani, was unfortunately one of the victims/survivors in October 2019. She was preparing Sunday lunch for her children when all of a sudden the primus stove that she was using exploded and her face and abdomen caught fire. She was in ICU for weeks and she's still in hospital three months later at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. Ever since this incidence we've discovered that she hasn't been the only one to experience this horror. We've met a number of other patients who have burned because of faulty primus stoves. This is a terrible ordeal that no one should ever have to experience, life has been very difficult for the whole family ever since. Khensani has 4 handsome sons who almost lost their mother because of this, Every South African citizen SHOULD have electricity! Primus stoves should be banned.

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

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 .

Students are delayed to complete their studies due to outstanding results. If one subject's results are not released, they can't register that subject at the next level. At the end, they will have to come back for a full semester (6 months) or trimester (3 months), for just one subject. This actually needs an enquiry or Public Protector intervention. This has been a problem for many many years, with no improvement.

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.

Ensuring our children aren't hungry is our first priority as a community, but often the cheapest foods are unhealthy and can lead to health issues in our children, now and in the future, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, joint pain and certain cancers, which can be the result of lack of access to healthy food. We asked your school questions about what food most learners buy for lunch, and most said they buy kotas from vendors with sugary drinks. Learners also bought ice lollies, sweets and ice creams. This is not a balanced diet, and what we eat affects how much we can concentrate, and how sick we will get in the future. We use to have to just worry about HIV/AIDS, TB and other diseases, but now diseases like type 2 diabetes are increasing in our communities. The other reason we are getting sicker is because greedy junk food companies are aggressively marketing their products in our schools. But we can change this, if enough of us come together, we can ensure our voices are heard by the the MECs of Education and Health. If you don’t have email, you can join the campaign for free by dialing this code on your phone *134*1994*456#