SA Human Rights Commission

03/06/2026

SAHRC EASTERN CAPE RAPID RESPONSE UPDATE: EAST LONDON MAXIMUM CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

1/3 Following allegations regarding food shortages at the East London Maximum Correctional Centre, the SAHRC Eastern Cape Office activated its rapid response mechanism and dispatched a team to urgently assess the matter. Officials at the facility were engaged and the concerns raised were investigated.

2/3 The Commission can confirm that the matter had been addressed at the time of the visit. The team inspected available food produce and verified that meals were being cooked for inmates.

3/3 The SAHRC recommended strengthened early alert systems where food produce levels become low, as well as reinforced internal protocols to prevent recurrence. The Commission will continue to take its oversight role seriously in protecting the dignity and rights of detained persons.

03/06/2026

Commissioner Madlingozi is quoted in this article:
“Commissioner Madlingozi said he would not comment directly on Kunene’s remarks because the commission could not prejudge a matter that may still come before it…But speaking more broadly: ‘There is a responsibility for politicians to be leaders in society, to be norm-setters, to embody constitutional values but, most importantly, it’s not a favour from their side, it is an obligation that they undertook when they took an oath of office,” he said.

Link: https://www.citizen.co.za/news/kenny-kunene-criticised-over-remarks-about-undocumented-migrants/

Hate speech involved the advocacy of hatred against a group or individual, linked to prohibited grounds such as race, nationality, gender or sexuality, with an intention to cause harm or incite harm. He said scapegoating entire groups could move beyond stereotyping and become incitement.”

There has been an increase in raids and arrests on immigrants, fuelled by comments by politicians such as Kunene and xenophobic vigilantes.

03/06/2026

Today, Commissioner Sandra Makoasha appeared before the Standing Committee on Appropriations in Parliament, to comment on the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

In her presentation, Commissioner Makoasha noted that section 214(1)(a) of the Constitution requires an Act of Parliament to provide for the equitable division of revenue raised nationally among the national, provincial and local spheres of government.

Commissioner Makoasha added that the Commission is of the view that the allocation in terms of Schedule 1 of the Bill (Local Governance) ought to be targeted, to cater for poorest provinces and municipalities.

This will assist in rendering services and care for the marginalised, and the provision of services such as education, healthcare, water, and social protection for marginalised communities.

01/06/2026

Media Statement: The South African Human Rights Commission meets the police in KwaZulu-Natal and the United Nations Agencies to address issues linked to recent marches on immigration and related concerns

01/06/2026

Opinion Piece| In an Opinion Piece published by TimesLive on 31 May 2026, Commissioner Philile Ntuli, ask a pertinent question intended to widen migration question beyond structural unemployment, deepening inequality, and social abandonment: Who is the third force fanning the anti-foreigner violence?

Read: https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/opinion-and-analysis/opinion/2026-05-30-philile-ntuli-who-is-the-third-force-fanning-the-anti-foreigner-violence/

Ntuli argues that, in the period before July 2021, the country experienced an escalating manufacture of grievances. Communities living with structural unemployment, deepening inequality and social abandonment became fertile terrain for mobilisation. But the mobilisation was never only economic. It was profoundly symbolic.

The tension building ahead of the June 30 reckoning with foreigners recalls the pro-Zuma protests five years ago – in both cases, a caricature of Zulu masculinity is centre stage, writes Philile Ntuli

28/05/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT: OUTCOMES OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS PUBLIC IMBIZO ON THE RECENT IMMIGRATION AND SERVICE DELIVERY-RELATED TENSIONS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY

28/05/2026

On 25 May the SAHRC in the EC led by Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi, met with a delegation from the EC LEGISLATURE led by Chair of Committees Honourable Duba.

28/05/2026

Media Statement: World Hunger Day - SAHRC calls for urgent action on food insecurity, dignity and structural inequality

27/05/2026

Symposium | This week, Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi, is participating in a two-day Expert Symposium titled “Social Justice, Gender and the Constitution: Towards a Framework for Gender-Specific Law” in Cape Town.

The symposium is convened by the Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University in partnership with the Catalytic Committee and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

Commissioner Madlingozi shared insights in a plenary panel on Constitutional Promises, Substantive Equality and Legal Coherence.

The discussion reflected on whether existing legal and institutional frameworks
adequately address structural and intersectional inequality.

26/05/2026

On 25 May the SAHRC in the EC led by Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi, met with a delegation from the EC LEGISLATURE led by Chair of Committees Honourable Duba. The SAHRC provided the Legislature with the human rights trends analysis of the province as well as progress reports on the implementation of its Reports.

The engagement reinforced the positive collaborative relationship the SAHRC in the eastern cape shares with the Legislature and resolutions were aimed at strengthening responsiveness of state actors and rights realisation of communities.