CALS Quarterly Issue 18
- Lee-Anne Bruce
Read the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter and catch up on our recent highlights expanding the agency of communities to hold the powerful to account
One of the key pillars that informs all our work at CALS is expanding the agency of marginalised actors. We believe strongly that it is not enough for civil society organisations to try to ensure those in power uphold human rights, but that part of our mission is to support the very people experiencing violations first hand to hold the state and private sector to account. In trying to achieve a truly just and equal society, these people must be at the centre of efforts to exercise their own rights.
Over the last few months, we have been very pleased to see many of our community clients and partners doing just that. Representatives from five villages in the Sekhukhune area recently welcomed Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Petitions for a site inspection of their water sources, following a successful petition and hearing in Parliament. Likewise, last month saw representatives from the Seraleng community handing over a petition to Anglo American calling on them to fulfil their promises to deliver proper housing to former mine workers.
The teams at CALS are continuing to run community capacitation workshops around the country from Kgomo-Kgomo to Magojaneng, unpacking the laws on everything from housing and evictions to traditional leadership to social and labour plans. In October, we also plan host the launch of an updated mining community toolkit. Our aim, as always, is to ensure communities themselves are able to have a better understanding of the laws and processes available to them to engage with and hold the state and private sector accountable.
Finally, we have a number of milestones to celebrate. CALS is pleased to welcome two new outstanding in-house counsel to our team: Jatheen Bhima and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane. We are also very proud of our own Thandeka Kathi, named one of this year’s Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. Busisiwe Kamolane-Kgadima and Thuli Zulu graduated recently with Masters of Laws degrees from Wits University and the University of Pretoria respectively.
Click the image below to read more about our recent highlights.
