1. EQUALITY
Equality complaints continue to constitute the highest number of complaints received by the commission every year. Of these complaints, most are based on race. It is clear that inequality, thanks to the legacy of apartheid and colonialism, continues to fuel racial tensions in SA.
Social media has emerged as a powerful conduit for publishing hate speech as well as unfairly discriminatory expression. Such expression — whether communicated during face-to-face altercations or via social media platforms — results in violations of the right to equality and the right to human dignity. Most complaints are brought by individuals, though interest groups and political parties regularly submit complaints to the commission in this context.
2. RIGHT TO BASIC EDUCATION
The state of education and public schools in SA remains a concern, owing to dilapidated infrastructure, a lack of water and sanitation, a shortage of teachers, especially in rural provinces, and a lack of pupil-teacher support materials such as textbooks and stationery — fostering inequality. The pandemic has also compounded these problems and presented new challenges such as the widening of the technological divide.
3. RIGHT TO HEALTH
Access to health care and access to water remain the top two complaints within the socioeconomic rights cluster. Common problems relating to water include a lack of access to sufficient potable water, water interruptions and/or shortages, and poor water quality. In many rural areas, particularly in the Eastern Cape, communities do not have access to water at all.
Water and wastewater treatment plants are poorly maintained and there are often complaints of sewage filling streets and sometimes homes. Such issues are particularly prevalent in informal settlements. There were many complaints on the state of sanitation in all provinces, with many communities, particularly in informal settlements, using pit latrines. In some cases, sanitation was completely absent.
In many rural areas, particularly in the Eastern Cape, communities do not have access to water at all
4.THE RIGHT TO ADEQUATE HOUSING
Housing complaints in Gauteng centred on illegal evictions and problems with the processes of allocating RDP homes. The legality of evictions, lack of consultation with tenants and occupiers, failure to provide alternative accommodation and the inhumane manner in which evictions are carried out in the province were some of the main issues of concern.
Gauteng has the highest number of housing complaints, with reports indicating that the most densely populated provinces experience challenges around the supply and allocation of housing support.
5. THE RIGHT TO WATER
Reports from the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan indicate that more than 5.5-million households in SA do not have access to clean and reliable drinking water. In the main, poor infrastructure and the maintenance thereof are at the heart of poor service delivery.
Similar to the challenges confronting school infrastructure with the advent of the pandemic, the right to water is threatened more, and millions of South Africans are at risk as a result of poor water service. QwaQwa in the Free State is one example of an ongoing water crisis and a clear indication of the violation of rights.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.