R&HR: South Africa

The Situation in Brief

South Africa, Reconciliation & Human Rights, a rural woman and her child Despite the advent of democracy, a progressive Constitution, and social and economic progress on many fronts, South Africa remains a society characterised by deep social divisions and the trauma of its violent past.

With the 2009 election of Jacob Zuma as President, the country is at a key point in its development. Civil society will have to hold the government accountable to its promises of improved service delivery, and remain vigilant in protecting the vulnerable and countering anti-democratic trends. Atlantic seeks to support the stability and long-term survival of democracy in South Africa and expanded rights for all people under the Constitution.

Reconciliation & Human Rights Programme Goals in
South Africa

Strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organisations, advocates and allies to protect democracy and the Constitution
Protect and expand the rights of the groups of people most marginalised in terms of access to their rights, including the gay and lesbian community, the rural poor, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants
Promote reconciliation and nationhood by providing South Africans with the means to understand and come to terms with the past

Reconciliation & Human Rights Resources

Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of the Witwatersrand, http://wiserweb.wits.ac.za/
Centre for Civil Society, www.nu.ac.za/ccs

Facts at a Glance

Some 15 million rural South Africans remain trapped in poverty, due to the social engineering of apartheid and the priority given to urban industries in the government’s economic policies.
Three-quarters of all children living in poverty can be found in rural areas.¹
The homes or properties of 67% of black gay men have been attacked because of their sexuality.²

Resources

Human rights

South African Human Rights Commission, www.sahrc.org.za
Legal Resources Centre, www.lrc.org.za
The Black Sash, www.blacksash.org.za

Farmworkers and the Rural poor

Nkuzi Development Association, www.nkuzi.org.za

Gays and Lesbians

Behind the Mask, www.mask.org.za – covering gay and lesbian issues on the continent
Triangle, www.triangle.org.za – Web site of a Western Cape service provider
Out, Tshwane, www.out.org.za – Web Site of a Guateng service provider
Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa, www.gala.co.za
Out in Africa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, www.oia.co.za

Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants