enca - 3 days ago

Exposing growing violence activists face Ntandoyenkosi… Sat, 10/25/2025 - 12:00 JOHANNESBURG - Those who fight for human rights activists are always under threat. There s a bid to silence them for speaking truth to power, including corporations that disregard environmental laws, and the human rights of communities. Sifiso Dladla, a rights defender, exposes the lack of legislative protections for defenders of human rights, despite the significant roles that they have played in this country. Sifiso says that the lack of protection of activists is not given the political will that it should because it does not affect political leaders. When political leaders were assassinated, there was a task team that was formed. But that cannot be said with human rights defenders in the country . He further points out that South Africa has vocally defended human on the international stage, citing the ICJ case where South Africa is currently defending the rights and sovereignty of the people of Palestine. However, Sifiso says that we have failed to be as equally vocal in our domestic affairs.He pointed to such cases as the assassination of leaders and members of the Abahlali baseMjondolo movement who, according to him, have had between 22 and 25 of their members assassinated in the past 20 years. In his closing remarks, Sifiso suggests that perhaps part of the Political Killings Task Team s (PKTT) mandate should include investigations into the killings of human rights defenders.

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