Human rights Archives - Voice of the Cape

Rights group condemns anti-illegal immigration protests as economist says markets remain stable

By Oyisa George A human rights activist has criticised recent anti-illegal immigration protests, describing them as driven by xenophobia, while an economist says the demonstrations have had little impact on South Africa's financial markets. Lawyers for Human Rights attorney Mametlwe Sebei told VOC News that the country should focus on addressing the underlying causes of unemployment, poverty, and poor service delivery rather than blaming migrants. "This is a reactionary, xenophobic […]

1 July 2026

Local

African Diaspora Forum Calls for Urgent Migrant Indaba

The African Diaspora Forum in South Africa has urged government officials, civil society, and migrant communities to quickly convene a Migrant Indaba. The Indaba aims to address the complex migration laws by developing joint strategies for better migration management, integration, and resource use. According to Bongani Mkwananzi, secretary of the Africa Diaspora Forum, migrants can and should be partners in finding solutions in addition to being beneficiaries of policy. “South […]

6 November 2025

Local

South Africa reflects on three decades of human rights progress

By Lee-Yandra Paulsen The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is currently hosting the National Conference on Human Rights in South Africa, commemorating “Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights” until March 20th, 2024, leading up to Human Rights Day. In an interview with Ramadan AM on Tuesday, Deputy Director-General of Constitutional Development, Advocate Shireen Said, underscored the significance of this conference in light of South Africa's […]

19 March 2024

Local

South Africa’s jagged edge human rights standing

South Africa has come a long way since the end of apartheid in 1994, but the country still faces many challenges in protecting human rights. Despite constitutional guarantees of human rights, many South Africans still face discrimination and inequality on a daily basis. One of the most pressing problems facing South Africa is the high level of violence, especially against women and children. According to a report by the Medical […]

17 March 2023

International

US: Lawyer accuses Saudi crown prince of attempting to ‘manipulate’ court system

INTERNATIONAL A lawyer for Hatice Cengiz has accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of attempting to "manipulate" the US court system, after the administration of US President Joe Biden declared in recent documentation that the Saudi royal should be given immunity in a lawsuit accusing him of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. In a 10-page legal filing, lawyer Keith Harper, who represents both Cengiz, a writer and Khashoggi's fiancee, and Democracy for […]

1 December 2022

International

Iran army issues warning to ‘rioters’ as security forces struggle to suppress unrest

INTERNATIONAL Iran's Army Ground Forces Commander said, on Wednesday, that "rioters" would have no place in the Islamic Republic if the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered a tougher crackdown on nationwide protests, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, Reuters reports. "… should he decide to deal with them, rioters will no longer have a place in the country," Brigadier General, Kiumars Heydari said. Anti-government demonstrations erupted in September after the death of […]

10 November 2022

International

World Cup 2022: Qatar’s foreign minister denounces ‘hypocrisy’ of criticism

INTERNATIONAL Qatar’s foreign minister has condemned what he called "hypocrisy" from those criticising the country over alleged human rights abuses ahead of its hosting of the World Cup later this month. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told Le Monde on Thursday that "attacks" were being made by a minority of people, with critical European countries amongst those buying the most tickets. "There is a lot of hypocrisy in these attacks, which ignore all that we have achieved," […]

7 November 2022

Local

SA elected to UN Human Rights Council

LOCAL The UN General Assembly has elected South Africa, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Romania and Vietnam to the Human Rights Council for a three-year term starting on January 1 2023. Germany and Sudan also won second terms on the Geneva-based body, but South Korea and Venezuela failed to be re-elected. The 47-member council cannot make legally binding decisions, but its decisions carry political weight […]

12 October 2022

International

Invasive surveillance tech violates migrants’ rights in Mena region, report finds

INTERNATIONAL The spread of surveillance technology across the Middle East and North Africa often lacks regulation and transparency, leading to human rights abuses against refugees and asylum seekers, according to a new report released on Wednesday. The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, an international NGO that tracks over 10,000 companies around the world for rights abuses, called on governments in the Middle East to end the use of these […]

28 September 2022

Human rights

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