Just Share is little over a year old, but already this small non-profit is making big ripples in the arena of responsible investment and shareholder activism. Advocacy in the private sector has traditionally been neglected, but now South Africa has a watchdog dedicated to policing listed companies’ social and environmental obligations. Explains Just Share executive […]
The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) has built up a strong reputation as South Africa’s largest public-interest human rights law clinic, operating nationwide with offices in four provinces. Cape Town regional director Sherylle Dass says the LRC has six focus areas: The last-mentioned category is what takes up most of the LRC’s time – in particular, […]
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is a pan-African non-profit organisation that works to enhance human security, which includes researching different styles of policing around the world. Gareth Newham, head of the ISS’s justice and violence prevention programme, relates that in Bavaria, the police are seen as the most trusted public officials and the biggest […]
In early 2017, it became clear that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) would not be able to pay social grants to 17-million beneficiaries after March 2017, following the expiry of its contract with Cash Paymaster Services (CPS). A crisis loomed. A number of courageous civil society organisations fought for the rights of millions […]
What are the ethics of accepting funding from a “compromised” source? This was the subject of a dialogue that the SJI held with civil society organisations (CSOs) in February 2019, which prompted robust and constructive debate. The dialogue was held as a result of KPMG approaching the SJI last year to disburse some of its […]
Community advice offices fulfill a vital role in educating South Africans about their human rights. They provide legal advice at the community level, particularly in rural areas where residents have little access to the formal justice system. The SJI is proud to be partnering with organisations that support such initiatives. Here, we profile two of […]
In 2016, the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), with the help of a group of businesswomen, raised more than R300 000 for four centres providing care for survivors of gender-based violence. We’re delighted to report that this money has made an immense difference in the lives of survivors of gender-based violence at Mosaic in Cape Town, […]
Nedbank Private Wealth, The Graca Machel Trust and the Social Justice Initiative unpacked the pivotal role that social justice plays in helping South Africa build a stronger economy and a more integrated society. Philanthropy has missed the proverbial ‘boat’ when it comes to investing in women’s economic empowerment programmes. And therein lies the rub. There […]
Despite the fact that Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, has a notoriously high crime rate, it has grossly inadequate policing. The injustice of this is highlighted by the fact that the ten safest suburbs in Cape Town, with an average murder rate of six per 100,000 people, have one police officer for every 232 […]
Since June 2014, the One Child a Year campaign encourages Probono.Org’s network of legal professionals to take on at least one child-related cause a year. These cases require patience, commitment and a creative approach to the multifaceted challenges that arise, so the legal professional is required to manage the entire court process, maintain contact with the child […]
