SJC

Here's what I found on the SJC Facebook page.  This is some of what I'll be working on these next few months.  More to come!


The Social Justice Coalition (SJC) is a mass-member based social movement located in Khayelitsha (Cape Town), campaigning for safe communities for all. This is a right ensured to all people in South Africa, but is most deprived to those who live in poor and working class areas.

The SJC have two major campaigns within our broader call for safer communities. 

Many residents of informal settlements find that they are most at risk of being harmed in the process of accessing clean and safe sanitation facilities. Residents are routinely assaulted, robbed, raped and murdered on the often long and arduous journey to a toilet, which is often shared between 75 or more individuals. We are calling for Government to ensure improved delivery, maintenance, monitoring and coordination of sanitation facilities to mitigate this risk. Safer communities begins with clean and safe toilets.

Our second campaign is focused on addressing deficiencies in the Khayelitsha Criminal Justice System. Police often fail to protect residents, and once a crime is committed the justice system very often fails to adequately process the case through the courts. . We are calling for an audit into this system, and for improvements to be made where necessary. We must work to prevent crimes from occurring, but if they take place we must ensure that victims are not denied justice

All of our work is done on the basis that Government has a duty to be accountable, but that residents also have a duty to be active citizens and contribute to the betterment of their communities. Our work is fundamentally based on the rights enshrined to all people in South Africa in our Constitution; most notably those to Safety, dignity, health, Just Administrative Action, and Equality. We acknowledge the importance of not just lobbying for policy changes, but engaging with government, in order to maximize service delivery and the realization of rights.

While our campaign is focused on Khayelitsha, we encourage individuals from across the country to stand with us. Join the SJC today!