“To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind.” – Pearl S. Buck
Monday 26 – Wednesday 28 August
Researcher, Thuthukile will be attending a meeting on SADC SRHR strategy monitoring and evaluation tools organised by African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC) and SRHR Africa Trust (SAT) in Windhoek, Namibia. The meeting is a follow-up to the April meeting where civil society organizations from the region gathered to develop tools to be used to monitor progress on the implementation of the SADC SRHR strategy and scorecard in the region.
Head of Communications, Nontsikelelo Mpulo will attend a meeting of the SA HIV Clinicians society to develop harm reduction guidelines for injecting drug users in relation to HIV and TB treatment. The meeting will take place at City Lodge OR Tambo International Airport.
Tuesday 27 August
NSP Advocacy Officer, Vovo Gonyela will be facilitating a continuation session on HIV and TB related stigma and discrimination for a group of 22 faith based women that is organized in Aliwal North. The session will also look at the importance of and impact of poor treatment adherence. This seminar is held twice a year and aims at empowering faith based women leaders to come to terms with their HIV and TB status in order to be a support system to the rest of the congregants who need support.
Nontsikelelo Mpulo will attend a strategy planning and budget advocacy workshop organised by Rise Against Gender-Based Violence. The workshop seeks to reflect on commitments made by the government in the context of the National Gender Summit in November 2018 and to devise budget advocacy strategies to ensure that all stakeholders are held accountable in the programme to address gender based violence.
Thursday 29 August
SECTION27 will be hosting the second of two panel discussion at the University of Free State where we will unpack the journey of the Komape family as they seek #Justice4Michael in an effort to address unacceptable school sanitation. This is in the build up to the SCA Appeal on Monday 2 September 2019. The discussants will be SECTION27 Legal Researcher Motheo Brodie, Chairperson of SLSJ Tshepang Mahlatsi, Professor Sylvia Phendla from the Education Faculty and will be moderated by Professor Danie Brand Director of the Free State Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome and can RSVP to pikoli@section27.org.za
Friday 30 August
Executive Director, Umunyana Rugege will attend the Competition Commission of South Africa’s 13th Annual Competition Conference, which coincides with its 20-Year Celebration of competition law enforcement in South Africa. Umunyana will participate as panellist at a plenary session on the topic “20 years of competition law and its impact”. The Conference will provide a platform for robust engagement on these and other issues by policy experts and practitioners (both in the private and public sectors), renowned academics, government and other stakeholders to debate developments in competition policy in South Africa.
Members of SECTION27 will travel to Manguzi in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal to introduce members of Siphilisa Isizwe, a disabled people’s organisation based in the Umkhyanyakude district to the Learners with Disabilities Talking Book. The book was developed as an advocacy tool for parents of learners with disabilities to learn their rights in accessing basic education for their children.
Spotlight
Spotlight on NHI: In search of common ground
Since the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill in parliament two weeks ago an enormous amount has been written. Tamar Kahn’s article in Business Day provided probably the most balanced and realistic assessment so far. In the Daily Maverick, Ferial Haffajee highlighted the very real risk of corruption and Mark Heywood’s interview with Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize did not do much to allay those fears.
Mental Health Unit is a ‘disaster’, says Public Service Commissioner
The Public Service Commission (PSC) made a surprise visit to the Cecilia Makiwane Mental Health Unit – 10 days after Spotlight published its investigation into a whistleblower’s plea about the unit’s dire state.The visit to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, was led by Commissioner Lulu Sizani on 16 August.
Mental Health Unit is a ‘disaster’, says Public Service Commissioner
Opinion: Approval of new TB drug lays bare crisis in TB research
Last week the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the drug pretomanid for use in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid “for treating a limited and specific population of adult patients with extensively drug resistant, treatment-intolerant or nonresponsive multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)”.
Opinion: Approval of new TB drug lays bare crisis in TB research
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