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PRESS STATEMENT | Court judgment advances protection for children against predators
SECTION27 and the Teddy Bear Foundation (TBF) welcome the judgment handed down by the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, in the matter between the Teddy Bear Foundation and a range of government entities. The matter interrogated the state’s obligation under the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 to ensure the efficacy of the National Child Protection…
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PRESS STATEMENT | New report finds critical health gap in 2026 Gender Budget Statement
SECTION27’s latest report, ‘A Civil Society Assessment of South Africa’s 2026 Gender Budget Statement in the Face of Climate Shocks’ builds on its recent analysis of the national health budget. The report examines whether South Africa’s latest 2026 Gender Budget Statement (GBS) closes the gap between gender equality commitments and budget decisions. It reveals that, although the GBS has expanded…
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PRESS STATEMENT | Departments’ failure to keep, maintain and implement the National Child Protection Register taken to Court
On Tuesday, 28 July, the Teddy Bear Foundation (TBF), represented by SECTION27, appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to challenge the efficacy of the National Child Protection Register (NCPR). The TBF approached the court to ensure that people found guilty of sexual misconduct, or otherwise found unsuitable to work with children, are reported…
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PRESS STATEMENT | SECTION27 takes departments to court to ensure the proper functioning and enforcement of the National Child Protection Register
SECTION27, representing the Teddy Bear Foundation (TBF), will be in Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday, 27 July, to ensure that the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) is implemented and maintained effectively. SECTION27 approached the court to ensure that people found guilty of sexual misconduct, or otherwise found unsuitable to work with children, are…
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PRESS STATEMENT | No more delays – Minister Tau publish the patent law reform bill now!
The Fix the Patent Laws campaign calls on the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (dtic) to urgently release the Patent Bill for public comment. Despite repeated promises the long-awaited Bill – that could pave the way for a new era in access to medicines in South Africa – remains unpublished. “The dtic must urgently publish…
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PRESS STATEMENT | New SECTION27 report finds health budget fails women and climate-vulnerable communities
South Africa’s health budget is failing to respond to the realities facing women, particularly those living in poor and rural communities. The public health system, which serves 84% of the population, operates within at least three overlapping pressures: high unemployment and poverty, persistent gender inequality, and the increasing impacts of climate change. A new SECTION27 report,…
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PRESS STATEMENT | Johannesburg private school in contempt of court for excluding matric learners due to outstanding fees
SECTION27, representing a parent of two matric learners, is forced to return to the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg on an urgent contempt of court application on 21 July 2026. This application stems from a court order that was granted against the Sifiso Learning Group and Future Nations on 9 June 2026. SECTION27…
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PRESS STATEMENT | SECTION27 submissions to the ACHPR: Responding to climate change requires more than environmental policy; it requires African States to protect the systems upon which the enjoyment of human rights depends
As African states face growing pressure to respond to the climate crisis, SECTION27 has filed written submissions as amicus curiae (friend of the court) before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, on the climate change crises and the obligations of African State. The submissions are in response to a Request for an Advisory…
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PRESS STATEMENT | The Constitutional Court confirms most of the Copyright Amendment Bill is constitutional
On Friday, 26 June 2026, the Constitutional Court handed down judgment in Ex parte President of the Republic of South Africa: In re Constitutionality of the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill (PPAB). The case follows the President’s decision to refer the CAB and the PPAB to the Constitutional Court in terms of section 79 (4) of the Constitution, because he had reservations on the constitutionality of the Bill. …
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PRESS STATEMENT | Johannesburg private school in urgent court for excluding learners due to outstanding fees
SECTION27, representing a parent of three learners, has approached the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg, for the re-enrollment of the learners, who have been excluded from a private school because of outstanding school fees. The hearing will be held at 10h00 on 9 June 2026. Two of the three learners are in Grade…
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PRESS STATEMENT | New Report Finds only 49 000 Educators Vetted against the Child Protection Register
As Child Protection Week draws to a close, SECTION27 has launched a new report, Protecting the Future Today: The Need for an Efficient National Child Protection Register to Curb Violence Against Children. The report reveals serious shortcomings in the implementation of the National Child Protection Register (NCPR), undermining its ability to protect children from violence,…
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PRESS STATEMENT | New report reveals severe barriers to safe abortion in Eastern Cape and Limpopo
Today, SECTION27 and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) launch a new report exposing widespread failures in access to abortion services in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. The report, Barriers to Abortion Services in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo: 2026, documents how systemic failures in the public healthcare system are denying women and girls access to safe and lawful abortion services, particularly in…
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JOINT STATEMENT | Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, Children’s Institute, SECTION27, Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, and Lawyers for Human Rights condemn the recent wave of xenophobia
The Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), Equal Education (EE), Children’s Institute (CI), SECTION27, KOPANANG AFRICA AGAINST XENOPHOBIA (KAAX), and Lawyers for Human Rights unequivocally condemn the recent wave of intimidation and violence targeting migrant persons, including children, in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Over the past several months, March and March and Operation Dudula have…
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PRESS STATEMENT | Uneven resilience: HIV and contraceptive services following US funding freeze
The Stop Stockouts Project (SSP) releases a new report titled: Impact, Adaptation and Opportunity – South Africa’s Health System Post-PEPFAR. For over two decades, the United States used PEPFAR to support South Africa’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This support was abruptly withdrawn in January 2025. This report assesses the impact of the abrupt withdrawal…
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PRESS STATEMENT | On World Copyright Day, South Africa’s failure to act continues to deny blind and visually impaired people the joy of reading
Today marks World Book and Copyright Day, established by UNESCO, a day that promotes reading, publishing and copyright awareness. SECTION27 and Blind SA highlight a painful and ongoing exclusion: for blind and visually impaired people in South Africa, that world remains firmly out of reach. To commemorate the day, the organisations collaborated on a video…
