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When Healthcare Treatment is Obstructed, Rights Must Speak
By: Hloni Manare A routine minibus taxi ride from Hillbrow to Orange Grove, north of Johannesburg, quickly turned into a nightmare for Flora* a documented migrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In 2024, the 45-year-old mother of three found herself in excruciating pain…
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Where Borders End, Dignity Begins
By: Kholofelo Mphahlele and Gillian Pillay Sunday, 15 June 2025 started off as another normal day for the Moyo* family. It is also a day that will forever remain etched in their memory. The Moyos, who reside in Springs, Gauteng, vividly recalled how their world forever…
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A Refugee’s Fight for the Right to See
By: Tsadok Yehudah We often take for granted just how much we rely on our sense of sight in our daily lives. For Michelle Myers*, a documented Ethiopian refugee living in South Africa, this was a diminishing reality as her world was literally fading to black.…
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An Undocumented South African Mother’s Fight to Get Her Newborn Registered
By: Hloni Manare Bringing new life into the world is a life-changing experience for any mother. For 26-year-old, South African-born Maria Matthews*, news that she would become a mother for the second time was an exciting possibility. Like any other expectant mother, Maria prepared to welcome…
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Dignity restored: One Limpopo School’s Long Wait for Safe Sanitation Comes to an End
By: Gillian Pillay and Vuyelwa Nkumanda Nestled in the remote, lush hills of the Khalavha village in Fondwe, Venda, lies Jack Lavhengwa Secondary School, located in a region synonymous with water scarcity. Jack Lavhengwa is a Quintile 3, no fee-paying secondary school which accommodates fewer than…
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A Father’s Fight for His Children’s Right to Education
By: Benni Mudau The South African Constitution guarantees that every child has the right to access basic education. However, for siblings Lebogang* and Tebatso Ngcobo* – grade eight and ten learners respectively – from the New Horizon College, a private school in Harrismith in the Free…
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A Six-Year Old’s Struggle in Accessing Cancer Treatment in South Africa
By: Hloni Manare and Benni Mudau Any parent would be left powerless at the sight of their child suffering from an unexplained illness. Hassan Tesfaye* and his wife, Aida*, Ethiopian asylum seekers who have been living in Pretoria, South Africa, for 16 years, were all too…
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A Refugee’s Long Journey to Access Healthcare in South Africa
By: Samukelisiwe Msane Meet *Neema Ntumba, a 36-year-old refugee, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who has called Pretoria her home for a decade. As a refugee, Neema can access the same healthcare services as South African citizens as set out in the Constitution. However,…
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Suspended for asserting her right against Corporal Punishment
By: Samukelisiwe Msane It started off as any normal school day for *Lindiwe, a grade 11 learner, from an independent school in Orange Farm, South of Johannesburg. Lindiwe vividly recalls the events which led to her being suspended for a period of 3 weeks, after she…
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SECTION27 assists a 14-year old to assert her right to a safe abortion
By: Faye Sagild It is any teenage girl’s worst fear, informing her parents that she is pregnant. In April 2023, 14-year-old (“Ayanda”), whose identity we have had to conceal due to her status as a minor, was confronted with this reality. Naturally, news that she was…
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A race against time: How SECTION27 helped a pregnant teen restore her right to education
By: Sabine Bos It’s October 2022, and a teenage girl’s future is at stake. She (‘Ntsiki’) is pregnant and – for that reason – has been expelled from school. She has been barred from writing her grade 12 school-leaving exam set to take place in approximately…
