30 Years of promoting Social Justice (2024)
In 2024, SECTION27 continued its efforts to address access to quality healthcare services, focusing on structural barriers that hinder the realisation of the right to healthcare. We worked towards improving access to basic education and promoting quality within the education system.
30 Years of promoting Social Justice (2023)
2023 was an important year for SECTION27. In November, we celebrated our 30-year anniversary, reflecting on three decades of catalysing social justice. Looking back on our history highlighted the organisation’s ongoing strengths: the ability to adapt strategy, the use of the various tools of legal mobilisation, and the persistence that has seen SECTION27 fight alongside its clients and partners no matter how long it takes.
Effective Remedies in Socio-economic Rights Litigation (2024)
This report is based on a workshop on Effective Remedies in Socio-economic Rights Litigation held on 5 December 2023 at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa. The workshop was a collaboration between SECTION27, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and Sandra Liebenberg, H.F. Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Stellenbosch.
Contraceptive Supply Chain:
Stockouts and their Causes (2022)
In 2022, since finding that contraceptives make up the largest share of pharmaceutical medicines stockouts in South Africa, SSP aimed to not only continue to track stockouts but to also understand what has been driving this denial of women’s reproductive rights.
Climate Change As a Human Rights Risk (2024)
Climate change presents an existential crisis to human life and human systems throughout the world. More often than ever we see extreme weather events induced by climate change occurring in different parts of the world, and the pain and loss suffered by those who have been affected on the news.
2023 Year in Review (2023)
The year 2023 marked the 30th anniversary of SECTION27, incorporating the AIDS Law Project. The AIDS Law Project, established in 1993, was at the forefront of the civil society response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, together with longtime partner the Treatment Action Campaign. Since 2010, SECTION27 has engaged in legal mobilisation to take on the fight for basic education and health care rights.
Democracy and Constitutionlism : Civic Education Conference Report (2022)
The right to education is guaranteed by Section 29 of the South African Constitution. Given South Africa’s history of racialised inequality in education, the normative development of the right in South Africa has tended to focus on improved education
provisioning within the schooling context.
Legal Mobilisation for Rights : Annual Review 2022 (2022)
The 2022 edition of our Annual Review sheds light on some of the remarkable achievements of the organisation over the year. After four years of evidence gathering, investigations and hearings, 2022 saw the publication of the final reports from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, also known as the Zondo Commission.
HEALTH REFORM – Perspectives and Proposals (2021)
Health system reform efforts in South Africa appear to have stagnated. Following over a decade of discussion and debate, stakeholders are weary and do not trust each other’s motives and opinions. This stagnation is fatal. South Africa’s health system is under immense strain and its inequities are well known.
The state of abortion services in the Eastern Cape: 2022 Report (2022)
Over the past 4 years, SECTION27 and TAC have diligently monitored abortion service access in the Eastern Cape. Through interviews, facility visits, and interactions with the Eastern Cape Department of Health, we’ve identified numerous barriers: limited second-trimester abortion facilities, a shortage of trained providers and equipment, and high demand.
Crossing the road story book in multiple languages (2023)
Justice Zak Yacoob is a former judge of the Constitutional Court of SA. He is also blind. When he was at school and university, he depended on people to read for him because he didn’t have textbooks or legal texts in braille. Despite these difficulties, he rose to be a judge in the highest court of the country between 1998 and 2013.
#ENDINGTHEBOOKFAMINE – For People who are Blind or Visually Impaired (2023)
The Constitutional Court has declared the Copyright Act of 1978 unconstitutional and invalid to the extent that it limits access to literary and artistic works in accessible formats. The Court granted an immediate exception to copyright for persons with disabilities, allowing them to convert literary and artistic works into accessible formats without first getting authorisation from the copyright holder.
Basic Education Rights Handbook – Second Edition 2022 (2022)
SECTION27 has developed a Basic Education Rights Handbook in collaboration with partner organisations, Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, The Centre for Child Law, The Legal Resources Centre, The Southern African Litigation Centre and the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute.
Free Healthcare Services in South Africa : A case for all mothers and children (2022)
As at October 2022, the Minister of Health had not determined any conditions regarding eligibility for free health services. That means there are no restrictions on the list of people eligible for free health services or free primary health services.
Access to Contraceptives in South African Public Health Clinics between April and June 2022 (2022)
After receiving reports regarding contraceptive stockouts over the past year, the Stop Stockouts Project (SSP) conducted a survey to collect data on contraceptive availability across the country. The data was collected by Ritshidze, a community-led monitoring project, between April and June 2022.
Making Rights Real – Annual Review 2021 (2021)
2021 was another incredibly challenging year for all of us. We continued to live with COVID-19 and the devastation it wrought on the country. In July 2021, we saw unprecedented civil unrest in the provinces of KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng unfold in the context of increasing poverty and deepening inequality.
Building a field of Economics and Human Rights (2021)
This report sets out lessons learned from a year-long project led by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) in partnership with SECTION27 and the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) aimed at building a ‘community of practice’ in South Africa around the intersection of economics and human rights.
People’s Country Operational Plan 2021 (2021)
This year’s “People’s COP” has been developed using data collected through Ritshidze in October, November and December 2020 (COP20 quarter 1). In addition to community-led monitoring data, the People’s COP has been further shaped following consultation with people living with HIV, key populations, community based organisations (CBOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and Faith Based organisations (FBOs)—all stakeholders with collective experience at the forefront of South Africa’s HIV and TB response.
Older Publications (2020 – 2017)
Celebrating impact – Annual Review 2019 (2019)
“In 2019 SECTION27 continued to punch above its weight and make some important headway on the social justice landscape. This review illustrates the immense passion and drive of the team of activist lawyers, researchers, communicators and community mobilisers who are all committed to the transformative power of the Constitution.”
Socio-economic rights and austerity (2020)
A SECTION27 report compiled by Mila Harding, Mbalenhle Babuza and Julia Chaskalson.
As 2020 began, South Africa was grappling with decreasing budgets for social services, widespread corruption and mismanagement of funds, and deep and growing inequality. By March, the country was locked down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the months that followed, the impacts of historical fiscal consolidation, austerity and wastage became even clearer, with already strained social services buckling under the pressure of new demands, and emergency interventions inadequate to meet our soaring need.
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Handbook (2019)
This manual outlines concepts pertaining to the sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) of adolescents. It is designed to help learners, teachers, caregivers and other people curious about learning about SRHR to make sense of sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights.
Reporting Corporal Punishment (2023)
Corporal punishment is illegal in South Africa since its ban in 1996. However, despite the unlawfulness and unconstitutionality of corporal punishment, incidents involving the physical abuse of learners by educators at schools in South Africa remain prevalent. SECTION27’s continued work in advancing the right to education reveals that such conduct is often under-reported and inadequately dealt with by education authorities.
National Health Act Guide Third Edition
The National Health Act Guide, now in its third edition, is an invaluable resource for government, health care workers, health service users, academics, students and civil society. The Guide contains not only the Act itself but also detailed analysis and commentary, including links to and explanations of related legislation, regulations and policy.
The People’s COP 2020
This year’s People’s COP has been developed using data collected across two time periods: August and September 2019 (COP18 Q4) with the main focus on data collected in November and December 2019 (COP19 Q1)
SECTION27 Annual Review, 2018
Our 2018 Annual Review details our work on realising basic education rights, the rallying communities around the rights of learners with disabilities, advancing the rights of women to access healthcare and striving for recognition for communities and driving health system reform.
Even Older Publications (2016 – 2001)
SECTION27 Annual Review, 2016-2017
Read our Annual Review from 2016 – 2017, where we detail our activities over the course of that period: Life Esidimeni, emergency medical services and more from our Health team and, among other activities, the the Michael Komape litigation and Textbooks Case from the Basic Education team.
Spotlight: Youth Edition
Spotlight published a special Youth Edition on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, guest edited by SECTION27’s own Thuthukile Mbatha. Read more about the needs of young queer people in South Africa, access to SRHR services and the experiences of young people living with HIV here:
Standing Up For Our Lives
Learn more about the history of access to medicines in South Africa, and the critical work of civil society organisations in transforming the global conversation about drug pricing and reforming patent laws.
Towards Safe and Decent School Sanitation in Limpopo
After the tragic deaths of 5 year old Michael Komape and countless other learners who fell into pit latrines and drowned at school, SECTION27 researched the state of school sanitation infrastructure in Limpopo.
NORRAG SPECIAL ISSUE #1
Here, SECTION27’s Faranaaz Veriava wrote a chapter for Norrag’s special issue in 2018 on “The Contribution of the Civil Society
and the Courts to the Normative Development of the Right to Basic Education in the South African Constitution.”
SPOTLIGHT EDITION #4 – DECEMBER 2017
Spotlight‘s fourth edition focused on the impacts of state capture on the health system. It also contains an analysis of the global HIV and TB response in 2017, and details a number of civil society campaigns for health from that year.
#FAILEDBYSYSTEMS | Gender Based Violence
The Daily Maverick published this series of op-ed articles
on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) written by SECTION27 staff members as part of its #FAILEDBYSYSTEMS campaign during 2017. Here, the op-eds are all collected.
Basic Education Rights Handbook
The Basic Education Rights Handbook is a legal literacy tool that serves to empower communities, school governing bodies, principals, teachers and learners to understand education law and policy, to know when learners’ rights have been violated and what steps are required to protect learners’ rights.
Someone Hurt Me, What Should I Do?
A detailed guide for learners, families and community members on how to manage sexual abuse: this handbook details what to do at hospitals, police stations, courts and schools if you have survived sexual abuse and want to report it.
Kukhona Umuntu Ongihlukumezayo, Kumele Ngenze Njani?
Ukuzazulula ukuhlukunyezwa ngokewcansi: imindeni kanye namalungu womphakathi. [ISIZULU]
Someone Hurt Me, What Should I Do?
To download this guide in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, SePedi, SeSotho, TshiVenda or XiTsonga, go to this link:
Spotlight Edition #16 – December 2016
Expectations for the new National Strategic Plan on HIV and TB, decriminalisation of sex work, community healthcare worker concerns and more from Spotlight:
Spotlight Edition #15 – July 2016
“Welcome to the first edition of Spotlight. Spotlight is the new identity of
the NSP Review.” – Spotlight editors Marcus Low & Anso Thom.
SECTION27 REVIEW 2014-2015
SECTION27’s annual review spanning our activities from 2014 and 2015.
Too Many Children Left Behind
Exclusion in the South African Inclusive Education System, with a focus on the Umkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal.
NHI – Where we are and where we’re going
Lessons from the Gert Sibande pilot district in Mpumalanga in 2016: this publication casts its eyes forward to a future with National Health Insurance in South Africa.
Health Market Inquiry Patient Booklet
“we are concerned about equitable access to health care services in the
private sector, particularly, pricing and the drivers of the high cost of health care in the private health care sector.” Read a summary of our submission to the Health Market Inquiry of 2014, and stories from patients.
The Competition Commission’s Market Inquiry into the Private Health Care Sector
This inquiry is important because it has the potential to unearth information about the way the private health sector is functioning and address concerns in order to improve access to health care services. Read our fact sheet here:
Monitoring Our Health Jan-Dec 2012
Analysing selected Gauteng healthcare facilities, this publication detailed a breakdown of the provincial health system. Read more:
SECTION27 review 2010-2011
SECTION27’s first annual review, spanning 2010-2011: learn more about the genesis of our organisation.
AIDS Law Project review 2009-2010
“This is the last edition of the AIDS Law Project [ALP] review and the last publication of the ALP. Within days of its publication, the ALP will take the bold step of incorporating itself into a new organisation, called SECTION27.”
By Vuyiseka Dubula, Chairperson of the ALP.
The annual report for 2009-2010 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2007-2008
The annual report for 2007-2008 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2006-2007
The annual report for 2006-2007 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2005-2006
The annual report for 2005-2006 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2004-2005
The annual report for 2004-2005 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2003-2004
The annual report for 2003-2004 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2002-2003
The annual report for 2002-2003 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.
AIDS Law Project Review 2001-2002
The annual report for 2001-2002 of SECTION27’s predecessor, the AIDS Law Project.