After a grueling three-year-long process, SECTION27 has received confirmation that the criminal records of the #BopheloHouse94 have finally been cleared. This follows the judgment on 17 November 2016 in which the Bloemfontein High Court set aside the convictions and sentences of the 94 health activists known as the #BopheloHouse94. The Continue Reading
Joint statement by the Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27 “Indeed, the right to freedom of assembly is central to our constitutional democracy and exists primarily to give a voice to the powerless. Given the constitutionally protected right to peaceful assembly, a provision which allows for unarmed and peaceful attendees of Continue Reading
This is the landmark judgement of the Bloemfontein High Court setting aside the convictions of the Bophelo House 94 and affirming the right to peaceful protest. Read more here: judgment-17-11-2016
BLOEMFONTEIN, 8th AUGUST 2016: Today the #BopheloHouse94 are appearing in Bloemfontein High Court. The community healthcare workers (CHWs) are appealing their conviction in October 2015 in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court. A conviction that found them guilty of violating the Regulation of Gatherings Act for attending a peaceful night vigil outside the Continue Reading
The Facts The Free State health care system, under MEC Benny Malakoane’s leadership, is one of the worst and fastest worsening in the country. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a critical cadre of workers. They are in intended to be the backbone of the health care system. However, their conditions Continue Reading
The number of doctors working in the public healthcare system in the Free State has dropped from 716 in 2014 to 539 this year. This amounts to a loss of 177 doctors – a 24% reduction in the number of doctors. The province also has 28 fewer medical specialists than Continue Reading
The 94 community healthcare workers (Bophelo House 94) arrested during a peaceful night vigil in July 2014 were today found guilty of attending a gathering for which no notice was given, in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court. As part of her judgment Magistrate Thafeni ruled that the gathering for which no Continue Reading
First appeared on the Daily Maverick by Mark Heywood, Director of SECTION27 Today, 10 July, marks one year since the Bophelo House 94 were arrested for participating in an ‘illegal demonstration’. This week, across the miles and miles of brown and blighted farmland that separates Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free Continue Reading
After 36 Hours in Jail – All 127 Activists Have Been Released on Warning 11th JULY, BLOEMFONTEIN: The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) welcomes the release of the 127 activists and community healthcare workers who were arrested outside Bophelo House yesterday following a peaceful sit in. They were released on warning Continue Reading