Author: PASSOP

My name is Perceive Shava. Until now, I have only been known to the public by my pseudonym; ‘Susan Forgives’. I want to share my name, and my story. 18 months ago I was acid attacked in a taxi in Cape Town. Since then, I’ve had seven major operations. I have three more years of reconstructive surgery to go. That incident turned me into a victim, but I am a survivor and someone who forgives. I have forgiven the men responsible for the attack.

The men who attacked me were unknown to me, but I don’t think the attack was random. I had been in an abusive relationship prior to the attack, and it is my opinion that I was attacked as a result of this relationship. By sharing my story, I want to help other women out there in the same situation.

I have not spoken out before now, because there was a legal process in place after my attack, and I didn’t want to talk about this while that process was ongoing. The case is now closed, but I am still left with more questions than answers. But women must speak out about such things, and report them. Even if they’re being threatened, they must go to the police or find someone they trust and feel safe with, and share it with them. Abuse must never be tolerated.

This is not about revenge, or anger. I’m not doing this for myself, because it doesn’t change what happened to me. This happened, and that can’t be changed. But maybe my story can inspire someone out there. Maybe someone is in an abusive relationship, but they can’t speak up about it because they are afraid. It’s not easy to speak up about these things. It takes courage. I want to encourage my fellow victims and sisters, and maybe change their lives or impact their lives somehow.

The acid attack made me look at life differently, at what is really important to me. Is it how I look, or who I am inside? And what I can achieve? I can still go to work, I can do anything I want to do. I am capable. It doesn’t matter how you look, but what you are inside, and no-one can take that away from you. They can kill the outside, but they can’t kill what you are inside.

My life has changed in good and bad ways. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people along this journey. People who were supportive. I never felt alone. I don’t have real parents, or a mother to call, but I never felt alone because I had support. Now I’ve got the opportunity to be a gender rights programme co-ordinator. I have accepted a job working with PASSOP on their gender-based violence project.

Women are more vulnerable to sexual violence. Lots of men don’t respect women. They see us as sex objects. There’s no respect for women. I think this problem is worldwide, and I feel it’s getting worse. Cases are not investigated thoroughly, and people get away with abuse.

I want my real name to be known because that is me. My parents gave me that name. I am Perceive. But I also like being Susan Forgives. It reminds me of all that has happened, and how much I have grown. I don’t want to hide either name. I was scared to tell people my real name. But my face is out there, now my name is too.

If telling my story will help even one person, or change even one person’s life, then it was worth it.

As a contribution to Israeli Apartheid Week programme PASSOP will be hosting a talk at Imizamo Yethu township, near Hout Bay, on Thursday March 14th. The talk aims to explore the complex social divisions in Israel and to focus on the abuse of refugees and immigrants by Israeli authorities, as well as to educate the host township community on the plight of Palestinians.

The talk will have a panel made up of two eminent figures in Professor Farid Esack and Comrade Denis Goldberg and will be chaired by PASSOP director Braam Hanekom. The event will begin at 16:00, and will end by 18.30.

We feel the choice of location for this talk is a very apt one, given the history of the Imizamo Yethu settlement, and that it is crucial for us to take the debate to the community. We urge all interested parties, media and student groups to attend this engaging debate on an issue of immediate importance. PASSOP can assist with transport for students, if needs be.

For more information contact Liam Brickhill (PASSOP media liaison) on 0794284885

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an annual campaign that takes place in over 250 cities around the world during February and March. South Africa is hosting the 9th international Israeli Apartheid Week between March 11th and March 17th, with events being held at more than 15 universities and 35 cities, towns and communities across the country. The aim of these events is to raise awareness of Israel’s apartheid policies towards indigenous Palestinians, garner support for non-violent actions against these policies, and stoke debate around the important issues. PASSOP is one of more than 50 member groups to endorse the IAW 2013 campaign.

Professor Farid Esack is a South African scholar of Islam, writer and political activist. An anti-apartheid activist in his youth, Esack was appointed a National Commissioner on Gender Equality by President Nelson Mandela after the fall of apartheid. He has lectured at universities around the world, and is currently a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Johannesburg. He continues his work as an activist through Positive Muslims, an organization working with Muslims who are HIV positive in South Africa, and through the several development boards on which he serves in South Africa and internationally.

Denis Goldberg is a South African social campaigner, and a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement. Imprisoned for 22 years by the apartheid regime, after his release in 1985 he went into exile in London where he served as ANC spokesman and was presented with the Albert Luthuli Peace Prize in recognition of his work against Apartheid. Vehement in his criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, Goldberg has also been active in a large number of social movements, founding Community H.E.A.R.T. in London in 1995. He returned to South Africa in 2002.

PASSOP welcomes the Western Cape High Court’s judgement that orders the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to reopen a Refugee Reception Office (RRO) in Cape Town by 1 July 2013. On the 29 June 2012, the DHA closed the RRO in Cape Town and has refused to accept new applications for asylum since then. As a result of this violation of asylum seekers’ rights, our partner, the Scalabrini Centre, brought an application to court. Despite an interim order from the Court in July 2012 requiring that DHA assist all asylum seekers, the RRO in Cape Town has remained inaccessible to newcomers for more than 8 months.

The DHA continued to defy the order even after the court dismissed DHA’s leave to appeal the interim relief order on August 30th. Since June, hundreds of asylum seekers in Cape Town and have been unable to acquire documentation. As a result, they have lived in fear of being detained and deported to countries where their lives and freedom are at risk. In addition, many of the asylum seekers have been unable to access health care and schools because they were unable to acquire documentation from the DHA. Their human rights have been violated over and over again.

PASSOP is very pleased that the High Court has delivered this judgement and that asylum seekers’ rights are being protected. We call on the DHA to comply with the decision and stop undermining the rights of asylum seekers and to accept, respect and enforce the rule of law.

For comment contact Langton Miriyoga on 084 0269658.

A PICKET DEMONSTRATION WILL TAKE PLACE

WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH 2013 AT 8H00

AT THE CAPE TOWN CITY OFFICES

AS PART OF THE RIGHT TO TRADE CAMPAIGN

OUTSIDE THE INFORMAL TRADERS SUMMIT CALLED BY THE CITY

A Coalition of organisations has been formed to challenge the City of Cape Town on its recently promulgated By-Laws that will have a dramatic impact on the continued viability of SPAZA shops in Cape Town’s townships. The coalition which will unite under the banner of THE RIGHT TO TRADE CAMPAIGN consists of the following organisations: Western Cape Informal Traders Coalition, the Somali Association of South Africa, COSATU Western Cape, PASSOP, the National Consumer Forum, the South African Council of Churches, the Scalibrini CENTRE, the Legal Resources Centre, the Black Business Chamber and the Muslim Judicial Council.

The Right To Trade Campaign believes that despite the fact that the preamble of the By-Laws stating that the intention of theses By-Laws are to stimulate the job creation in the informal sector and make it easier to trade, the application of the provisions of this By Law will have the opposite effect. The RTTC estimates that up to 70% of existing SPAZA shops in the greater Cape Town municipality will have to close because they will not be able to meet the stringent requirements.

The RTTC has asked the City to place a moratorium on the implementation of these By-Laws to allow for further consultation and broader participation. The RTTC contends that there was insufficient stakeholder participation and that these By-Laws are being implemented without due process and without sufficient dissemination of the new requirements to those directly affected.

The RTTC wishes to raise the plight of the informal sector in the public domain in order to get support for our call for further consultation and a moratorium on the implementation of the provisions in these By-Laws that have direct impact on the sector. Our appeal is for the respect of Democratic principles, of full stake-holder participation and mutual consultation with those directly affected. The City has responded by calling for the Informal Traders Summit to be held on Wednesday 20 March 2013.

OUR SLOGAN REMAINS:
NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US !!!

For more information contact any of the participating organisations as indicted below.

Issued by:

The Western Cape Informal Traders Coalition

Riedewaan Charles
083 965 6324

The Somali Association of South Africa

Abdi Kader
084 775 5668

The National Consumer Forum

Imraahn Mukaddam
073 794 6092

COSATU Western Cape

Mike Louw
082 3395 443

PASSOP

Braam Hanekom
084 319 1764

The South African Council of Churches

+27 21 423 4264

The Scalibrini Foundation

Miranda Madikane
083 380 3572

The Black Business Chamber
Sizwe Ngqame
O72 109 5259
Khaya Cishe
073 605 3209

The South African Human Rights Commission (“SAHRC”) and People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty (“PASSOP”) as well as 39 unlawfully detained foreigners have instituted urgent court proceedings against the Department of Home Affairs for systematically and unlawfully detaining foreigners for in excess of 120 days in contravention of the Immigration Act.

It is with great disappointment that PASSOP along with the SAHRC have instituted proceedings against the Minister of Home Affairs (“Department”) for unlawfully detaining foreigners in contravention of the Constitution, the Immigration Act, and Immigration Regulations. Proceedings were instituted on Friday the 2nd of November 2012 in the South Gauteng High Court.

It is clear to PASSOP that the Department has failed to respect the law and as a consequence the fundamental human rights that the laws are meant to protect. It is also clear to us that this is an endemic problem and without serious intervention, South Africa will continue to fail to protect the rights of detained foreigners. We call upon the new Minster of Home Affairs to take the human rights of all persons seriously and not to waste tax payer’s money defending unlawful actions that undermine our integrity as a country. We call upon the Minister to release the thirty-nine detained applicants and to swiftly adhere to our demands that Lindela become accountable.

The group of thirty-nine unlawfully detained foreigners are joined as applicants in the proceeding. These foreigners have all been detained at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in excess of 120 days, which is the maximum period of detention allowed by the Immigration Act. Some of these thirty-nine foreigners have been detained for as long as 16 months.

Under the conditions that foreigners are detained, they have limited capacity to enforce their rights. Many of them are unaware of their rights and have limited access to legal representation. As a result, it is almost impossible for foreigners to be released and for them to realise their right to just administrative action without our organisational intervention.

The Lindela Repatriation Centre has a history of unjust administrative action towards foreigners. The immigration detention practices and policies of the Department have not changed in substance, although the prevailing legislation is now different.

This sort of systematic abuse of foreigners represents a continuous violation of human rights by the Department of Home Affairs. These practices are illegal and contrary to the principles of the Constitution which uphold the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised persons in South Africa.

PASSOP has been monitoring the Lindela Repatriation Centre and has worked closely with the thirty-nine detained foreigners. As such, PASSOP has witnessed the travesty of justice first hand. PASSOP condemns the conduct of the Department in no uncertain terms and stands opposed to this inhumane practice and confidently joins the SAHRC as an applicant in this important case.

For comment contact Braam Hanekom, 084 319 1764 or Langton Miriyoga 0840269658

Press statement for immediate release

PASSOP appeals to government and NGO’s for emergency relief in De Doorns

PASSOP calls upon the relevant municipal, provincial and national government departments to urgently intervene in the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in De Doorns. We have in the past expressed our support and solidarity with striking workers over their call for better wages (while condemning any violence) but we want to make it clear that we are not attempting to sustain or interfere with strike actions in De Doorns. We are making this appeal because we are extremely concerned about the ability of these thousands of people to meet basic needs, both South Africans and immigrants. Almost the entire township community have not been able to access income, food, medication and other basic amenities over the past 2 weeks. These basic nutritional and medical needs are required for farm workers, but also required for their children, elderly and unemployed family members- as most workers have not received pay for the last 2 weeks the entire community is affected. We also call upon NGO’s that have the mandate and capacity to assist in such humanitarian relief efforts to please urgently intervene. PASSOP is also attempting to raise aid to support the community during this difficult time.

 

For Comment, please contact:

Langton Miriyoga 084 026 9658

Braam Hanekom  084 319 1764