This week — discussions on NSFAS failures, women’s land struggles, and the impact of court decisions on human rights

On Monday, 26 August at 9am, there will be a webinar on sub-regional training on the UN legally binding instrument for transnational corporations and other business enterprises in the Africa region. 

Legal experts present will include Obert Bore, Apollin Koagne and Darlington Chidarara. 

Zoom details: 

ID: 813 3502 2418

Passcode: 288567

On Tuesday, 27 August at 7pm, Youth Capital will host a webinar on the true cost of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme failures.

“The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has a clear mission – to alleviate financial constraints for admission to post-school education and training for those who are academically qualified. However, NSFAS has been in the news for all the wrong reasons – from corruption and mismanagement of funds to late payments. We’re counting the true cost of the NSFAS saga on the lives of young people – from being forced to drop out of university, poor mental health and their futures,” reads the event description.

Register here.



On Wednesday, 28 August at 2pm, the University of the Western Cape in collaboration with the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies will host a webinar on women’s land struggles in post-apartheid South Africa.

“Many South Africans still face significant obstacles when it comes to gaining access to land in both rural and urban areas. This is despite the provisions in the Constitution that the state must take measures to enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis, and secure and restore their land rights. Land inequality remains gendered, with women facing barriers and being the least to reap significant benefits from the land reform programme implemented in South Africa since 1994,” read the event description.

Speakers include, Motlanalo Lebepe – Director (Nkuzi Development Association), Tshepo Fokane – Acting National Coordinator (Alliance for Rural Democracy), and Nozi Sigwela – Researcher (Ndifuna Ukwazi).

RSVP here.

Attend here.



Also on Wednesday at 5.30pm, there will be a book launch of Comrade & Commander: The Life and Times of Joe Modise at the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

“The book’s editors, former anti-apartheid activist and minister for intelligence services Ronnie Kasrils, and Fidelis Hove, a principal at the human development practice Genesis Analytics, will be speaking at the event. Comrade & Commander shines a light on Modise and his legacy. A bus driver from Sophiatown, Gauteng, he became an anti-apartheid activist who helped found uMkhonto weSizwe, the military wing of the ANC. He later made history by becoming democratic South Africa’s first black minister of defence,” read the event description.

RSVP here.



On Thursday, 29 August from 2pm, the Southern African Litigation Centre will host a webinar on the impact of recent and ongoing human rights cases titled “From Court to Action”. “Join us as we unpack the impact of the recent court decisions and ongoing cases to analyse their impact on the human rights of LGTBQI+ persons and their broader impact on all human rights,” reads the event description. 

Register here.

Also on Thursday, at 10pm,  the Networking HIV & Aids Community of Southern Africa will host a webinar on empowering teen parents.

Register here.

Friday  30 August is International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

According to the UN this day is observed because “enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects their communities and society as a whole.

“Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are:

• The ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of enforced disappearance.


• The use by states of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations.


• The still widespread impunity for enforced disappearance.”