This week: Life Esidimeni probe, children’s rights and Struggle heroes

Family member Wilhemina Thejane at the Life Esidimeni hearings. (Photo: Joyrene Kramer)

By Zukiswa Pikoli

2 Aug 2021

The Life Esidimeni inquest resumes, while the Children’s Institute urges the government to centre children in its Covid-19 response and the Kathrada Foundation honours women anti-apartheid heroes.

Family member Wilhemina Thejane at the Life Esidimeni hearings. (Photo: Joyrene Kramer)

On Monday, 2 August at 10am, the Life Esidimeni inquest into the tragedy that resulted in the death of 144 mentally ill patients will resume at the North Gauteng High Court before Judge Mmonoa Teffo and will be live-streamed on the Judiciary’s YouTube page here.

On Tuesday, 3 August, from 10am to 12pm, the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute will launch its Children and Covid-19 advocacy briefs titled Putting children first – from response to recovery. The briefs focus on how Covid-19 has affected children’s healthcare, education, early childhood development, nutrition, mental health and exposure to violence, and urge the government to put children at the centre of Covid-19 recovery plans. The launch will be facilitated by Maverick Citizen editor Mark Heywood and you can register to attend here.

Also on Tuesday, at 11am, My Vote Counts will launch a watchdog coalition on party funding that aims to ensure greater transparency and political accountability while deepening South Africa’s democracy. Register to attend here.

On Wednesday, 4 August, from 11am to 1pm, the National Shelter Movement of South Africa will launch the first of four webinars titled What has happened in sheltering after lockdown? The webinar will be live-streamed from their Facebook page. You can join the webinar here.

On Thursday, 5 August, from 1pm to 2pm, the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) will host a webinar on Urban struggles for equitable access to land. The speakers are Nomsa Sizani, general secretary of Abahlali BaseMjondolo, land activist Shakira Qwabe and Dr Trevor Ngwane, a scholar-activist from the University of Johannesburg. They will unpack the nature and character of the ongoing urban land occupations. Watch the webinar here.

On Friday, 6 August, from 10am to 4pm, the Limpopo school pit toilet case, represented by education NGO SECTION27, will be heard in the Polokwane High Court before Judge Gerritt Muller. The unsafe state of toilets resulted in the death of five-year-old Michael Komape in 2014.

On Sunday, 8 August at 9am, a day before Women’s Day, the Kathrada Foundation and Sophie & Henry de Bruyn Foundation will host an event tracing and remembering the work of women anti-apartheid icons at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto, visiting the graves of heroes including Lilian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph. RSVP at [email protected] or 081 433 2876. DM/MC

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