The week in political activism

Rape Crisis

Rape Crisis has been offering essential services to rape survivors in the Western Cape since 1976. They provide essential services to rape survivors and victims of sexual offences over the age of 14, including a 24 hour help line, face-to-face counselling, court support at five Cape Town courts and a public awareness, training and development service.

“This week, we are winding down after our fundraising event, a 15-hour Soap-a-Thon by the award-winning theatre sports company, Improguise, which was held on Saturday 26th October”, says RC spokesperson Sarah Strydom. In the run up to the Stop the Bus Campaign (which will run 25th November to 10th December), Rape Crisis is making contact with local organisations in Montague, Bredasdorp, and Swellendam, to find out what services are available to rape survivors in the area, and how Rape Crisis can use local media to invite community members to workshops about rape and their rights. This year Stop the Bus will commemorate the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women, focusing on Bredasdorp and the brutal rape and murder of Anene Booysen earlier this year. There will be workshops with community members, and door-to-door visits.

Rape Crisis has also been conducting a series of community dialogues in Khayelitsha and Athlone. Talking to the communities most affected by rape helps gain a direct understanding of rape survivors’ experiences with the criminal justice system. Rape Crisis then identifies spokespersons from the community to strengthen their advocacy initiatives and “bring the voice of the community to the ear of the decision makers.”

For more information visit www.rapecrisis.org.za

Ndifuna Ukwazi

Jared Russouw from Ndifuna Ukwazi talked to GroundUp about the organisation’s work on crime and safety prevention in Khayelitsha:

“Our researchers on crime and safety attended the Portfolio Committee on Police where they discussed their annual report. It was a fascinating insight into the workings of effective parliamentary oversight. The chair, ANC MP Annelize van Wyk, has a hawk’s eye for detail. Who would have thought a committee could be so gripping!? For example, one session revealed incredible wastage. The SAPS have spent millions of rands on ICT and not one project has been completed. We have made PAIA applications ourselves to see some of these contracts. We must ask how it is possible to spend hundreds of millions of rands on a firearms database which is nowhere near delivery. In the light of Marikana and the investigation of National Police Commissioner Phiyega, this oversight is critical and we aim to build our own expertise so that we can present to the committee from a community perspective. We are working to link up the national perspective with the issues on the ground in Khayelitsha and we are going to be producing an annual report reflecting on the SAPS and its effect in local communities.”

Additionally, Ndifuna Ukwazi has been working alongside the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) on a project called Imali Yethu, which will try to improve accountability and transparency of government expenses, by getting access to government budgets. A report will be published soon, after the partners complete a social audit with the International Budget Partnership in Khayelitsha. Although this is new in South Africa, in India, this type of program has been successful getting cities to ensure service provision happens. Ndifuna Ukwazi plans on establishing a unit in the coming months together with the SJC that will monitor local budget and service delivery.

Ndifuna Ukwazi also recently completed a pilot fellowship programme. The organisation aims to help build a generation of leaders in social activism. The pilot programme helped test the curriculum materials for the course, which consists of history lessons, law and management, critical thinking skills and English language skills. They plan to turn this into a year-round programme.

For more information, visitnu.org.za