CHAMPION: South African Human Rights Council chairman Lawrence Mushwana will be one of the speakers at a conference convened to address the impact of racism in SA. Picture: THE SOWETAN
CHAMPION: South African Human Rights Council chairman Lawrence Mushwana will be one of the speakers at a conference convened to address the impact of racism in SA. Picture: THE SOWETAN

In this article

ANTI-RACISM will be a feature of this week, with Monday marking the first day of Anti-Racism Week. Since the beginning of the year, racism has not been far from the public imagination following remarks posted on social media, along with the racial tensions linked to protests over access to university education.

Anti-Racism Week is part of the Anti-Racism Campaign organised by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, joining about 80 civil society organisations that have formed the Anti-Racism Network of South Africa (ARNSA).

The group urges South Africans to take on racism by learning about it, talking about it, speaking out against it and acting to stop it.

Also Monday and Tuesday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will convene a conference to tackle the effect of racism in the country.

The commission is seeking to celebrate as well as reflect on the role it has played since the advent of democracy. Speakers include former president Thabo Mbeki, National Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete, justice deputy minister John Jeffery, and SAHRC chairman, Lawrence Mushwana.

On Monday, Deputy Minister of Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries General Bheki Cele‚ and Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Lebogang Maile, are scheduled to visit areas affected by the drought in Tshwane.

Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko will launch a new office charged with investigating complaints from the public against the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Hawks, and from members of the Hawks against members of the public, including politicians and civil servants.

On Tuesday, the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry will brief Parliament on the Remote Gambling Bill. The department and the National Gambling Board have previously complained about the high number of illegal internet gambling sites. The bill is meant to tackle this problem, with Democratic Alliance spokesman on trade and industry Geordin Hill-Lewis saying it would be easier to regulate rather than ban online gambling.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP and former National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach and her former attorney Gerhard Wagenaar will be back in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. The co-accused face charges of defeating or obstructing the ends of justice. The NPA has laid charges against them for allegedly refusing to hand over Ms Breytenbach’s official laptop to the authority in 2012.

On Thursday President Jacob Zuma will answer questions from political parties in Parliament. The DA is expected to ask Mr Zuma whether he consulted anyone before he hired David van Rooyen as finance minister last year. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will ask whether, on his reappointment, Mr Pravin Gordhan recommended that any individuals be removed from their positions.

The African National Congress (ANC) is expected to ask questions on transformation of the economy. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) will ask Mr Zuma whether he will consider establishing a commission of inquiry into the illegal deductions from the accounts of the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries.

The Department of Basic Education’s release of the South African Democratic Teachers Union Jobs for Cash report is also expected this week. The union was thrust under the spotlight last year after the department’s damning report found that its officials were selling jobs to teachers.