the people’s hearing for human rights defenders 2025 is a call to listen and act.
across our country, courageous Activists risk their safety to defend their communities, to realise Environmental justice, and protect our collective future.
Communities and Movements Testifying
Mfolozi Community Environmental
Justice Organisation (MCEJO)
KwaZulu-Natal
Overview:
A community and civil society alliance representing villages near the Somkhele coal mine, defending human and environmental rights in the Mpukunyoni area.
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Key Issues:
- Threats, violence, and intimidation, including the murder of Fikile Ntshangase.
- Disputes over consultation and consent between mining companies, traditional leaders, and local communities.
- Environmental degradation – air and water pollution, land loss, and home damage.
- Weak legal enforcement and continued mine expansion despite community opposition.
Amadiba Crisis Committee
Eastern Cape
Overview:
A grassroots movement from Xolobeni leading the fight against titanium mining and advocating for community self-determination.
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Key Issues:
- Criminalisation of defenders and unresolved assassinations, including Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Radebe.
- State failure to protect activists and deliver justice for slain community members.
- Ongoing exclusion from economic opportunities and disregard for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Sukumani Environmental Justice (SEJ)
KwaZulu-Natal
Overview:
A community-based organisation from Newcastle and Dannhauser, founded in 2019 to defend environmental and human rights against coal mining impacts.
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Key Issues:
- Severe air and water pollution causing health problems, farmland loss, and livestock deaths.
- Exclusion from consultation and decision-making processes.
- Intimidation and death threats against activists, including a community leader, who went into hiding
- Ongoing law enforcement inaction is leaving defenders vulnerable and unprotected.
Abahlali baseMjondolo:
Movement of Shack Dwellers
National
Overview:
A national social movement advocating for land, housing, and dignity for the urban poor – active for over 20 years in the struggle for justice.
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Key Issues:
- Violent repression and political assassinations targeting community leaders.
- Systemic denial of rights and intimidation linked to housing struggles.
- 21 leaders and members have been murdered and others face ongoing death threats.
Melmoth Community
KwaZulu-Natal
Overview:
A local network of activists and residents standing against mining projects and land dispossession in the Melmoth area.
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Key Issues:
- Persistent harassment, intimidation, and threats against those opposing mining.
- Violations of consultation rights and safety concerns for community defenders.
- Several murders of activists have occurred with no convictions to date.
- Community leader has been in hiding for over a decade due to ongoing threats.
Jury Panel
PROF TSHEPO MADLINGOZI
Commissioner,
South African Human Rights Commission
Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission and a lifelong advocate for social justice. Former Director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies and Wits academic, Commissioner Madlingozi has dedicated his career to advancing dignity, equality, and accountability through law that serves the people, not power.
ADV LOUISA BARBARA ZONDO
Advocate and Former CEO,
South African Human Rights Commission
A leading advocate for justice and equality, Adv Zondo has devoted her career to empowering women and children and strengthening South Africa’s human rights framework. As the first CEO of the South African Human Rights Commission, she helped shape the country’s post-apartheid legal landscape with empathy and integrity.
DR MARY DE HAAS
Social Anthropologist, Human Rights
Defender, and Researcher
Anthropologist, researcher, and human rights defender, Dr de Haas has spent decades documenting political violence and advocating for justice in KwaZulu-Natal. Her lifelong commitment to truth and accountability has made her a vital witness and voice for communities facing systemic violence.
