Kaya 959 Point of View with Phemelo Motene

SAHRC Pushes DWS to Fix ‘Historical Exclusion’ at Hartbeespoort Dam

Loading player...
The South African Human Rights Commission has delivered a scathing finding against the Department of Water and Sanitation, ruling that it failed to correct decades-old racial and gender discrimination in land lease allocations around Hartbeespoort Dam. A complaint lodged by the Hartbeespoort Dam Development Initiative revealed that only two black applicants have been granted occupancy rights in the past 10 years. During its investigation, the DWS conceded that unfair discrimination persisted but blamed it on pre-1994 practices. Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi says the department breached equality laws and ignored its own leasing protocols. Phemelo speaks to SAHRC North West Provincial Manager, Shirely Mlambo, about what the commission expects to happen next.
1 Dec 2025 3PM English South Africa Education · Careers

Other recent episodes

Legal Matters: When courts override parents on medical care

In this week’s Legal Matters, Nthabiseng Dubazana unpacks a complex case where a court stepped in to authorise life-saving surgery for a six-year-old child after the parents refused on religious and traditional grounds. She also looks at a separate case involving fraud and admission as a legal practitioner, and more.
8 Apr 4PM 52 min

US-Iran ceasefire holds - but tensions remain

A fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has paused weeks of escalating conflict that threatened a wider regional war. Brokered by Pakistan, the truce has eased pressure on global shipping routes, with Iran allowing movement through the Strait of Hormuz again. But despite the breakthrough, tensions remain…
8 Apr 4PM 31 min

DA slams SANDF deployment in Cape Town

The Democratic Alliance says the deployment of SANDF troops in Cape Town’s gang hotspots is already failing- just a week after it began. This comes after eight people, including three children, were shot in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday. The DA says 36 people have been killed since the army’s arrival,…
8 Apr 4PM 9 min

Riverlea school fire destroys nine classrooms

Nine classrooms at Riverlea Secondary School in Gauteng have been destroyed in an overnight fire, affecting more than 300 learners. Education MEC Lebogang Maile has condemned the incident as criminal and “unjustifiable” following a walkabout at the school. While Grades 10 to 12 continue with lessons, Grades 8 and 9…
8 Apr 4PM 11 min
All episodes