PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON

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• PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
• CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS
• 05-06 AUGUST 2009
• By Revd. W Mabuza

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• CRL RIGHTS COMMISSION MANDATE
• AND
• The S. A Constitution
• Founding Act 19 of 2002
• The Cultural Charter for Africa
• Respect for rules, principles, traditions,
  languages, mores of society.

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Conflict Resolution
Administration Management
Research Policy Development
Community Engagement
Community /Public Education Advocacy
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• VISION
• National Unity among the Diverse Cultural,
  Religious and Linguistic Communities

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Mission

• Promotion and Protection of the Rights of
  Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities

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• FUNCTIONS
• Developing Cultural, Religious and Linguistic
  Equality
• Recovering Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• Developing an Inventory of Heritages
• Enabling Communities to expand Responsibility and
  Accountability
• Intensifying Dialogue among Communities
• Monitoring of the Compliance by the state civil
  society with the mandate of the CRL Rights
  Commission

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• Mediation of Inter-Community Conflict situations
  and facilitate Harmonious Co-existence
• Lobby with Government departments legislative
  authorities on issues concerning the Rights of
  Cultural, Religious Linguistic Communities.

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• STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Peace, friendship, humanity, tolerance
• Mutual respect
• Development of diminished Heritage
• Community Councils

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• INVESTIGATION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
• Nature of Complaints (complex)
• Range from right of access to sacred spaces to
  cultural practices (e.g Initiation school vz
  religious activity in Venda)

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• INVESTIGATION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
• Highest number about Religion
• Second highest number about Culture
• Least number about Language

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• INVESTIGATION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
• Rural Communities Culture and Religion
• Urban Communities Languages in Education

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• RESEARCH POLICY DEVELOPMENT
• Language in Education Policy Implementation
• - Quotas to satisfy a Constitutional Right of
  and to Language
• - More attention to Dual Medium System
  concerning English and Afrikaans perpetuation
  of exclusion of 9 official languages
• - Is Sepedi and official language or a dialect?
  - a Constitutional Review Agenda.

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• Promotion Protection of Sacred Spaces
• - Lack or Limited Access to Sacred Spaces
• (Violating Rights to Traditional, Cultural and
  Religious Values and Practices (e.g.
  graves burial grounds)
• Religious Inequality (Holy days Holidays in the
  South African calendar)
• - Act No. 36 of 1994 promotes Religious
  Inequality (legislative review)
• - Promoting and Protecting Rights of Christian
  Religious Community
• (Perpetuating disrespect for rights of Islam,
  Judaism, African religion, Khoi-San ans
  Rastaffarian Religions)

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• Rites of Passage
• - Increased Consciousness about Rites of
  Passage the Right of and to Rites
• - Factors affecting Performance of rite (cases
  of Yengeni, First Fruits Festival, celebrating
  success of amaBhokobhoko etc)

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• Male Initiation Public Hearings
• Botched Operations
• Amputations
• Deaths

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• Recommendations Made to stakeholders
• Holistic approach to address Challenges
• pre lwaluko
• during koma
• post mophato
• Community Leadership
• Involvement of Traditional and Government
  Institutions
• Understanding the Rationale

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• PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCACY
• Dialogues on Cultural Diversity
• Role of Culture, Religion Language in all
  Communities
• Respect of the Other
• Youth Development
• - Celebration of Diversity in Mpumalanga and
• N West Provinces

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• COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
• Community Dialogue on Strategy for Recognition of
  Community Councils
• Mini Conferences ----? NCC
• - Khoe-San Dialogue

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• FLAGSHIP
• Africa Day Celebrations
• Minority and majority cultural, religious and
  linguistic community rights
• Africa Human Rights Day
• - Educative approach- information on African
  Cultural and Religious Systems in relation to
  Language Rights Mother Tongue Concept

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CRL RIGHTS COMMISSION

• NCC (12 14 July 2008)
• Foundation for Second National Consultative
  Conference (NCC)
• Intensification of the Foundation Mini
  Conferences in Nine Provinces
• Database of CRL Community Organisations
• Regulations for Registration of Community Councils

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Purpose of NCC

• Progress Report of CRL Rights Commission
• National Progress Report
• Recommendations - future agenda for promotion
  and protection of the c,r,l rights of communities

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BEYOND THE NCC

• NCC informs program review
• Commission solicits its program focus for
  alignment with NCC resolutions
• Rationale for CC establishment
• Maximisation of communication between communities
  and the Commission

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RECOGNITION CRITERIA

• Minister signed the Recognition Criteria of CCs
  earlier in the year 2009
• Listening campaigns rolled out on awareness of
  recognition criteria
• Institutional partnerships with sister
  organisations on provincial presence
• Accelerated visibility

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CHALLENGES

• Budgetary constraints impact on visibility,
  program and NCC resolution implementation
• No direct engagement with National Treasury on
  budget matters
• Governance model between Deputy Speakers Office
  and CoGTA-An issue of debate within the
  Commission.

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CONCLUSIONS

• THANK YOU