The sentencing of former Member of Parliament, Vincent Smith, must mark the beginning of broader accountability for public representatives implicated in state capture and corruption. On Thursday, the Johannesburg High Court sentenced Smith to 12 years, five of which were suspended. He will effectively spend seven years in prison. Smith pleaded guilty to charges including…
As South Africa approaches International Women’s Day, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is calling on members of the public to help identify women who participated in the historic 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings, as the country prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the march in 2026. On 9 August 1956, approximately 20 000…
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (AKF) has noted the latest attempt by professional grievance‑peddler, Willem Petzer, to cause panic and fear with an intellectually bankrupt smear campaign. His so‑called “exposé” about the AKF is nothing more than an online grift, designed to incite fear and extract donations from a base fed on a diet of manufactured…
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation welcomes the Pietermaritzburg High Court’s decision on Wednesday refusing an appeal by French arms company, Thales, and former President Jacob Zuma to have charges against them dropped. The dismissal of the appeal to obtain a stay of prosecution is a significant step forward in the long-running arms deal corruption case. Judge…
We, the undersigned organisations, express our unwavering solidarity with proPalestine political prisoners on hunger strike in British jails. We call on people of conscience in South Africa and across the world to demand that they are granted immediate bail and that their fundamental right to fair, transparent and timely trials are upheld. Some of the…
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation denounces Sunday’s attack on a Jewish religious festival in Bondi Beach, Australia. The attack by two gunmen claimed the lives of 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl. It follows six other mass shootings in Australia since 1996. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Neeshan Balton, said, “We extend our condolences to the Australian…
The untruthful claims by US President Donald Trump of a white, Afrikaner genocide in South Africa should be roundly condemned by all sectors of society. His recent post on Truth Social trumpeted debunked narratives of white Afrikaners being specifically targeted: “killed and slaughtered” with their farms being “illegally confiscated”. The claims pander to his ‘Make…
Twenty-three leading civil society and media organisations have written to Chief JusticeMandisa Maya to express grave concern over the recent gagging order imposed onOpen Secrets. These organisations must surmise what the contents of that order are Open Secrets isprohibited even from sharing the court order or discussing any details such as the dateit was granted,…
Date: Saturday, 1 November 2025Location: Outside the Johannesburg Council Chambers Johannesburg residents, community organisations, and civil society groups will hold a peaceful protest on Saturday, 1 November 2025, outside the Johannesburg Council Chambers to demand urgent action on the city’s worsening water crisis. Non-political movement:Organisers have called on participants to refrain from wearing political party…
Following the recent harrowing destruction and arson at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), over 30 organisations based in the Eastern Cape, and over 140 organisations and individuals across the country, have come together to reclaim andsafeguard this historic institution, and call for democratic values to be restored and upheld. These organisations and individuals are…