---
title: "Civil society watch, 3-9 August"
description: "This week some civil society groups turn their attention to Women’s Month, while others set out to discuss the future political leaders of South Africa. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will launch the assessment report on the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Covid 19 in South Africa."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Maverick Citizen"
author: "Shani Reddy"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/shani-reddy/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-08-02-civil-society-watch-3-9-august/"
published: "2020-08-02T20:40:50"
updated: "2020-08-03T09:38:13"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1531
---

# Civil society watch, 3-9 August

> This week some civil society groups turn their attention to Women’s Month, while others set out to discuss the future political leaders of South Africa. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will launch the assessment report on the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Covid 19 in South Africa.

By Shani Reddy · Published 2 August 2020, 22:40 SAST · Updated 3 August 2020, 11:38 SAST

## Content

As we begin Women’s Month, let us not forget the strong and brave women who marched to Pretoria’s Union Buildings on 9 August 1956.

In one of the largest staged demonstrations in South Africa’s history, about 20,000 women of all races marched to protest legislation aimed at tightening the apartheid government’s control over the movement of black women in urban areas.

For 30 minutes, the women stood silently outside the Union Buildings and then loudly began to sing a song specially composed for the protest. The song was called A*bafazi Wathint’ imbokodo* – when you strike a woman, you strike a rock.

**Noteworthy mentions for Women’s Month**

On **Monday****3 August**, the [Tshwane University of Technology](https://www.tut.ac.za/) will start itsfive-part *Women’s Conversations on the Couch*series to celebrate Women’s Month. This week join Moonira Ramathula, founder of Futballing Girls NPO as she discusses gender-based violence.

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Womens-Conversations-poster.jpg)

The webinar will be broadcast live on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/TUT4Sport/).

To commemorate Women’s Month, the Embassy of Ireland is holding a virtual discussion on **Tuesday 4 August**,on women’s lived experiences during Covid-19. The event, titled *Women’s agency in the time of Covid-19*, will be moderated by women’s rights activist Rosie Motene.

[Join](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/womens-agency-and-lived-experiences-in-the-time-of-covid-19-tickets-112959829892) Pontsho Pilane (journalist), Caroline Peters (Cape Flats Women’s Movement), Mandisa Khanyile ([Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence](https://www.tears.co.za/gbv-domestic-abuse/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykG1W-xk4D-BY9M6LZBVRysOUQ9lAnoF8gUzKegq9L_ioeeGXMuw7RkaAuteEALw_wcB)), and Bomikazi Mhlongo (paralegal advice manager) as they explore the role women played and continue to play in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On **Saturday****7 August**, the Sport for Social Change Network is hosting a live locker room chat with the aim of opening a dialogue on women in sport. Speakers include Olympic and Paralympic swimmer [Natalie du Toit](https://www.paralympic.org/natalie-du-toit) and Muditambi Ravele, the founder and chairperson of [South African Women and Sport Foundation](https://www.facebook.com/sawasf/).

You do not want to miss this one, catch the event by registering [here](https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsc-6qrDwtGt1a48mNwaR7H3a1lpFpLHvA).

Dust off your running shoes on **Sunday****9 August** and join [the Catch Me if You Can Foundation](https://cmiyc.co.za/unit-for-tears-foundation/) as they host a virtual run to continue raising awareness for gender-based violence.

The *Women for Change*virtual run can take place anywhere and at your own pace. You can choose to run or walk for 5km or 10km on the day. Participants will receive a Women for Change Medal and a goodie bag upon [registering](http://shop.cmiyc.co.za/product/women-for-change-virtual-race/). A portion of the entry fees will be donated to the [TEARS Foundation](https://www.tears.co.za/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykF4lOTztnbk9IHqzIEzct-NNn9cWtcC4J_uvnuVV__X_TDQAPklGPIaAjasEALw_wcB) and [Rape Crisis](https://rapecrisis.org.za/).

**Other happenings in civil society**

The [Protection of Personal Information Act](https://www.gov.za/documents/protection-personal-information-act?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykFKoGKBHFWFJnrO3vINE76FURqormrF0RMOWHt-uJAldVtCg_xS5qUaAstuEALw_wcB) No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) has been put into operation incrementally since 2013, with several sections of the act having been implemented in 2014.

The remaining aspects of South Africa’s data privacy law, POPIA, came into effect on 1 July 2020. Businesses now have less than 12 months to comply with regulations.

On **Tuesday 4 August**, the [*Mail & Guardian*](https://mg.co.za/) has partnered with [Fluxmans Attorneys](http://www.fluxmans.com/) to host a webinar on the legal implications of POPIA for employers and employees in a new era of privacy-centric workplaces.

Experts Ira Epstein (managing director and joint CEO of Fluxmans Attorneys), Lisa-Anne King (employment law expert), and Ryszard Lisinski (privacy law expert) will also provide business owners with practical steps and measures to help their compliance journey. Register [here](https://event.webinarjam.com/register/318/3vp2qamw).

On the **same day**, learn how to make and use biofertilisers and biopesticides with [Biowatch South Africa](https://biowatch.org.za/) as they launch a free online course made up of five weekly modules. Each module will include a theory webinar followed by an online community of practice to share experiences and challenges in making that week’s bio-input. To register, email [zama@biowatch.org.za](mailto:zama@biowatch.org.za).

Also on **Tuesday**, the [South African National AIDS Council](https://sanac.org.za/) (SANAC) in collaboration with [National Department of Health](http://www.health.gov.za/) (NDOH), [Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS](https://www.unaids.org/en) (UNAIDS), and [Global Health Strategies](https://globalhealthstrategies.com/), is hosting a webinar titled*Facilitating the continuation of services and meeting targets for HIV and TB programs during COVID-19 response in South Africa*,

The discussion will focus on the opportunities to close the gaps and accelerate progress towards achieving the goals of the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs.

The webinar will be moderated by Coceka Nogoduka (SANAC) and will feature perspectives from UNAIDS, the [World Health Organisation](https://www.who.int/) (WHO), the [President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief](https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pepfar-global-aids/pepfar) (PEPFAR), the [Global Fund](https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/), the [Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation](https://www.gatesfoundation.org/), and the NDOH.

Register for the webinar [here](https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_usn57A8BR92r4nXs5HaW1g).

The [United Nations Development Programme](https://www.za.undp.org/content/south_africa/en/home/about-us/contact-us.html) (UNDP) Country Office in South Africa will launch the assessment report on the*Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Covid 19 in South Africa*on **Tuesday** at **3pm**. UNDP will present the findings of the assessment and have panellists from government (DPME) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) discuss the findings further. Keep an eye out for an article by *Maverick Citizen*journalist [Zukiswa Pikoli](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/zukiswa-pikoli/#gsc.tab=0) who will be diving deep and asking some hard-hitting questions.

On **Wednesday****5 August**, the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency will host a live panel discussion with the Group’s CEO, Mosa Tshabalala, and key industry leaders to find solutions that will boost economic growth.

The event, titled *Growing Gauteng together: towards the next normal*, will be streamed live on CNBC Africa. Alternatively, you can register for the Zoom link [here](https://web.cvent.com/event/6469bebb-174b-4b9e-9541-853c6e1f1fdf/regProcessStep1?rp=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000).

One year ago, the [World Justice Forum](https://worldjusticeproject.org/our-work/engagement/events/world-justice-forum) convened hundreds of justice activists to share best practices and collaborate on strategies to close the justice gap by 2030, as promised under the Sustainable Development Goals. The forum concluded with the announcement of five winners of the 2019 World Justice Challenge.

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Access-to-justice-poster.png)

On the **same day**,the World Justice Project (WJP) will launch a field report from the 2019 World Justice Challenge winners. [Join](https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2515940588055/WN_pCI5Gvv2QN2ejDCTQ0J_jg) the WJP and representatives of four of these projects for an online discussion of how their work has evolved over the past year in terms of impact, reach and innovation, and the challenges they have faced, particularly in the face of the global Covid-19 crisis.

At **3pm**,the[South African Food Sovereignty Campaign](https://www.safsc.org.za/), together with[COPAC](https://copac.org.za/) and the[Tshwane Leadership Foundation](http://tlf.org.za/), is holding the third of a four-week virtual workshop on moving towards a food sovereignty future for South Africa.

This week, a practical and theory workshop will be taught by permaculturalist John Nzira. You will learn about indigenous foods, how to source them, and how to plant them. You will also be introduced to food commons and the importance of indigenous knowledge. You can join the workshop live on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/safoodsovereignty/).

On **Thursday****6 August**,join Stellenbosch University’s [Social Justice M-Plan](https://socialjustice.sun.ac.za/projects/m-plan/) as they host a virtual Social Justice Café on unconscious bias. Unconscious biases are social stereotypes (such as religion, race, and gender) about certain groups of people that individuals form outside of their own conscious awareness.

The event will feature several panellists and guest speaker Nene Molefe, an internationally acclaimed thought leader in diversity and inclusion. [Connect](mailto:529319312@t.plcm.vc) with the organisers to register.

On **Friday****7 August**, the [South African Institute of International Affairs](https://saiia.org.za/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykFo4gMlB9w9Sj5JauXJA4pkEJl6Ve3BQUyB9tI-Y47dDOTBQu6uVykaAlmZEALw_wcB) (SAIIA) invites you to attend a workshop *on Nuclear energy governance in Africa: lessons from Egypt, Ghana and South Africa*.

The workshop will focus on case studies of nuclear programmes in the three African countries – discussing their background, scope, existing installations, governance, international commitments, and the way forward in terms of peaceful use of nuclear energy for development.

The event will also include a reflection on 75 years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by a representative from Nagasaki University. Register [here](https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oWcFcLcXTGmopmf29qIKCQ).

Do not forget that at**2pm**, the[Call to Action Collective](https://www.facebook.com/CallToActionZA/) will be hosting their fifth virtual workshop in a 12-week series on the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF). The workshops are held every Thursday until 23 September.

Missed the previous webinars? Fret not, you can catch them[here](https://www.facebook.com/CallToActionZA/videos).You can[subscribe](https://bit.ly/CallToActionZA) to receive weekly updates on the webinars, including presentations and speaker bios.

This week, speakers (to be announced) will provide a legislative framework to understand the core components of similar laws relating to the NSP-GBVF. The event will be streamed live on[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CallToActionZA/) and[Twitter](https://twitter.com/CallToActionZA).

On **Friday****6 August**, [State of the Nation](https://sona.co.za/2020/details/) invites you to a webinar with Herman Mashaba and Mark Sham, who will talk to Mashaba about his political plans and discuss the possibility of Mashaba becoming South Africa’s next leader. Book your spot [here](https://sona.co.za/2020/bookings/).

Also, on **Friday** is the fourth in our series of Solidarity Webinars, organised jointly by *Maverick Citizen*, [Lawyers for Human Rights](https://www.lhr.org.za/), [Liliesleaf Farm](http://www.liliesleaf.co.za/), and the [Rosa Luxemburg Foundation](https://rosalux.co.za/) looking at issues of migration in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.

This week’s seminar is titled: Access to education for all who live in South Africa. For further information or to join the webinar contact [bea@totem-media.net](mailto:bea@totem-media.net). **DM/MC**

*South Africa is full of activists whose voices and campaigns need to be heard, and we want to report on all of them! So, wherever you live, if you have virtual events or meetings which you think other activists ought to know about, write to us at [shani@dailymaverick.co.za](mailto:shani@dailymaverick.co.za)*

*Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter*[*here*](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/about/newsletter/#gsc.tab=0)*.*