Webinar: Unpacking Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (tfGBV) on Social Media

The Centre for Analytics & Behavioural Change (CABC) invites you to a webinar presentation of new research findings about online conversations about tfGBV in South Africa on Social Media. Focus areas include the non-consensual sharing of intimate images/videos, cyberbullying, trolling and doxxing and defamation. The webinar looks at conversation volume, key metrics as well as topical events that drive the conversation online.

Date: 23 April 2025 at 2 pm (SAST). 

Register here. 

Resource: Feminist Research Assessment Tool 

The Coalition of Feminists for Social Change and We All Count have launched this toolkit to support everyone engaging in research to gain a practical awareness of what choices are being made in the knowledge-generation process and reflect on how aligned a particular piece of gender-based violence (GBV) research is with a feminist methodology. It can be used by anyone for any type of gender-based violence research, whether it is your own work or an external research project. It has been optimized to be used by people familiar with research focused on gender-based violence. Read more here. 

Date: 30 April 2025

Register here. 

Paper for public comment: Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Mediation Act for South Africa

Project 94: Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Mediation Act for South Africa

The Commission published its Project 94 Discussion Paper 168 for comment on 28 January 2025. It is available at https://www.justice.gov.za/salrc/dpapers/DP168-Mediation-Jan2025.pdf. The discussion paper explores the need for the adoption of a generic mediation statute dealing with commercial, civil and community mediation. Family law dispute resolution is not included in this process. The draft generic Bill seeks to minimise citizen frustration and delays in justice delivery by providing a standard legal framework for the fair and efficient settlement of disputes through mediation; promote and encourage mediation as an appropriate method of dispute resolution; afford parties the opportunity to resolve their disputes expeditiously and cost-effectively; provide for the regulation of the mediator profession; provide for the regulation of the procedure for the referral of disputes to mediation; direct the mediation process; and provide for the enforcement of international commercial mediation settlement agreements under the rules of procedure and the conditions laid down in the Singapore Convention. The return date for submitting comment on the discussion paper and draft Bill is 30 May 2025. 

During February and March 2025, the Commission hosted one in-person and 5 virtual workshops focussing primarily on proposals related to commercial and civil mediation. The Commission will be hosting in-person workshops focussing on community mediation as follows:

1. 24 April 2025 in East London; 
2. 29 April 2025 in Polokwane; and
3. 5 May 2025 in Durban

Stakeholders are invited to confirm their interest to attend one of the planned community mediation workshop and their dietary restrictions or requirements, by 18 April 2025, by way of email to Dr Dellene Clark, at dclark@justice.gov.za, alternatively to Mr Jacob Kabini at Jakabini@justice.gov.za and Vusi Mavuso at Vumavuso@justice.gov.za.  The purpose of the stakeholder meetings is to discuss the proposals contained in Discussion Paper 168: Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Mediation Act for South Africa and the draft Mediation Bill with a focus on community mediation and the need to regulate the same. The Commission will consider inputs made and use insights gained during the deliberations to assist with the drafting of its report and revised draft Mediation Bill.