Venitia Govender

Venitia Govender is a South African social justice and human rights activist. She has been involved in research, lobbying and advocacy, monitoring and challenging the promotion and protection of rights in the Southern African Region for over 20 years. In the early nineties she coordinated the independent violence monitoring organisation Peace Action and was the first coordinator of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union. Quotes There's a lot of maneuvering between the different parties in the justice committee in parliament when these appointments get made. Sometimes political considerations seem to be more important than the quality of the person appointed. On appointment procedures for human rights commissions, as quoted in Human Rights Watch report Government Human Rights Commissions in Africa These are all small businesses. They are not insured, so all of that's gone. They're not going to secure another loan or they are not going to be able to restart a business, so they've added to the unemployment numbers again. On the impact of xenophobic violence on migrant businesses in Alexandra township, as quoted in Marketplace report, 2008 There is not enough anger and passion among people in South Africa about what is happening to their neighbour. It's going to be an uphill battle to get people to express their solidarity. On mobilizing solidarity for Zimbabwe, as quoted in Mail & Guardian report Human rights must not exist merely on paper; they require constant vigilance, enforcement, and public accountability. Daily Maverick External links Category:Human rights activists Category:Women activists from South Africa Category:Living people