SAHA welcomes new staff and kickstarts new Right to Truth Project

SAHA is happy to announce the appointment of new staff and the implementation of SAHA's new Right to Truth (RTT) Project in 2015. 

Why a Right to Truth project?

SAHA, through its educational, outreach and advocacy work across both the Struggles for Justice and the Freedom of Informationprogrammes, has demonstrated a longstanding interest in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The focus of SAHA's ongoing archival and information activism relating to dealing with the past has been derived directly from the recommendations made by the TRC itself.

SAHA is particularly engaged in conducting ongoing truth recovery to uncover further evidence about unknown or unacknowledged aspects of South Africa's past, and making the TRC archive more widely accessible , often in the face of little state engagement in continuing the reconciliation agenda begun by the TRC.

Join us in welcoming the RTT team

Robyn Leslie, RTT Researcher

Robyn is a human rights writer and researcher. She has a BSc (Hons) in Politics and Environmental Research from the University of Cape Town, and a Masters in International Conflict from King's College, London. After working on research projects in Latin America and the UK, she returned to South Africa to work as an advocacy officer for refugee rights in Southern Africa. She has also worked with the Wits Justice Project on criminal justice issues, including access to bail and prevention of torture. Her published work includes articles on refugee rights, migration in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. She most recently published a chapter in an edited collection on transitional justice, art and reconciliation.

Polite Chauke, RTT Intern

Polite is a Social Work Masters graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research interest lies in gender, masculinities and sexual reproductive health rights; and social justice. She is also part of an advocacy action research team that aims to empower young women's leadership skills through research around the areas of Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR).