Footballers For Life

26/11/2015

Catch Silver Shabalala live on ANN7 tonight at 18:30 as he talks about Life skills and Football...

13/11/2015

Latest news from the Footballers For Life Board.

Footballers For Life is delighted to announce that Professor Dasarath Chetty and Amanda Share will serve on the Board for a second term with Professor Chetty being appointed as the Chairman of the Board. Thank you to the both of them for their ongoing support and commitment to the growth and develop…

08/09/2015

DETENTION JUSTICE FORUM CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION IN RESPONSE TO JUSTICE CAMERON'S REPORT ON "SICKENING CONDITIONS" IN POLLSMOOR PRISON

Constitutional Court Judge, Justice Edwin Cameron released a report this week on his visit to Pollsmoor Remand Detention Facility and Pollsmoor Women’s Correctional Centre. The visit was undertaken in April this year, as part of the Constitutional Court’s prison visiting project, and the report details the “sickening conditions” he and his clerks witnessed.

The Detention Justice Forum applauds Justice Cameron for undertaking this in-depth inspection of Pollsmoor Remand Detention and Women’s Correctional Centre, and producing a detailed and direct report of the conditions. The Forum commits itself to using this report to hold the Department of Correctional Services accountable to the plan of action detailed therein. The Forum also encourages other judges and magistrates to follow the example set by the Constitutional Court judges and to visit on a regular basis prisons in their jurisdictions.

Justice Cameron states:

“The extent of overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, sickness, emaciated physical appearance of the detainees, and overall deplorable living conditions were profoundly disturbing.”

Justice Cameron describes the failures of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to comply with basic standards required by the Bill of Rights and the Correctional Services Act. These failures have resulted in appalling conditions for the men and women in remand detention:

Cell conditions are so filthy that detainees have boils, scabies, wounds and sores from lice-infested bedding that has never been washed.

Detainees are sick and can’t access medicines due to persistent stock-outs of basic supplies, including tuberculosis medication.
The same conditions considered in the Dudley Lee Constitutional Court case persist in Pollsmoor. Ventilation is still unaddressed, with the air “so thick, one could cut it with a knife”.

Little HIV testing occurs, and inmates who require anti-retroviral treatment remain undiagnosed. Detainees are locked in their cells for 24-hours a day and some are only given a chance to exercise once a month.

Toilets do not flush and inmates cannot take showers due to broken plumbing.

Stuck in conditions that are 300% overcrowded, detainees are extremely idle and frustrated.

Detainees are treated “worse than animals”, and reported being assaulted by officials.

In addition, people detained solely due to their alleged status as “undocumented migrants” are held in the same cells as the criminally accused, against international standards.

The entire report merits reading to understand the extent of the abusive conditions that men and women in Pollsmoor Remand Detention experience.

Justice Cameron’s visit was conducted together with the DCS Regional Commissioner, Delelike Klaas and other senior correctional officials, who worryingly, seemed just as shocked as the Constitutional Court Judge and his clerks by the conditions.

The report contains clear and achievable recommendations for urgent implementation, which the Pollsmoor Area Manager, Freddy Englebrecht, has compiled. These seek to ensure compliance with elementary standards and Constitutional requirements, such as clean bedding, three meals a day, access to medicines, reading materials, daily exercise, and separating alleged undocumented migrants from other detainees.

Justice Cameron has also made recommendations to address systemic causes of the abusive conditions in Pollsmoor. These include inadequate resourcing, staff to inmate ratios, overcrowding, access to health care, improved cooperation with the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services, and addressing infrastructural failures.

The members of the Detention Justice Forum would like to register their deepest condemnation of the state of affairs described in the report, and call on all South Africans of good conscience, especially those working in the branches of the justice system, to ensure such human rights violations are stopped.

Endorsed by the following organisations:

Centre for Applied Legal Studies
Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative (CSPRI)
Egon A. Oswald Attorneys At Law
Footballers For Life
Just Detention International - SA
NICRO
Restorative Justice Centre
Section27
Sonke Gender Justice
Treatment Action Campaign
Wits Justice Project

###

Notes to the Editor:

The Detention Justice Forum (DJF) consists of civil society organisations concerned with detainees’ rights. It was established in March 2012 with the explicit aim to ensure that the rights and well-being of those who are detained are respected and upheld, as enshrined under the South African Constitution, laws, and international human rights norms and standards.

Coordinating Committee contacts:

Emily Keehn
Manager, Policy Development & Advocacy
Sonke Gender Justice
[email protected]

Sasha Gear
Programme Director
Just Detention International – South Africa
[email protected]

Nooshin Erfani-Ghadimi
Project Coordinator
Wits Justice Project
[email protected]

18/08/2015

who is currently the best central -midfielder in the PSL?

In today’s edition of we’re looking at the players who make their teams tick! Who do you think is the best central midfielder in the PSL?

02/07/2015

Day two of the SAB complete player programme in partnership with Footballers 4 Life.

F4L coaches continue to engage with the under 21 League players..

Using our game to change yours.

01/07/2015

session one: HIV and AIDS
Facilitator: Silver Shabalala

engaging players on issues of HIV and AIDS.

01/07/2015

The stage is set.

01/07/2015

Set up at Giant stadium Soshanguve

01/07/2015

Catch us in Soshanguve for the complete player programme.

01/07/2015

Footballers in partnership with SAB will be conducting a 3 days training with 250 players during the SAB under 21 League championship.

The complete player programme will run from 1 July - 3 July 2015 in Soshanguve and players will have a chance to engage with F4L coaches on topic such as: HIV and AIDS, alcohol and substance abuse, what it means to be a man, decision making and problem solving, leadership, entrepreneurship, CV writing and interview skills and handling money.

From meaningful change in ourselves inspiring change in others.

11/05/2015

Footballers 4 Life was recently invited to a Freedom Day celebration by the Zonderwater Correctional Facility. The Manager of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (SRAC) from the facility personally invited us to motivate to the offenders on how freedom has changed the former prisons into centres of rehabilitation, learning and empowerment.

Check out the Pretoria news article for more insight about the day.

http://footballers4life.org/freedom-day-celebration/

20/03/2015

F4L coaches in action.

19/03/2015

Day Two workshop for Gert Sibande TVET Colleges.

Lectures and student support officers are being empowered with basic counselling skills so that they will be able to address challenges that are faced by young people whom they engage with on their daily basis.

Day one: Lectures and student support officers had the opportunity to learn about challenges that are facing young people and brainstorm the type of interventions needed to address these challenges

28/02/2015

Day One Training: This is a calling- Gert Sidande TVET Colleges

28/02/2015

Day one Training: Gert Sibande TVET College

10/02/2015

Community At Risk After TB Couple Refuse Treatment in Mpumalanga.

Mpumalanga health authorities have gone to court in an urgent bid to force a couple with a highly contagious strain of tuberculosis into quarantine. This after

09/02/2015

STi and Condom week?? Lets talk about it to everyone please...

09/02/2015

F4L is still preaching correct and safe Condom usage with "The Great Albert Bashin Mahlangu" and Enrique Bhana... Abafana Bastyle

09/02/2015

Condomize Bafethu...

09/02/2015

STi and Condom week?????

This week is STi and Condom week.
If you have any questions about condoms or STi's INBOX US!
We have a LIVE FB chat on Wednesday 11th at 3PM with Clinician Val Truby who will be able to answer them.

04/02/2015

Footballers 4 Life introducing The Complete Player...

The SAB League youth diversion programme, called The Complete Player, is a partnership between SAB and local NGO Footballers4Life, whose veteran football pla...

03/02/2015

Ghana set their sights on hosts Equatorial Guinea lets go BaGhanaBaGhana

27/01/2015

So! In case you're wondering, as it stands, Senegal has to beat Algeria and Bafana Bafana has to beat Ghana in order for South Africa to advance to the next round!

Can the odds work in our favour?

Come on Boys!!!!!!

26/01/2015

Congratulations to Amajita - Commonwealth Cup CHAMPIONS!

26/01/2015

We are Champions...

Ahead of the African Union summit new Champions join efforts for an AIDS-free generation in Africa

Former presidents of Malawi, Mali, Nigeria and South Africa are among the new Champions committing to Fast-Tracking access to HIV prevention and treatment services in sub-Saharan Africa. http://ow.ly/HOcqj AIDS Free Champions

16/01/2015

To date, the F4L Coaches have worked in over 24 correctional facilities across the country, including:
Baviaanspoort
Henneman
Johannesburg
Nigel
Ventersburg
Virginia
Witbank
Boksburg
Leeuwkop
Krugersdorp
Devon
Modderbee
Heidelberg
Pietermaritzburg
Middleberg
Rustenburg
Klerksdorp
Groenpunt

14/01/2015

2015??????????

We've come a long way since 1916, when Margaret Sanger defied decency laws and opened the first birth control clinic in the country. At the time, the primary methods of birth control were rhythm method (making a comeback!) and prayer. We don't have t...

05/01/2015

Back to business for the coaches in all the Prisons

Modderbee
Witbank
Middelberg
Krugersdorp
Leeuwkop
Boksburg
Virginia
Hennenman
Maritzburg

Lets do this Boyz!!!
F4L