The Wits Justice Project investigates miscarriages of justice and raises awareness of issues within the criminal justice system with an aim to advocate for change, strengthen procedures and build on reform efforts. This is achieved through investigative journalism, advocacy, research and education.
Investigative Journalism
Inmate’s death at Mangaung Prison raises concerns about rising violence in correctional centres
Sunday Independent
While the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) remains ambivalent about the extent of violence under its watch, the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (Jics), which champions the rights of inmates, said it was concerned about the escalation in the use of force at the privately run ...
Rape survivors recount their quest for justice
Sunday Independent
Cape Town - Rape in South Africa – this is the tragic tale of two women – one who saw justice dispensed relatively swiftly with her attacker now behind bars, while the other has spent the past decade painstakingly seeking justice through the courts against the inefficiency of the South African ...
Rape victim speaks on her 10-year battle for justice and why she took the SAPS to ConCourt
Sunday Independent
Johannesburg - More than a decade ago in the aftermath of the euphoria around South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the dreams of Joburg businesswoman Andy Kawa came crashing down after she was raped in a 15-hour ordeal on a beach in the Eastern Cape.
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Reporting wrongful conviction,
Reporting abuse / rape,
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Roundtable Discussion on Wrongful Convictions
Please join the Wits Justice Project as we host a Roundtable Discussion on Wrongful Convictions, 27 July 2017 from ...
Insights
Former gang boss prisoner 'suicidal’
The family of a former Cape Flats gang leader serving 25 years in prison for the murder of a seven-year-old boy are concerned about his fragile mental state. He was transferred from Worcester to the maximum security Helderstroom Prison in Caledon after being accused of running a Facebook account.
No sex please and get on with your duties, prison warders warned
Johannesburg - Warders caught having sex with inmates will be fired and the offenders stringently dealt with, warned prison authorities during a briefing on the progress of 17 200 inmates eligible for parole to tackle overcrowding in the country’s prisons.
What pushed Ellen Pakkies over the edge?
Ellen Pakkies returned to the scene of the crime where she had strangled her son. Her story, as relayed to legendary South African lensman David Goldblatt, was just as sorrowful as understanding the reasons why she killed her child.
