learners with outstanding fees. The trial of ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION four police officers in connection with In July, the National Disaster Management Mthokozisi Ntumba’s killing was postponed Centre, an official body, declared a drought until 2022. disaster in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape RIGHT TO LIFE AND SECURITY OF THE and Western Cape provinces. The country’s PERSON first comprehensive legal framework for climate change was tabled in parliament in In July, violent looting and destruction of November. Also in November, the property erupted in parts of Gauteng and government joined France, Germany, the UK, KZN provinces following the imprisonment of USA and EU to support a just transition to a Jacob Zuma. The unrest spread to residential low carbon economy. In December, the areas and in the absence of a clear police energy minister supported Shell’s plans to presence many communities turned to conduct seismic oil exploration on the Wild vigilantism. The South African National Coast which environmentalists said would Defence Force was deployed to support threaten marine wildlife. The high court in police on the ground.2 At least 360 people Makhanda in the Eastern Cape issued an died during the week of unrest. Some died in interdict on 28 December to temporarily halt stampedes and others from live ammunition the exploration until the second part of the or rubber bullets shot at close range. interdict proceedings. CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY The Department of Mineral Resources and 1. South Africa: Failing To Learn the Lessons: The Impact of Covid-19 on a Broken and Unequal Education System (AFR 53/3344/2021), 15 Energy continued to fail to meet its annual February target of inspecting mines to ensure they 2. “South Africa: Investigate loss of life during unrest and looting spree complied with its Social and Labour Plans and ensure accountability”, 22 July (SLPs). Strict adherence to SLPs would go some way to ensuring that the negative socio- economic ramifications of mining are SOUTH KOREA remedied, and human rights violations prevented. Republic of Korea IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS Head of state and government: Moon Jae-in In March, a research report by Open Secrets, Abortion was decriminalized. Gender-based an organization which exposes private sector violence continued. Transgender people economic crimes, revealed South Africa’s suffered hatred and discrimination. The links to alleged war crimes committed in National Human Rights Commission found Yemen. Rheinmetall Denel Munitions, one of that mandatory Covid-19 testing for foreign the state-owned enterprises, and other South workers was discriminatory. Government African companies had regularly supplied the measures aimed at tackling the climate Saudi Arabia and UAE-led coalition in the emergency were criticized as being too armed conflict in Yemen with weapons such unambitious. as bombs and shells, before and since the DISCRIMINATION conflict started (see Yemen entry). In June, the Pretoria High Court ordered South African MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS arms companies that supplied weapons In March, the National Human Rights found to have been used against civilians in Commission of Korea (NHRCK) found as the Yemen conflict to be made public. discriminatory the administrative orders by some local governments, including Seoul and Gyeonggi province, which made Covid-19 tests mandatory for foreign workers already in Amnesty International Report 2021/22 335