Constitutional Bodies in Johannesburg

The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities is responsible for deepening the appreciation of South Africans for the wide array of cultures, religions and languages found in the country, and for contributing meaningfully and constructively to social transformation and nation-building for the attainment of a truly united South African nation. The Commission was established to fulfil the following objectives: promote and develop peace, friendship, humanity, tolerance and national unity amongst and within cultural, religious and linguistic communities on the basis of equity, non-discrimination and free association; foster mutual respect amongst cultural, religious and linguistic communities; promote the right of communities to develop their historically diminished heritage; promote respect for and further the protection of the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic communities; and recommend the establishment or recognition of community councils.

The mission of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), as the independent national human rights institution, is to support constitutional democracy through promoting, protecting and monitoring the attainment of everyone's human rights in South Africa without fear, favour or prejudice. The mandate of the Commission is to: promote respect for human rights and a culture of human rights; promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights; monitor and assess the observance of human rights; investigate and report on the observance of human rights; take steps and secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated; carry out research; educate; require relevant organs of state to provide the Commission with information on the measures that they have taken towards the realisation of the rights in the Bill of Rights concerning housing, health care, food, water, social security, education and the environment; and carry out the additional powers and functions prescribed by national legislation.