• South African Human Rights Commission
• Independent Complaints Directorate
• Public Protector
• Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
• Commission on Gender Equality

The SAHRC will help you if any of your rights in the Bill of Rights have been violated or abused. You can check the Bill of Rights to make sure that your rights have been violated or abused.

To lodge a complaint you need to fill in the complaint form.

The SAHRC will usually not be able to help you where:

• Your case does not involve a violation of any of the rights in the Bill of Rights.
• Your problem happened before 27 April 1994.
• Your case is a criminal case and you need a lawyer (in this case, please call the Legal Aid Board on 012 401 9200 or visit their offices at your closest Magistrate's Court).
• You have been convicted of a crime and you want to appeal.

If you are not sure whether you case is one which the SAHRC will deal with, please contact the SAHRC.

For more information contact the Western Cape Office:

Ashraf Mahomed
132 Adderley Street, Cape Town, 8000
Tel: 021 426 2277
Fax: 021 426 2875
amahomed@sahrc.org.za

If your rights have been violated by the police, you should contact the Independent Complaints Directorate.

To lodge a complaint, fill in the complaint form completely and correctly. If you are unsure about any aspect of the complaint reporting form, please follow the guidelines.

You can email your complaint to nmanne@icd.pwv.gov.za or fax it to 021 426 0705.

Postal Address: Private Bag X 9173, Cape Town, 8000
Physical Address: 6th Floor, Colonial Mutual Building, 106 Adderley Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 426 0700
Fax: 021 426 0705
nmanne@icd.pwv.gov.za

Or you can lodge your complaint online.

If you want to complain about a member of a government department, you should contact the Public Protector.

Anyone can complain to the Public Protector, who will then investigate the complaint. If the Public Protector finds that the complaint is justified, they will do whatever possible to find a solution to the problem, which includes recommending changes to the system.

If you have been unable to solve the problem by talking to the official and their supervisor, you should write to the Public Protector. The following information should be contained in the letter:

• The nature of your complaint.
• The background and history of the complaint.
• The reasons why you feel the complaint should be investigated by the Public Protector.
• The steps you have taken to solve the problem yourself.
• Specific details - names of officials, dates etc.
• Copies of any correspondence between you and the officials.
• Your contact details.

In some instances, the Public Protector may require a statement under oath before investigating.

If you need help with the complaint, you can phone the Public Protector's Office. There are trained staff members who will listen to a complaint, big or small, and conduct investigations.

Postal Address: Western Cape Regional Office, PO Box 712, Cape Town, 8000
Physical Address: 2nd Floor, ABC Building, 130 Adderley Street
Cape Town
Tel: 021 423 8644
Fax: 012 423 8708

If your employer has violated your rights, you should contact the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) (after you have tried to sort the matter out at work).

The CCMA will:

• Conciliate workplace disputes.
• Arbitrate disputes that remain unresolved after conciliation.

For more information contact:

Postal Address: Private Bag X9167, Cape Town, 8000
Physical Address: 78 Darling Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 469 0111
Fax: 021 465 7193/7

If you were discriminated against (treated badly) because of your sex (gender) you should contact the Commission on Gender Equality.

When making a complaint, you should try to provide as much information as possible. Complaints are strictly confidential.

For more information contact:

Physical Address: 7th Floor ABSA Building, 132 Adderley Street,
Cape Town, 8001
Tel: 021 426 4080/3
Fax: 021 424 0549