Mmeli Dube

Dr Mmeli Dube. Image: Supplied Human rights and democracy are increasingly contested, with countries defending them selectively while economic interests often take priority over people’s rights. Governments restrict freedoms in the name of public safety, while digital surveillance and authoritarianism make it harder to organise and speak out. Meanwhile, the waning international support and protection for human rights defenders (HRDs), who are on the receiving end, worsen the challenges.

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Dube M, Anciano F, Ofori AD, Mabaso L, Barrington DJ (2026) Achieving the Human Right to Sanitation? Container based sanitation and intersectional vulnerabilities in a South African informal settlement. PLOS Water 5(10): e0000524.

Image: rawpixel.com/Freepik.com June 16 commemorates the fearless youth of Soweto who rose against apartheid’s Bantu Education system in 1976. At the University of the Western Cape (UWC), this history of resistance is not only remembered, but lived. Once a battleground for academic freedom and social justice, UWC has become a sanctuary for a new generation of human rights defenders across Africa.