SAHRC concerned about marginalisation of Rastafari community

Members of the Rastafarian community participate in SAHRC’s roundtable.

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The South African Human Rights Commission has raised concern over the marginalisation, discrimination and criminalisation of the Rastafari community, despite 30 years of democracy.

The commission is holding a round table discussion at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg with the community.

The issues include unlawful cannabis-related arrests and school expulsion over children’s dreadlocks.

“The commission has been receiving a number of complaints from members of the Rastafari community, complaining on a number of things, complaining about their children not being able to go to school with deadlocks. Complaining about unlawful arrest for possession of cannabis, but also unhappy about discrimination in the workplace and in those kind of spaces. So, we decided to convene a round table, bring together members of Rastafari community from all over South Africa, including state institutions,” says SAHRC’s Tshepo Madlingozi.

#Roundtable| SAHRC’s Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi giving a background and introduction as the Roundtable on the rights of the Rastafari community gets underway in Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/Rh2ZCOOwj7

— SAHRCommission (@SAHRCommission) February 26, 2025