The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and the Right2Know Campaign (R2K) welcome the opportunity to submit this Parallel Coalition Report to the 64th session (24 September 2018 to 12 October 2018) of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
This Parallel Coalition Report (Second Coalition Report) is submitted to the CESCR to assist in its consideration, during the 64th session, of the Government of South Africa’s Initial Report to the CESCR dated 25 April 2017, and distributed on 7 June 2017, and the Supplementary Report to the Initial Report submitted by the Government of South Africa, dated 6 July 2018.
As with the First Coalition Report, this report focuses primarily on access to the internet in South Africa – particularly for disadvantaged and marginalised persons and groups, including those living in rural and remote areas – and the extent to which the Government of South Africa is ensuring that people are able to benefit from the potential of the internet as an enabler of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs).