After bidding farewell to Sameena Khan and Thomas Crankshaw in December 2015 and January 2016 respectively, SAHA welcomes new staff to the team and with their arrival, we also welcome a new set of skills that will contribute to our ongoing work as both an activist and a human rights archive, as well as a champion for access to information. So please join us in welcoming our new team members:
James Ekron, FOIP Advocacy Officer
James hails from the Eastern Cape and is a Rhodes University graduate in LLB and a BA. He joins SAHA as the Freedom of Information Programme (FOIP) Advocacy Officer. We also congratulate James in his recent admittance as an attorney (January 2016). This is what James had to say about his experience at SAHA so far:
SAHA provides a clear and a leading role in the limited right to access information in South Africa. It’s heartening and a real pleasure to work in a team of such motivated and intelligent people. #FOIPlife
Kimberly Hui, FOIP Intern
Kimberly Hui (Kim) a Toronto University and University of Windsor graduate, was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2015. She joins the SAHA team as the FOIP intern through the Canadian Bar Association. This is what Kim had to say about her experience at SAHA so far:
My first month at SAHA has been enlightening. The variety in our work has expanded my knowledge of the right to information in South Africa. I’ve enjoyed my time working with the FOIP team immensely and look forward to the upcoming projects! #FOIPlife
Imraan Abdullah, FOIP Researcher
Imraan joins the SAHA team having completed the requirements for admission as an attorney. He is currently studying towards his LLM (Human Rights). Being a very passionate person about social justice he had this to say about his new placement as the FOIP researcher:
In my first two weeks at SAHA I have been exposed to a team that is dedicated to establishing the right to freedom of information and pushing the boundaries of the governing legislation. The enthusiasm of the team inspires me to strive for freedom of information. #FOIPlife
Chavonne Cupido, Archival Intern (SFJP)
Chavonne comes from Cape Town and she obtained her undergraduate degree in History at the University of Stellenbosch and is studying towards her Masters degree in History at the University of the Witwatersrand. She hopes to gain more archival experience as well attain new skills in her journey as part of SAHA's Struggles for Justice Programme. She had this to say:
SAHA has been an exciting experience so far. It has given me the chance to get involved in the professional work force and enabled me to gain new skills such as taking minutes for meetings, editing and creating metadata. I look forward to the next few months.
Inez McGregor, Archival Intern (SFJP) – Right to Truth Project
Inez is also from Cape Town. She holds a PgDip in Library and Information Studies, an Honours Degree in Historical Studies and a BA in Economics, Classical Studies and Economic History and is passionate about history and the role of archives in contributing to South Africa’s heritage and historical narratives. She joins the SAHA as an archival intern working on the Right to Truth Project. Inez said this about her work:
When I think of SAHA, I don’t think of the long hours in the digitisation room coaxing the scanner to cooperate, the material I have to assign metadata, all the amazing things I have learnt or the odd jobs that end up distracting me from my main jobs. Instead, what SAHA is for me, is the people who work here and their passion for what they do. It is the friendly banter over the morning coffee and how our work is all interconnected in achieving the organisation’s goals. It’s fantastic
Other changes at SAHA
The administrative support unit is now called Support Services with the Administration and Information Officer title now renamed Support Services Coordinator. The unit also welcomed an intern at the start of 2016.
Thandeka Zulu, Support Services Intern
Thandeka initially joined SAHA in June 2015 for a six month internship as a FOIP Intern. She now returns as the Support Services intern and looks forward to getting more experience in daily operations of a civil society organisation. This is what she said:
I am very happy to be back into the fold. In 2015 I was exposed to a lot of FOIP work as a FOIP intern, I gained a lot of skills and what I now treasure is my newly found understanding of how freedom of information works. I am excited about my new role in Support Services as it exposes me to the machinery of an NGO.
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