Brent Walters : Head of Education

08 April 2026

Kind Attention:
Mr Brent Walters: Head of Education
C/O Personal Assistant: Noleen Nefdt
Email: Eduhead.eduhead@westerncape.gov.za

Tel: 021 467 9280

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Dear Mr Walters,

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I write in my capacity as Head of The Humane Education Trust (HET) to respectfully request an opportunity to present to you, at your convenience, a brief 30-minute overview on the educational significance of General Comment 26, Paragraph 35 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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Through this clarification, the United Nations has taken a profound step toward recognising the importance of shielding children from exposure to violence in all its forms. It opens a vital pathway toward nurturing a more empathetic, compassionate, and socially resilient generation – and education is central to realising this vision.

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For more than three decades, HET has developed and delivered educational resources designed to cultivate respect for all life, deepen learners’ understanding of violence – both physical and emotional – and foster empathy as a core life competency. In a country facing deeply entrenched societal violence, and where millions of animals live without care or protection, we believe such education is not supplementary, but essential.

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The alignment between our work and the principles underpinning GC26:35 is both natural and urgent. We would value the opportunity to demonstrate how our resources can meaningfully support the Western Cape Education Department’s commitment to developing well-rounded, socially conscious learners.

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By way of background, I previously engaged with your predecessor, Mr Brian Schreuder, who facilitated an introduction to the Gauteng Department of Education’s Library Services. Since then, HET’s materials have been formally approved and repeatedly procured as Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM). While we are grateful for this recognition, we believe there is significant scope for broader institutional support within the Western Cape.

Our work has also received endorsement from respected leaders in the fields of child rights and education, including Professor Ann Skelton (University of Pretoria) and Dr Julie Reddy (CEO, South African Qualifications Authority; Deputy Chair, SA National Commission for UNESCO). The most recent edition of our publication, Animal Voice, reflects the growing support for this work. (see www.animalvoice.org)  Notably, a recent survey among first-year Sociology students at the University of the Western Cape found that 100% of respondents expressed a wish that animal sentience had been included in their school education.

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For your convenience, I have attached a sample resource aligned with GC26:35 to provide a sense of our approach and educational ethos.

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Your support in this regard would carry immense value. It would be both a privilege and an honour to present to you and explore how we might contribute to strengthening education for a more compassionate and less violent society.

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I thank you sincerely for your time and consideration, and I remain hopeful for the opportunity to engage.

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Kind regards,

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Louise van der Merwe

Editor | Animal Voice

Managing Trustee | The Humane Education Trust

Director | Nature-Based Education, Cape Town, South Africa

Mobile | 082 457 9177

Email | education@naturebased.online | avoice@yebo.co.za

Website | https://www.naturebased.education/ | https://www.animalvoice.org/

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