commemoration at Emalahleni
21 March 2005
Members of the Executive Council, MPs and MPLs,
The Mayor of Emalahleni, Hon Clr Linah Malatjie,
Mayors and councillors,
Traditional leaders,
Leaders from political and labour organisations,
Spiritual leaders and all community leaders in our midst,
The people of Emalahleni and the entire Nkangala District, and Mpumalanga as a
whole,
Families of Mpumalanga martyrs and heroes and heroines,
Comrades and friends
We have converged once again to mark an occurrence in our history, which
today is among those that give meaning to our humanity and the values that
underpin our new society a human rights cantered society.
Forty-six years ago, on 21 March 1960, our people started a peaceful
campaign against the much hated pass laws. On that day all African men were to
leave their passes at home and present themselves for arrest. Campaigners
gathered at police stations in townships across the country. At the Sharpeville
police station, police opened fire without warning. Sixty-nine people lay dead
and 180 wounded.
The Sharpeville massacre, as the slaughter of our people came to be known,
was in many ways a brutal reminder of the extent to which the apartheid
government was prepared to go to defend white minority rule. In a way, that
single brutal act was to ensure that the struggle in South Africa would never
be the same again. The apartheid regime's callous disregard for human life, its
naked brutality, shut the door to peaceful resistance. The day marked the
beginning of armed protest and a greater emphasis on international mobilisation
to complement the struggles of our people to defeat the system of apartheid. On
this front, the wanton killing of unarmed men, women and children, drew
immediate worldwide condemnation. It touched the conscience of people around
the world and led to the isolation of the apartheid regime. Apartheid was
declared a crime against humanity.
The people who were killed by apartheid police at Sharpeville 46 years ago
died because they demanded the basic human right to walk the streets of the
land of their birth freely, without a passbook. Inspired and guided by that
historic document of the people, the Freedom Charter, our people demanded to be
treated as equals in the country of their birth. They lost their lives because
they said âNOâ to laws which sought to banish them to the labour reserves
called Bantustans. They refused to obey a law that allowed African people to
come into the urban areas and centres of economic growth to work and not to
live.
By 1960 growing repression reached a head in South Africa, the country was
at a cross roads, we had arrived at a turning point. Sharpeville marked a break
with the past; the rulers could not rule in the same old way; the oppressed
were not prepared to be ruled in the same old way. Sharpeville was a watershed
mark, an epoch making event. The international community took note of the
abnormality of conditions in South Africa:
* The state of emergency,
* 20 000 people detained,
* Organisations and individuals banned,
* The October referendum.
Ladies and gentlemen, from the time members of the apartheid police opened
fire on unarmed and peaceful men, women and children, 21 March became a day of
great significance in our country. In apartheid South Africa 21 March became
known as Sharpeville Day and although not part of the official calendar of
public holidays, the event was commemorated by all freedom loving people at
home and abroad.
And when we attained our freedom, we declared 21 March Human Rights Day in
honour of all those who laid down their lives for our freedom. Today we gather
to pay tribute to those brave heroes and heroines who laid down their lives so
that we can be free. But we also remember the totalitarian society from which
we emerged victorious to give birth to our new nation. It is a day on which we
must rededicate ourselves to continue to protect and advance the human rights
that we have won as we strive for rights for all.
Today we can stand here proudly and profess that we have indeed gone a long
way in realising the dream of those who laid down their lives for freedom.
Today every illegible South African is guaranteed the right to vote. The
workers of this country can now hold protests or go on strike without the fear
of being gunned down. Everyone now enjoys the right of freedom of speech and
association. Everyone has the right of access to land; the right to education;
the right to organise; the right to a fair trial; the right to trade freely;
the right to associate; the right to food; the right to shelter; the right to
safe and sustainable environments.
These rights are guaranteed by our Constitution, which is founded upon human
dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and
freedoms. The Constitution and legislation we have put in place since 1994 are
a great leap forward for the continuing human rights struggle and social
justice. Every year our government makes solid progress towards the realisation
of the goals of the Freedom Charter, as we move towards ensuring that we enjoy
equal human rights and that âSouth Africa belongs to all who live in it, black
and white".
Comrades, we gather here today, a few weeks after the overwhelming majority
of our people once again reaffirmed that they believe and have hope that only
this government can guarantee fundamental rights to all South Africans,
irrespective of economic status, colour, creed and religious orientation.
They gave us a clear mandate to proceed in our mission to create a better
life for all South Africa's people by making local government work well. They
told us that we must improve local government to accelerate the eradication of
the legacy of racism, sexism, and apartheid and create work opportunities in
the areas where people live. The launch of our year long heritage research
work, which we believe will identify more heritage sites in the province, could
not have come at a better time. New tourism routes will generate economic
activity in the areas where our people live. We hope to turn Mpumalanga into a
hive of activity as we strengthen the âMasibuyele emasimini' project to support
subsistence farming.
The Maputo Development Corridor and the Moloto Development Corridor, which
is in the planning phase, will also go a long way in alleviating the effects of
poverty. We also believe that the Water Infrastructure Blue Print will not only
make water accessible to a large number of people by 2010, but will also create
work. The 2010 World Cup will also have massive economic spin offs for our
province.
All this work must have one consequence and one consequence only, the
expansion of horizons for our people to enjoy their constitutional human
rights, both political and social; equality and social justice through the
constitutional first and second generation rights. Comrades, we will do all
these things and more as we deepen democracy and nation building. We are
convinced that we will realise the constitutional rights of all the people as
we move along the path of creating an effective and caring government. As a
province we will continue to accelerate economic growth. We will intensify our
battle to reduce unemployment. Indeed we shall win the war against poverty. Our
people believe us when we say we will continue to build secure and sustainable
communities that are skilled and productive.
These and other programmes will see us inching closer to the realisation of
our dream of a country where everyone enjoys a better life. As we get into the
12th year of democracy, we must ensure that we move faster towards the
realisation of the ideals of those whose lives and sacrifices we celebrate
today. While we have made significant progress in the first decade of
democracy, we are challenged to intensify our efforts to ensure the full
realisation of the goals of the Freedom Charter. We must work tirelessly
towards the noble objective of a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and
prosperous South Africa.
As we celebrate Human Rights Day, we must remember that the struggle for the
achievement of human rights is ongoing and will not end until the promise of
dignity and freedom from poverty, malnutrition and disease has been realised.
That is why it is important that at all times we ensure that we protect the
human rights of everyone. We must promote human rights by preventing the abuse
of the most vulnerable in our society, including the elderly, women, children
and the disabled.
Clearly the people's government has considerable tasks ahead in ensuring
that the ideals of the Freedom Charter become a living reality in the next
decade. But our success requires the contribution of each and every one of us,
young and old, black and white. The advance, protection, defence and
consolidation of fundamental human rights can only be the outcome of ongoing
struggle: every day, in every community, in every sphere of human activity. It
is only when people themselves engage in social action to give meaning to the
words enshrined in our Constitution that human rights will become the living
thread from which our social fabric is woven. The organisation of the people to
act as their own liberators, to themselves transform the provisions of the
Constitution into a living reality, is a function of our ongoing struggle.
I thank you.
Issued by: Premierâs Office, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
21 March 2006
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za)
