“Three decades of respect for and promotion of Human Rights”
In 1994 I was a 10-year-old boy who watched my parents go to vote with Joy in a TSB farm in Komatipoort, the then Eastern Transvaal today, Mpumalanga Province. I also saw in the news long queues of people ushering our freedom. We could not play nor attend the same school with white kids.
Today I stand in front of you as an LLB graduate from the University of Venda who was funded by NFSAS. Our countries biggest breaker of generational poverty.
I speak with conviction today when I say I’m a Tintswalo and every household in this country has a Tintswalo.
The freedom made the dreams of many black kids like myself possible to be who ever we wanted to be, engineers, astronauts, etc which was not possible under Apartheid.
Freedom came through blood and sweat of our struggle hero’s and heroines. Freedom seemed like a pipe dream, on this day 30 years ago, a new dawn of hope was ushered in through the first democratic elections.
Freedom connected us with our roots hence the confident declaration by former President Mbeki that I’m an African.
This did not only signal freedom for all, but it also signaled the responsibility to reconstruct and develop our country into one that is people centered and people driven. Nation building was at the core of what our vision and a central piece to the democratization of South Africa. This was reaffirmed by our 1996 Constitution which is the supreme law of our country that affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality, and freedom. It placed on the state the obligation to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the human rights that are enshrined within our Bill of Rights. We moved from Parliamentary sovereignty to a constitutional democracy.
It can be a daunting task to celebrate given the difficulties that our society still faces to date. Progress should however not be denied, but rather acknowledged with an intention to learn and resolve our challenges.
Our country saw a protracted struggle first against, colonialism and later apartheid over a period of more than 300 years
We therefore could not have resolved all the challenges created in 300 years of colonial rule in 30 years but we’ve laid a solid foundation to build a better life for all.
We now have the Freedom to Love whoever we want
We now have the Freedom to Go where ever we want
We now have the Freedom to Study whatever we want
We now have the Freedom of become who we want to be.
Some of these freedoms that are taken for granted today were only reserved for whites only.
With this freedom, the 1996 constitution envisaged a country that is sovereign, a democratic state that is guided by principles of constitutionalism, the rule of law, democracy and accountability, separation of powers and checks and balances, cooperative governance. As you declared in the Constitutional Assembly Mr President that the constitution is now our DNA, it now permeates all facets of society.
Our Constitution enjoys us to fight against injustices anywhere in the world.
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Nelson Mandela
This is what drives us to fight injustices even in Palestine, Western Sahara and Cuba.
Our continent has seen much struggle, where democracy has been questioned in the face of political violence.
In our country, the appreciation of our freedom has seen growth in electoral participation and the uncensored voice and space of civil society has been maintained, and should be commended as progress.
Democratic participation and active citizenry are based on this understanding and places upon us the responsibility to go out in our numbers on the 29th of May 2024, as was done 30 years ago on this day, to cast our vote to ensure that our government is ruled as a people centered, and advances the will of our people.
This hope is well articulated by our former president Nelson Mandela as he cast his first vote, 30 years ago today and stated that he cherished the idea of the new South Africa where all South Africans are equal and work together to bring about security, peace and democracy in our country.
The last 30 years has laid a solid foundation for us to continue to build from.
May the next 30 years, in our lifetime and that of our children, be that of equal enjoyment of economic social and political freedom.
I thank you.
