In 1996, President Mandela, in a statement on Human Rights Day, said: "21 March is South African Human Rights Day. It is a day which, more than many others, captures the essence of the struggle of the South African people and the soul of our non-racial democracy. March 21 is the day on which we remember and sing praises to those who perished in the name of democracy and human dignity. It is also a day on which we reflect and assess the progress we are making in enshrining basic human rights and values."
As we gather here today to commemorate and pay homage to the sacrifices made by those who were maimed and perished at the hands of the brutal apartheid machinery on 21 March 1960, we must recommit ourselves to the struggle for the total emancipation of the people of South Africa. This is critical because our freedom and democracy will always be constrained and tainted by the continued prevalence of such social ills as poverty, unemployment, bigotry, intolerance and blatant disregard for the rule of law.
While we have made tremendous progress in many fronts of our democratic struggle, the suffering still experienced by our people in the townships, informal settlements, rural areas and the inner cities remains an albatross on the shoulder of the government and the nation.
The fact that there is a child out there who goes to bed without proper meal every night should put all of us to shame. The fact that there are people in our communities who continue to suffer death as the result of fire engulfing their settlement should spur all of us to work for change in these conditions. The unabated abuse of people in the farms should also remind us of the struggle that still lies ahead.
Moreover, the greatest indignity that a human being can suffer is the inability to provide food for their loved ones and a secure home for children as a result of unemployment.
These social challenges constitute the character of a new enemy we have to face. It is the enemy that poses serious threat to our democracy. The enemy with the potential to undermine the gains we have made. The enemy with the strength to render the peoples’ rights guaranteed by the constitution meaningless if we do not move with requisite speed. It is for this reason that as government we have declared this year as the year to create jobs. But this cannot be achieved if various role players are not part of this mission; for this is a new enemy that requires different methods of engagement.
Equally important in our struggle for total emancipation and the defence of democracy, we need to subject our conduct towards one another and the rule of law to scrutiny. It has become a norm in times of labour disputes or community protests to flagrantly break the law and also undermine the rights of other people. In a democratic state how do you justify the destruction of public property when exercising your right to strike or protest? When others make a choice not to strike or protest which is within their right, do they have to suffer abuse and violent attacks?
Today we are witnessing an emergence of a new culture in the public centres of learning and teaching. It is the tendency that seeks to undermine what many fought and died for: the quality education for the African child. This acrimonious tendency places the education of the African child in danger. Above all, it is an act if left unchallenged that can derail the growth and development of our country.
We need to stop the rot from devouring our education system. Teachers must rededicate themselves to teaching and empowering the African child. Students must focus on gaining education by religiously attending classes. And parents must commit themselves in supporting schools in their respective communities.
In a nutshell, all these challenges underscore a need to change the mindset. They point to a pressing need to embark on a comprehensive education drive about the rights and responsibilities. In a true constitutional democracy such as ours, the rights are intricately counter-balanced against the responsibilities. It is also our responsibility to act and behave in a manner that will show that we are proud beneficiaries of a democratic Constitution. The Constitution is not ambiguous about what responsibilities we have as individuals when exercising our rights. But many of our people choose the luxury of enjoying rights outside the set of responsibilities.
It becomes worse when many of our civic institutions overplay the issue of rights at the expense of responsibilities.
We are at a point where it is necessary that we teach our people to learn and internalise the responsibilities they have in terms of the constitution. That is why we are delighted with the progressive initiative by the Department of Education in introducing the Bill of Responsibilities for the Youth of South Africa. The bill seeks to teach our children, who are already well aware of their rights, about the responsibilities that come with the rights. We believe that this initiative will bring about a balance in our society as there is evidence that some of us have been committing counter-productive acts which inadvertently compromise the objectives of the developmental state.
As we commemorate the 51st Human Rights Day, we must demonstrate our commitment to the constitution by speaking out on the issues of responsibilities as much as we do on rights. Failure to do so will only undermine the tireless efforts and selfless sacrifice made by revolutionaries such as OR Tambo, Raymond Mhlaba, Harry Gwala, Robert Sobukwe, Lillian Ngoyi, Beyers Naude, Joe Slovo, Walter Sisulu, Solomon Mahlangu, Sipho Hashe, Tsietsi Mashinini, Charlotte Maxeke, Steve Biko, Griffiths Mxenge, Champion Galela, Andrew Zondo and many others, who fought until the last drop of their blood to make sure that you and I become a free people.
Our freedom fighters laid their lives on the line so that we can have peace, justice and equality. It is therefore our collective responsibility to jealously defend this freedom.
In our endeavour to promote accessibility, as government, we have resolved that the Human Rights Day should be observed by taking all the services that our people require close to where they live. Today we have brought all our departments here so that people can access government and its services. I call upon all of you to visit the mobile stalls, tents and tables that are in this stadium. There you will find a number of products and services that the government render in honour of the popular mandate and the constitutional obligations.
Lastly, the befitting manner to honour the 69 innocent lives that were mauled down by trigger-happy apartheid police because they refuse to carry the Dom Pas, the symbol of oppression and discrimination, will be to come out in great numbers and line the voting stations on 18 May 2011. We need to deliver another telling blow by casting our votes for progress, development and stability. This is what you have known for the past 16 years and surely is what you will cast your vote for.
Viva democracy and development!
Dankie.
Ngiyabonga.
God Bless Africa.
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
