11 April 2006
South Africa is a society in transition. It faces many challenges and
difficulties around the establishment and nurturing of a culture of human
rights despite the fact that the countryâs Constitution has been lauded in many
parts of the world as one of the most progressive.
At the heart of these challenges and difficulties is the problem of how
South Africa as a society defines its value system, and the way that this value
system could inform and complement its human rights framework. For instance
questions continue to be raised about the worrying levels of violent crime, the
exceedingly high levels of sexual violence against women and children, and
spates of racist attacks in many parts of the country.
On its part, the Constitution proclaims South Africaâs core founding values
to include âhuman dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of
fundamental rights and freedomsâ, but an inculcation of values espoused by
concepts such as âUbuntuâ in the countryâs human rights framework remains a
necessary and urgent task for the new democracy.
Whereas there is an assumption that the countryâs value system bears the
same meaning to all people across the social, political and economic spectrum,
it is patently true that the understanding and interpretation of these values
may well be different resulting in varied practices that from time to time have
resulted in conflict.
With the above reasons in mind, and as part of its on-going series of
seminars on human rights, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has
decided to host a seminar to examine and come up with practical ways of
affirming a culture of values in the South African human rights framework. The
seminar will consist of two panels: One panel, which will examine critically
the fundamental rights and freedoms in the Bill of Rights, and a second panel
that will explore the place and purpose of social, cultural and religious
values in the Constitution.
Panellists include Mr Jody Kollapen (Chairperson, South African Human Rights
Commission), Ms Joyce Seroke (Chairperson, Commission on Gender Equality and Dr
Mongezi Guma, (Chairperson, Commission for the Protection and Promotion of the
Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities). Others will be Dr
Mathole Motshekga (Kara Heritage Institute), Advocate Helaine Joubert (Freedom
Park) and Mr Archie Augustine (Media Review Network).
Further details about the seminar are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 12 April 2006
Venue: SAHRCâs Training Centre, Human Rights House: 6th Floor (29 Princess of
Wales Terrace, Cnr York & St Andrews, Parktown, Johannesburg)
Time: 08h30 - 15h30
Media is invited to cover the event.
For more information about the seminar and for press interviews, please
contact:
Mr Jody Kollapen,
Tel: (011) 484 8300 ext 2290
Cell: 083 265 3611
Adv Tseliso Thipanyane
Tel: (011) 484 8300 ext 2251
Cell: 083 305 2693
Issued by: South African Human Rights Commission
11 April 2006
