Dear Fellow South African,
Later this week, on 21 March, South Africa will celebrate
Human Rights Day.
On that day we will recall the Sharpeville Massacre of 21
March 1960, when apartheid police shot dead 69
unarmed protesters who were taking a stand against the
apartheid regime’s unjust and inhumane pass laws.
The events in Sharpeville on that day were one of the
worst violations of human rights in our history and
attracted worldwide condemnation. It was in the
aftermath of the Sharpeville Massacre that in 1960, the
United Nations (UN) Security Council adopted its first
resolution condemning violence perpetrated by the
apartheid regime.
Six years later, the UN General Assembly would label
apartheid a crime against humanity. It would also declare
21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination and an opportunity to draw
attention to racial injustice everywhere.
Thirty years into democracy, all who live in South Africa
continue to enjoy the shelter and protection of the Bill of
Rights enshrined in our Constitution. Our forebears who
took up the struggle in defence of liberty and human
rights at Sharpeville enjoyed no such protection. As a
result of their struggles we now enjoy these rights.
In addition to the dreaded pass laws, black South
Africans were denied even the most basic rights. With a
combination of unjust laws and brute force, the racist
regime decided where black people could live, what
schools their children could attend, who they could and
could not marry, what occupations they could enter, and
how much they could earn.
So petty and cruel was apartheid that there was even a
law, the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, that
segregated public facilities along racial lines. “Whites
Only” or “Net Blankes” signs were put up in store
entrances, on public benches, in playgrounds, and even
on the country’s beaches.
For the generations born into freedom it is almost
inconceivable that such systematic, deep-seated racism
existed, making it all the more necessary for us to reflect
on how far we have come in building a country that is
non-racial, non-sexist, equal, prosperous and free.
Over the past three decades, we have worked together to
undo the terrible legacy of apartheid. However the effects
of apartheid persist across society – whether it is in health,
educational and developmental outcomes, access to
basic services and infrastructure, or in the racialised
nature of poverty, unemployment, inequality and
exclusion.
Human Rights Month is an opportunity to assess the progress we have made over the past three decades to advance the Bill of Rights set out in our Constitution, as well as to reflect honestly on where we have fallen short.
The results of Census 2022 released last year highlight the
progress we have made as a country in giving effect to
the rights contained in our Constitution.
The pro-poor policies of the democratic state have lifted
millions out of absolute poverty, expanded access to basic
services, improved educational and health outcomes for
the country’s majority, and broadened participation in
economic activity.
As we head into our country’s 7th democratic election
this year, we are further reminded of the fundamental
freedoms South Africans enjoy today. These include
freedom of conscience and opinion, the right to assembly
and demonstration, freedom of association, and wide-
ranging political rights. We also have a free, independent
media that plays a critical role in promoting transparency
and accountability.
On the occasion of the adoption of our Constitution in
1996, we proclaimed to the world that we are a society
committed to democracy, to the rule of law and to the
protection of human rights.
This places a great responsibility on us as South Africans,
whether as government, business, labour or civil society,
to live up to the promise of our Bill of Rights.
We have to stand together united as we work for the
realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
for all. We should not be in denial about our
shortcomings and strive to overcome them with urgency.
For millions of South Africans, lack of access to basic
services, unemployment and lack of opportunity affect
the most fundamental of human rights – the right to
dignity.
As we continue to work towards realising the basic human rights of all South Africans, we are reminded that these rights are universal. That all people, everywhere, have basic rights and should be free to exercise them.
We are reminded that we cannot truly be free until all
people are free.
When we consider the deteriorating state of human
rights and fundamental freedoms in many parts of the
world today, we are mindful that we have a moral
responsibility to strive for the achievement of human
rights not just for our own people, but for all people
across the world.
As we commemorate the tragic events that took place in
Sharpeville in 1960, and recommit ourselves to the cause
of human freedom, we stand firm in our position that
human rights for only some are human rights for none.
Let us all continue to advance and protect the human
rights of all who live in South Africa.
With best regards,