Date: 21/03/2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Human Rights Day celebrations
Speech by North West Premier, Edna Molewa, on the occasion of the commemoration of Human Rights Day, Klipgat, Madibeng
21 March 2005
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors
Councillors
Ladies and Gentlemen
On 21 March 1960, exactly 45 years ago, a racist and oppressive minority regime unleashed one of its most brutal acts against peaceful and unarmed civilians who were demonstrating against the unjust pass laws.
This act of raw aggression on innocent citizens was ruthlessly executed in defence of a system that sought to deny the majority of our people their basic human rights.
This act of brutality drew worldwide condemnation and isolation of the apartheid state. Indeed, the harsh reality of apartheid touched the conscience of the world and moved nations across the globe to declare, in one united voice: "Apartheid is a crime against humanity!" Thus, Apartheid South Africa became a pariah among the world of nations.
Sharpeville symbolically marked the beginning of an era where the oppressed masses of our people took a conscious decision never to submit to the enemy, but to hit back with every available weapon at their disposal in pursuit of their freedom and human rights.
Eleven years since our liberation, we can now look back at the tragic events of 1960 in Sharpeville with a sense of sadness and more importantly with a sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction that the cause for which those who died in Sharpeville and indeed in many other parts of our country was not in vain. Theirs was a just and noble cause to bring peace and prosperity not only to our country but also to the African Continent.
We remember their act of bravery and courage in the face of an aggressor that was determined to defend minority privilege. Our thoughts and prayers go to members of the families who lost their loved ones during this sad moment in our history.
As we are gathered here today, we wish to say that their death was not in vain, their cause was a just one and we shall forever be indebted to them for the sacrifices they made.
On this day, as we remember and honour those in our country and province who perished in the battle to bring peace, freedom and prosperity in our country and beyond, We are reminded of the road we have travelled since our liberation in 1994 to build and entrench a culture of human rights in our country.
Today as we remember those of our people who paid the supreme sacrifice for our liberation, we must recommit ourselves to working tirelessly towards the noble objective of eradicating the legacy of apartheid and colonialism in our country.
We owe it to the fallen heroes and heroines of our struggle to continue to ensure that the cause for which they died was not in vain. We must intensify the struggle to build for our people a future that is qualitatively better than our apartheid and colonial past. More importantly, on this day we are reminded of the progress we have made in ensuring that we do not betray the cause for which those who died on this day in Sharpeville and elsewhere in the country.
More specifically, we are reminded that our people no longer have to endure the humiliation of having to carry passes wherever they go. They no longer suffer the indignity of having to be confined to certain parts in the land of their forefathers.
We have emerged from an era where our human dignity was trampled upon; an era characterised by callous brutality, ruthless violation of human rights and state violence directed at innocent and unarmed civilians.
For hundreds of years, millions of our people had to endure systematic violation and denial of their fundamental rights, including the right to basic social and economic services.
Through deliberate policies based on deprivation and injustice, our people were condemned to live and die in the most dehumanising and harsh conditions. Apartheid injustice and institutionalised violation of human rights were swept aside by the tidal wave of our uncompromising forward march towards freedom, human rights and equality.
Fellow South Africans, our country has emerged from a past characterised by a complete disregard and utter contempt for basic human rights. It was a past rooted in a philosophy of suppression of the majority by the minority. Indeed this was a past that forced many sons and daughters of our country into the trenches determined to bring freedom and democracy to their motherland.
When we took over in 1994, we set ourselves an objective of building a society based on respect for human rights, a society that promotes equality for all and a society that will take its rightful place among the progressive nations of the world.
On this day we are reminded that access to basic services is no longer regulated according to colour. We are reminded that all South Africans now have equal access to opportunities which were deliberately denied to them.
Many of them now have access to decent health care, education and shelter. Their dignity has now been restored. They are now proud citizens who enjoy human rights and dignity in the land of their birth.
Indeed, we are building a South Africa that truly belongs to all. A South Africa where "All national groups shall have equal rights", where "All shall be equal before the law", and where "All shall enjoy human rights".
This government, acting in partnership with all of you, will continue to work hard to build a society that frowns upon the violation of human rights. This we must do as part of our tribute to the martyrs of Sharpeville.
We are reminded that we now have a progressive Constitution that guarantees the rights of all South Africans. Our Constitution is building on the vision of the Freedom Charter, especially the declaration that states: "All shall enjoy equal human rights".
Today all our children have equal access to opportunities to reach for their dreams. We are satisfied that we are succeeding in opening the doors of learning and culture to all our children.
Workers now have access to rights such as the right to strike, denied to them by our past rulers. We now understand what the people who gathered at Kliptown on 26 June 1955 meant when they declared: "There shall be work and security!"
Today, we can say with confidence that out of the womb of an unjust and inhuman society has emerged a new society whose values are based on justice, equality and human rights.
The sick, the poor and the victims of historic injustice can now claim a place of pride alongside the rest of humanity. The disabled, women, children and the oppressed peoples of Africa have been liberated from the evil policies that sought to deny them their most basic human rights and condemned them to perpetual worthlessness.
Police brutality, detention without trial, banishments and an unfair justice system are now things of the past. We are now a free nation, united in our diversity, and a nation that guarantees universal human rights to all its citizens. Today, we can say without any fear of contradiction that we now live in a country that truly belongs to all of us.
As a result of our work over the past ten years to build a South African society based on human rights, we have been accepted back into the world community of nations. Our experience in moving our country away from a situation of a complete disregard for human rights to that of equality for all, continues to inspire many across the world.
We must use the day to consolidate our emerging human rights culture and to take stock of our achievements in building a society whose values are defined by its adherence to human rights and constitutional democracy. Together, we must celebrate the extent to which we have collectively worked towards the progressive realisation of all the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
We must continue to entrench a culture of equality and ensure equal access to opportunities brought by democracy and freedom. We must not tire nor falter in our ongoing effort to ensure that all our people access their human rights as well as all the social and economic opportunities. This we must do because we know that the full meaning of freedom will only be realised once all our people are freed from the legacy of deprivation, poverty and indignity.
Many of our people now have access to social grants which they were denied for many years. Our people now enjoy freedom of speech, movement and association. The freedom of the media is now part of our democratic culture.
On this day we are therefore justified to say that; as a nation we have come a long way. We are justified to say that our efforts to build a human rights culture have yielded positive results.
We must work hard to ensure that never again will anyone in our country suffer the humiliation and indignity of having their human rights systematically violated with impunity. In the North West, which is a largely rural province, we must also defend the progress we have made in bringing human rights to our people in the farms. We must do all these things as part of our ongoing efforts to defend the gains of our liberation and to build a human rights culture.
We are gathered here today to make a public declaration that: "Never again will our country experience another Sharpeville!" We are here to make an unequivocal statement that: "Never again will our country tolerate the violation of human rights!" Indeed we are here today to celebrate the triumph of justice over injustice, evil over good and progress over reaction.
As we are gathered today we must continue to make the point that we shall work tirelessly to defend the rights of those in our society who are weak and vulnerable, including women and children.
We must continue to isolate and expose those among us who violate the rights and dignity of women and children. We reiterate our call for all our people to assist the law-enforcement agencies and the Rasuge family to find Constable Francis Rasuge, or at least the truth about what happened to her. The pain and agony to which Francis and her family have been subjected to are the worst form of human rights violation.
Ours is a society that is characterised by a fundamental and a decisive break with the past. It is a society that guarantees dignity and prosperity to all South Africans.
This vision has found expression in our democratic Constitution whose pillars include the respect for human rights. It is this Constitution that forms the basis of our approach as we seek to transform the South African society.
In the short time that we have been in power, we have transformed our country from being a pariah of the international community to a progressive force for democracy, universal human rights and equality among the peoples of the world.
While we take pride in our achievements so far, we must harbour no illusions. We are aware that the task of building a society fully rooted in the respect for human rights will take some time. That we still have incidents of human rights violations occurring in some parts of our country and province is a clear pointer that a lot of work still needs to be done to uphold human rights.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
21 March 2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Human Rights Day celebrations
Speech by North West Premier, Edna Molewa, on the occasion of the commemoration of Human Rights Day, Klipgat, Madibeng
21 March 2005
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors
Councillors
Ladies and Gentlemen
On 21 March 1960, exactly 45 years ago, a racist and oppressive minority regime unleashed one of its most brutal acts against peaceful and unarmed civilians who were demonstrating against the unjust pass laws.
This act of raw aggression on innocent citizens was ruthlessly executed in defence of a system that sought to deny the majority of our people their basic human rights.
This act of brutality drew worldwide condemnation and isolation of the apartheid state. Indeed, the harsh reality of apartheid touched the conscience of the world and moved nations across the globe to declare, in one united voice: "Apartheid is a crime against humanity!" Thus, Apartheid South Africa became a pariah among the world of nations.
Sharpeville symbolically marked the beginning of an era where the oppressed masses of our people took a conscious decision never to submit to the enemy, but to hit back with every available weapon at their disposal in pursuit of their freedom and human rights.
Eleven years since our liberation, we can now look back at the tragic events of 1960 in Sharpeville with a sense of sadness and more importantly with a sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction that the cause for which those who died in Sharpeville and indeed in many other parts of our country was not in vain. Theirs was a just and noble cause to bring peace and prosperity not only to our country but also to the African Continent.
We remember their act of bravery and courage in the face of an aggressor that was determined to defend minority privilege. Our thoughts and prayers go to members of the families who lost their loved ones during this sad moment in our history.
As we are gathered here today, we wish to say that their death was not in vain, their cause was a just one and we shall forever be indebted to them for the sacrifices they made.
On this day, as we remember and honour those in our country and province who perished in the battle to bring peace, freedom and prosperity in our country and beyond, We are reminded of the road we have travelled since our liberation in 1994 to build and entrench a culture of human rights in our country.
Today as we remember those of our people who paid the supreme sacrifice for our liberation, we must recommit ourselves to working tirelessly towards the noble objective of eradicating the legacy of apartheid and colonialism in our country.
We owe it to the fallen heroes and heroines of our struggle to continue to ensure that the cause for which they died was not in vain. We must intensify the struggle to build for our people a future that is qualitatively better than our apartheid and colonial past. More importantly, on this day we are reminded of the progress we have made in ensuring that we do not betray the cause for which those who died on this day in Sharpeville and elsewhere in the country.
More specifically, we are reminded that our people no longer have to endure the humiliation of having to carry passes wherever they go. They no longer suffer the indignity of having to be confined to certain parts in the land of their forefathers.
We have emerged from an era where our human dignity was trampled upon; an era characterised by callous brutality, ruthless violation of human rights and state violence directed at innocent and unarmed civilians.
For hundreds of years, millions of our people had to endure systematic violation and denial of their fundamental rights, including the right to basic social and economic services.
Through deliberate policies based on deprivation and injustice, our people were condemned to live and die in the most dehumanising and harsh conditions. Apartheid injustice and institutionalised violation of human rights were swept aside by the tidal wave of our uncompromising forward march towards freedom, human rights and equality.
Fellow South Africans, our country has emerged from a past characterised by a complete disregard and utter contempt for basic human rights. It was a past rooted in a philosophy of suppression of the majority by the minority. Indeed this was a past that forced many sons and daughters of our country into the trenches determined to bring freedom and democracy to their motherland.
When we took over in 1994, we set ourselves an objective of building a society based on respect for human rights, a society that promotes equality for all and a society that will take its rightful place among the progressive nations of the world.
On this day we are reminded that access to basic services is no longer regulated according to colour. We are reminded that all South Africans now have equal access to opportunities which were deliberately denied to them.
Many of them now have access to decent health care, education and shelter. Their dignity has now been restored. They are now proud citizens who enjoy human rights and dignity in the land of their birth.
Indeed, we are building a South Africa that truly belongs to all. A South Africa where "All national groups shall have equal rights", where "All shall be equal before the law", and where "All shall enjoy human rights".
This government, acting in partnership with all of you, will continue to work hard to build a society that frowns upon the violation of human rights. This we must do as part of our tribute to the martyrs of Sharpeville.
We are reminded that we now have a progressive Constitution that guarantees the rights of all South Africans. Our Constitution is building on the vision of the Freedom Charter, especially the declaration that states: "All shall enjoy equal human rights".
Today all our children have equal access to opportunities to reach for their dreams. We are satisfied that we are succeeding in opening the doors of learning and culture to all our children.
Workers now have access to rights such as the right to strike, denied to them by our past rulers. We now understand what the people who gathered at Kliptown on 26 June 1955 meant when they declared: "There shall be work and security!"
Today, we can say with confidence that out of the womb of an unjust and inhuman society has emerged a new society whose values are based on justice, equality and human rights.
The sick, the poor and the victims of historic injustice can now claim a place of pride alongside the rest of humanity. The disabled, women, children and the oppressed peoples of Africa have been liberated from the evil policies that sought to deny them their most basic human rights and condemned them to perpetual worthlessness.
Police brutality, detention without trial, banishments and an unfair justice system are now things of the past. We are now a free nation, united in our diversity, and a nation that guarantees universal human rights to all its citizens. Today, we can say without any fear of contradiction that we now live in a country that truly belongs to all of us.
As a result of our work over the past ten years to build a South African society based on human rights, we have been accepted back into the world community of nations. Our experience in moving our country away from a situation of a complete disregard for human rights to that of equality for all, continues to inspire many across the world.
We must use the day to consolidate our emerging human rights culture and to take stock of our achievements in building a society whose values are defined by its adherence to human rights and constitutional democracy. Together, we must celebrate the extent to which we have collectively worked towards the progressive realisation of all the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
We must continue to entrench a culture of equality and ensure equal access to opportunities brought by democracy and freedom. We must not tire nor falter in our ongoing effort to ensure that all our people access their human rights as well as all the social and economic opportunities. This we must do because we know that the full meaning of freedom will only be realised once all our people are freed from the legacy of deprivation, poverty and indignity.
Many of our people now have access to social grants which they were denied for many years. Our people now enjoy freedom of speech, movement and association. The freedom of the media is now part of our democratic culture.
On this day we are therefore justified to say that; as a nation we have come a long way. We are justified to say that our efforts to build a human rights culture have yielded positive results.
We must work hard to ensure that never again will anyone in our country suffer the humiliation and indignity of having their human rights systematically violated with impunity. In the North West, which is a largely rural province, we must also defend the progress we have made in bringing human rights to our people in the farms. We must do all these things as part of our ongoing efforts to defend the gains of our liberation and to build a human rights culture.
We are gathered here today to make a public declaration that: "Never again will our country experience another Sharpeville!" We are here to make an unequivocal statement that: "Never again will our country tolerate the violation of human rights!" Indeed we are here today to celebrate the triumph of justice over injustice, evil over good and progress over reaction.
As we are gathered today we must continue to make the point that we shall work tirelessly to defend the rights of those in our society who are weak and vulnerable, including women and children.
We must continue to isolate and expose those among us who violate the rights and dignity of women and children. We reiterate our call for all our people to assist the law-enforcement agencies and the Rasuge family to find Constable Francis Rasuge, or at least the truth about what happened to her. The pain and agony to which Francis and her family have been subjected to are the worst form of human rights violation.
Ours is a society that is characterised by a fundamental and a decisive break with the past. It is a society that guarantees dignity and prosperity to all South Africans.
This vision has found expression in our democratic Constitution whose pillars include the respect for human rights. It is this Constitution that forms the basis of our approach as we seek to transform the South African society.
In the short time that we have been in power, we have transformed our country from being a pariah of the international community to a progressive force for democracy, universal human rights and equality among the peoples of the world.
While we take pride in our achievements so far, we must harbour no illusions. We are aware that the task of building a society fully rooted in the respect for human rights will take some time. That we still have incidents of human rights violations occurring in some parts of our country and province is a clear pointer that a lot of work still needs to be done to uphold human rights.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
21 March 2005
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