Date: 21/03/2004
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: M Shilowa: Opening of new building of Constitutional Court
ADDRESS BY GAUTENG PREMIER MBHAZIMA SHILOWA AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, Johannesburg, 21 March 2004
President of the Republic
Presidents Mandela and De Klerk
Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Members of the judiciary
MECs
The Mayor of Johannesburg
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Gauteng Provincial Government and the people of our province welcome all of you to this immensely important occasion, which marks the official opening of our Constitutional Court. I would like to welcome most especially the esteemed legal giants who came here from all over the world to celebrate this occasion with us.
Today marks the end of the first phase of various infrastructure projects announced by the Gauteng Provincial government four years ago. Working together with the local and national spheres of government we have delivered four projects that contribute to the regeneration of Johannesburg. These are the Marry Fitzgerald Square, opened by the President in 2001, the Metro mall for formal and informal traders, the Nelson Mandela Bridge also opened by the President, and the Constitutional Court, which we are today handing to the national government.
The Constitutional Court is built on the Old Fort Prison, which was notorious for many gruesome human rights violations. It was in this place where Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi, two of the world's most celebrated human rights activists and many anti apartheid activists were once incarcerated and encountered the most inhumane treatment that was meted to prisoners.
The adoption of the Constitution of South Africa represented a major victory for the human rights struggle in this country. Our constitution restored dignity and guaranteed the rights of all the people.
It might sound ironic that this very place that was known for the most abominable human rights violations should now house the court that safeguards the rights of the people.
There are many things, like the Old Fort prison, which will always remind us about our terrible past. No matter how unpleasant it might be to think about this past, we cannot erase it from our memories; we cannot pretend that it never was. In fact as South Africans, we must reject the notion that we should forget about the past and only concentrate on the future. The past matters as much as the future. Understanding the past makes it possible for us to appreciate what has been achieved since 27 April 1994 notwithstanding our legacy.
The thought of all the terrible things that were done to the majority of the people of South Africa must serve to inspire us to work hard to rebuild our country and ensure that we never return to that terrible past. If we understand the injustices meted to working people for instance, we will appreciate why the right to strike is important for the country to prosper. If we understand the injustices suffered by women in the women's section of the Old Forte prison, we will understand why the promotion of gender equality is important for our country to be truly democratic. The same applies to the rights of children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
In this regard, the Old Fort prison is perhaps the most appropriate choice as the home of the Constitutional Court. Whenever we visit this precinct we will be reassured that the rights of all South Africans are safeguarded; we will know that never again shall our people be subjected to the inhumane treatment that we saw during the years of colonialism and apartheid. It is our solemn commitment to beat our swords into plough shares, and our spears into pruning hooks.
The Constitutional Court, which is being inaugurated today, is part of the Constitution Hill Project, which aims to preserve historically significant buildings from the Old Fort in a manner that makes them publicly and commercially useful.
The development of the Constitution Hill Precinct and many other infrastructure projects within and around Johannesburg are contributing to the efforts to regenerate Johannesburg.
A few years ago it would have been unthinkable that such an important institution as the Constitutional Court could be housed in Johannesburg. This was because Johannesburg had experienced a major decline during the late 80s and early 90s which left it looking more like a ghost city.
However, today Johannesburg is being transformed to play its role as a dynamic African city, resplendent in its diversity of population and land use types, from the Constitutional Court to the shopping capital of Africa, from social housing for the poor to penthouses for the rich. Our investment through Blue IQ has been the catalyst for much of this transformation.
The Gauteng Provincial Government is proud to be part of this important development which will no doubt become one of South Africa's most popular land marks. It is our tribute to the immense legacy created by the people who fought for freedom and democracy in South Africa.
As Olof Palme, the late Swedish Prime Minister once said: "For us democracy is a question of human dignity. And human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions. Human dignity is the right to health, work, education and social welfare. Human dignity is the right and the practical possibility to shape the future with others. These rights, the rights of democracy, are not reserved for a select group within society; they are the rights of all the people."
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
21 March 2004
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: M Shilowa: Opening of new building of Constitutional Court
ADDRESS BY GAUTENG PREMIER MBHAZIMA SHILOWA AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, Johannesburg, 21 March 2004
President of the Republic
Presidents Mandela and De Klerk
Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Members of the judiciary
MECs
The Mayor of Johannesburg
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Gauteng Provincial Government and the people of our province welcome all of you to this immensely important occasion, which marks the official opening of our Constitutional Court. I would like to welcome most especially the esteemed legal giants who came here from all over the world to celebrate this occasion with us.
Today marks the end of the first phase of various infrastructure projects announced by the Gauteng Provincial government four years ago. Working together with the local and national spheres of government we have delivered four projects that contribute to the regeneration of Johannesburg. These are the Marry Fitzgerald Square, opened by the President in 2001, the Metro mall for formal and informal traders, the Nelson Mandela Bridge also opened by the President, and the Constitutional Court, which we are today handing to the national government.
The Constitutional Court is built on the Old Fort Prison, which was notorious for many gruesome human rights violations. It was in this place where Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi, two of the world's most celebrated human rights activists and many anti apartheid activists were once incarcerated and encountered the most inhumane treatment that was meted to prisoners.
The adoption of the Constitution of South Africa represented a major victory for the human rights struggle in this country. Our constitution restored dignity and guaranteed the rights of all the people.
It might sound ironic that this very place that was known for the most abominable human rights violations should now house the court that safeguards the rights of the people.
There are many things, like the Old Fort prison, which will always remind us about our terrible past. No matter how unpleasant it might be to think about this past, we cannot erase it from our memories; we cannot pretend that it never was. In fact as South Africans, we must reject the notion that we should forget about the past and only concentrate on the future. The past matters as much as the future. Understanding the past makes it possible for us to appreciate what has been achieved since 27 April 1994 notwithstanding our legacy.
The thought of all the terrible things that were done to the majority of the people of South Africa must serve to inspire us to work hard to rebuild our country and ensure that we never return to that terrible past. If we understand the injustices meted to working people for instance, we will appreciate why the right to strike is important for the country to prosper. If we understand the injustices suffered by women in the women's section of the Old Forte prison, we will understand why the promotion of gender equality is important for our country to be truly democratic. The same applies to the rights of children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
In this regard, the Old Fort prison is perhaps the most appropriate choice as the home of the Constitutional Court. Whenever we visit this precinct we will be reassured that the rights of all South Africans are safeguarded; we will know that never again shall our people be subjected to the inhumane treatment that we saw during the years of colonialism and apartheid. It is our solemn commitment to beat our swords into plough shares, and our spears into pruning hooks.
The Constitutional Court, which is being inaugurated today, is part of the Constitution Hill Project, which aims to preserve historically significant buildings from the Old Fort in a manner that makes them publicly and commercially useful.
The development of the Constitution Hill Precinct and many other infrastructure projects within and around Johannesburg are contributing to the efforts to regenerate Johannesburg.
A few years ago it would have been unthinkable that such an important institution as the Constitutional Court could be housed in Johannesburg. This was because Johannesburg had experienced a major decline during the late 80s and early 90s which left it looking more like a ghost city.
However, today Johannesburg is being transformed to play its role as a dynamic African city, resplendent in its diversity of population and land use types, from the Constitutional Court to the shopping capital of Africa, from social housing for the poor to penthouses for the rich. Our investment through Blue IQ has been the catalyst for much of this transformation.
The Gauteng Provincial Government is proud to be part of this important development which will no doubt become one of South Africa's most popular land marks. It is our tribute to the immense legacy created by the people who fought for freedom and democracy in South Africa.
As Olof Palme, the late Swedish Prime Minister once said: "For us democracy is a question of human dignity. And human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions. Human dignity is the right to health, work, education and social welfare. Human dignity is the right and the practical possibility to shape the future with others. These rights, the rights of democracy, are not reserved for a select group within society; they are the rights of all the people."
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
21 March 2004
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