21 March 2002
The Premier of Gauteng Province,
Ministers present,
Former President Mandela,
Representatives of Provincial and Local Government,
Families of the Victims of the Sharpeville Massacre,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a special privilege for me to be part of this important event, as we mark Human Rights Day.
This is a special day indeed, as we are also paying tribute to our compatriots who contributed to the fight for freedom and democracy in Sharpeville, and those who lost their lives in other parts of the country during the struggle for liberation.
Ladies and gentlemen, today we are also meeting at the very stadium at which the signing ceremony of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa took place on December 12, 1996.
Compatriots, a day such as this one is important because it gives us an opportunity to remember where we come from, in order to appreciate where we are now.
Only a few years ago, the majority had no basic human rights. By law, black people did not have the right to vote, and were not full citizens in the land of their birth. Skin colour determined every aspect of life, where people could live, work, and even where they should be buried.
The pass laws forcefully separated families. The commemoration today, of the victims of the struggle against dompasses, shows the extent to which people were prepared to lay down their lives to reclaim their right to dignity.
We are gathered here to remember this painful history that we share as South Africans, and then to be able to appreciate how, together, we were able to leave the past behind us and begin to build a better future.
Given the gross violation of human rights that we have experienced, one of the first steps of our new government was to establish a culture of respect for human rights.
To make sure that these rights remain enshrined to protect all our people, they have been entrenched in the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.
The preamble of our Constitution encapsulates the vision that we all want for this country, when it says the following and I quote:
"We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
"We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
"Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations."
Our Bill of Rights enshrines the right of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. The Bill says clearly that the state must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights contained in the Bill of Rights.
These include the following:
The right to life, equality, property, human dignity, freedom of religion and opinion, freedom of assembly, association and expression, political rights, citizenship, and the right to a safe and healthy environment. Also included in our Bill of Rights are socio-economic rights.
I am enumerating all these rights so that we can all remember what a noble document our Constitution is.
We call on all South Africans everywhere to familiarise themselves with these rights and to defend them. We can do this by ensuring that nobody gets away with violating the rights of others in our communities. Those who rape infants, abuse women, or commit other serious crimes, are committing serious human rights violations and need to face the full might of the law.
The Moral Regeneration Summit that will be held on April 18 is part of the process of defending the human rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. South Africans from all walks of life will gather to say that they will not tolerate the violation of the basic human rights of others, and to promote the values that are entrenched in our Constitution.
The need to defend these rights is also evident in the existence of the Chapter 9 institutions, the statutory bodies that are intended to strengthen our constitutional democracy.
These institutions include the Public Protector, Human Rights Commission, Commission on Gender Equality, the Electoral Commission and the Auditor General.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you will agree with me that the right to human dignity becomes more meaningful with the effective provision of services to our people, which continuously improves the quality of their lives.
While we still have far to go in eradicating the legacy of poverty and inequality, notable progress continues:
For example,
These programmes and others to improve the lives of especially the poor will continue.
Follow South Africans, this year, seventy-eight years after our first call for a Bill of Rights in 1924, the forty-two years after Sharpeville, we reiterate our resolute commitment to equal and universal human rights.
We are doing this as we unveil the memorial that will serve to remind us of the dedication and sacrifices, the untold suffering and pain that we have all gone through.
To the families of those who fell in Sharpeville, may you gain strength from seeing the strides we have made as a country. The unveiling of this memorial should serve as a reminder that the death of your loved ones was not in vain. We must, as a nation, jealously guard and advanced the gains we have made in nurturing a culture of human rights for all.
We have made an excellent beginning and we should all build on this foundation and continue to work towards a better life for all.
I thank you.