Commemoration of Human Rights Day in South Africa

In the presence of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the people of South Africa commemorated Human Rights Day today.

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The national event coincided with the 30th anniversary of the beginning of democracy in South Africa, and was held under the theme "Three Decades of Respecting and Promoting Human Rights."

High on the day's agenda was the remembrance of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, where peaceful demonstrators marching against Apartheid's discriminatory pass laws were killed by police.

The celebration of the event in Sharpeville (in the central Gauteng province) symbolizes the government's commitment to honor the sacrifices made by those who fought and died for our liberation in that and other communities across South Africa, the Presidency highlighted.

On the occasion, Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged South Africans to continue to honor those who fought "for the rights we all enjoy and cherish today."

Although many decades have passed, he said while speaking at the event, we still remember with great sorrow and grief the 69 people who were killed and the many more who were maimed while peacefully protesting against the grave injustices imposed on them.

We still remember, he pointed out, how all black South Africans (and those of other non-European ethnic origins) were denied the basic human rights to which they were entitled, including equal treatment, to vote and be heard, to live where they wanted, to education and health care, and to the protection of the law.

"Ours, he maintained, was a struggle to realize the vision of the Freedom Charter, adopted by the Congress of the People in 1955, of a South Africa that is prosperous and free and in which everyone enjoys equal rights and opportunities."

“It was these principles and these ideals, these struggles and these sacrifices that led to the achievement of our democracy and the adoption of the Bill of Rights that is at the heart of the country's democratic Constitution,” he added.

Now, he said, as we celebrate 30 years of freedom, we will reflect on the progress we have made in the progressive realization of the social and economic rights contained in our Constitution.

We will also, Ramaphosa continued, evaluate the institutions that make laws, represent the views and seek the advice of the South African people on a regular basis.

He listed the independence of the judiciary, the vitality of South Africa's existing civil society, the activism of trade unions and the freedom of the media.