Address by Premier TSP Makwetla at the Human Rights Day commemoration, Emalahleni
21 March 2005
Members of the Executive Council, MP's and MPL's,
The Mayor of Emalahleni, Hon Clr Linah Malatjie,
Mayors and councilors,
Traditional leaders,
Leaders from political and labour organizations,
Spiritual leaders and all community leaders in our midst,
The people of Emalahleni and the entire Nkangala District, and Mpumalanga as a
whole,
Families of Mpumalanga martyrs and heroes and heroines,
Comrades and friends
We have converged once again to mark an occurrence in our history which today is among those that give meaning to our humanity and the values that underpin our new society – a human rights centered society.
Forty-six years ago, on March 21, 1960, our people started a peaceful campaign against the much -hated pass laws. On that day all African men were to leave their passes at home and present themselves for arrest. Campaigners gathered at police stations in townships across the country. At the Sharpeville police station, police opened fire without warning. 69 nine people lay dead and 180 wounded.
The Sharpeville massacre, as the slaughter of our people came to be known, was in many ways a brutal reminder of the extent to which the apartheid government was prepared to go to defend white minority rule. In a way, that single brutal act was to ensure that the struggle in South Africa would never be the same again. The apartheid regime's callous disregard for human life, its naked brutality, shut the door to peaceful resistance. The day marked the beginning of armed protest and a greater emphasis on international mobilization to complement the struggles of our people to defeat the system of apartheid. On this front, the wanton killing of unarmed men, women and children, drew immediate worldwide condemnation. It touched the conscience of people around the world and led to the isolation of the apartheid regime. Apartheid was declared a crime against humanity.
The people who were killed by apartheid police at Sharpeville 46 years ago died because they demanded the basic human right to walk the streets of the land of their birth freely, without a passbook. Inspired and guided by that historic document of the people, the Freedom Charter, our people demanded to be treated as equals in the country of their birth. They lost their lives because they said “NO” to laws which sought to banish them to the labour reserves called Bantustans. They refused to obey a law that allowed African people to come into the urban areas and centres of economic growth to work and not to live.
By 1960 growing repression reached a head in South Africa, the country was at a cross roads, we had arrived at a turning point. Sharpeville marked a break with the past; the rulers could not rule in the same old way; the oppressed were not prepared to be ruled in the same old way. Sharpeville was a watershed mark, an epoch-making event. The international community took note of the abnormality of conditions in South Africa:
• The state of emergency
• 20 000 people detained
• Organizations and individuals banned
• The October referendum
Ladies and gentlemen, from the time members of the apartheid police opened fire on unarmed and peaceful men, women and children, March 21 became a day of great significance in our country. In apartheid South Africa March 21 became known as Sharpeville Day and although not part of the official calendar of public holidays, the event was commemorated by all freedom-loving people at home and abroad.
And when we attained our freedom, we declared March 21 Human Rights Day in honour of all those who laid down their lives for our freedom. Today we gather to pay tribute to those brave heroes and heroines who laid down their lives so that we can be free. But we also remember the totalitarian society from which we emerged victorious to give birth to our new nation. It is a day on which we must rededicate ourselves to continue to protect and advance the human rights that we have won as we strive for rights for all.
Today we can stand here proudly and profess that we have indeed gone a long way in realising the dream of those who laid down their lives for freedom. Today every illegible South African is guaranteed the right to vote. The workers of this country can now hold protests or go on strike without the fear of being gunned down. Everyone now enjoys the right of freedom of speech and association. Everyone has the right of access to land; the right to education; the right to organise; the right to a fair trial; the right to trade freely; the right to associate; the right to food; the right to shelter; the right to safe and sustainable environments.
These rights are guaranteed by our Constitution, which is founded upon human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Constitution and legislation we have put in place since 1994 are a great leap forward for the continuing human rights struggle and social justice. And every year our government makes solid progress towards the realisation of the goals of the Freedom Charter, as we move towards ensuring that we enjoy equal human rights and that " South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white";
Comrades, we gather here today, a few weeks after the overwhelming majority of our people once again reaffirmed that they believe and have hope that only this government can guarantee fundamental rights to all South Africans, irrespective of economic status, colour, creed and religious orientation.
They gave us a clear mandate to proceed in our mission to create a better life for all South Africa's people by making local government work better. They told us that we must improve local government to accelerate the eradication of the legacy of racism, sexism, and apartheid and create work opportunities in the areas where people live. The launch of our year-long heritage research work, which we believe will identify more heritage sites in the province, could not have come at a better time. New tourism routes will generate economic activity in the areas where our people live. We hope to turn Mpumalanga into a hive of activity as we strengthen the ‘Masibuyele emasimini' project to support subsistence farming.
The Maputo Development Corridor and the Moloto Development Corridor, which is in the planning phase, will also go a long way in alleviating the effects of poverty. We also believe that the Water Infrastructure Blue Print will not only make water accessible to a large number of people by 2010, but will also create work. The 2010 World Cup will also have massive economic spin-offs for our province.
All this work must have one consequence and one consequence only, the expansion of horizons for our people to enjoy their constitutional human rights, both political and social; equality and social justice through the constitutional first and second generation rights.
Comrades, we will do all these things and more as we deepen democracy and nation building. We are convinced that we will realise the constitutional rights of all the people as we move along the path of creating an effective and caring government. As a province we will continue to accelerate economic growth. We will intensify our battle to reduce unemployment. Indeed we shall win the war against poverty. Our people believe us when we say we will continue to build secure and sustainable communities that are skilled and productive.
T hese and other programmes will see us inching closer to the realisation of our dream of a country where everyone enjoys a better life. As we get into the 12 th year of democracy, we must ensure that we move faster towards the realisation of the ideals of those whose lives and sacrifices we celebrate today. While we have made significant progress in the first decade of democracy, we are challenged to intensify our efforts to ensure the full realization of the goals of the Freedom Charter. We must work tirelessly towards the noble objective of a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
As we celebrate Human Rights Day, we must remember that the struggle for the achievement of human rights is ongoing and will not end until the promise of dignity and freedom from poverty, malnutrition and disease has been realised. That is why it is important that at all times we ensure that we protect the human rights of everyone. We must promote human rights by preventing the abuse of the most vulnerable in our society, including the elderly, women, children and the disabled.
Clearly the people's government has considerable tasks ahead in ensuring that the ideals of the Freedom Charter become a living reality in the next decade. But our success requires the contribution of each and every one of us, young and old, black and white.
The advance, protection, defence and consolidation of fundamental human rights can only be the outcome of ongoing struggle: every day, in every community, in every sphere of human activity. It is only when people themselves engage in social action to give meaning to the words enshrined in our Constitution that human rights will become the living thread from which our social fabric is woven. The organisation of the people to act as their own liberators, to themselves transform the provisions of the Constitution into a living reality, is a function of our ongoing struggle.
I thank you.