Address by Gauteng Premier During the Human Rights Day Commemmoration

ADDRESS BY GAUTENG PREMIER DURING THE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY COMMEMMORATION IN SHARPEVILLE

21 MARCH 2013

Program Director

MECs Present

District Mayor

Mayors Present

Ladies and Gentlemen

The differences we have should not define who we are but the unity and humanity we share should. It is only through unity in purpose and humanity in our interactions that we can achieve building a society that respect everyone’s right to live freely in a country of equals.This is even more important if we cast our minds back to the bleak historical chapter of our country which was once divided along the racial and enforced ethnic lines. We were once a nation taught to focus on our differences as opposed to that which unite us as people.

As a result we are still haunted by the ghost of the past teachings of racism and xenophobia. Many people amongst us still regard those of our African brethren who come from outside our country as foreigners whose human rights should not be respected and recognised. We regard these African brothers and sisters in demeaning terms to express our prejudices against them. We crave to subject them to inhuman treatment because of our acquired inner complex and self hate which makes us regard those of darker skin colour from the North and West of Africa as not deserving to share and enjoy the same plate of human rights as us. Recently, we were made to watch in horror how one of our brother from Mozambique was made to suffer humiliation, abuse and eventually cruel death. It is the act that has no room in a country with laws and human rights bill. Such acts reflect a very dangerous attitude which undermines all that we stood for as a democratic nation.

It is this kind of abuse that Mama Africa, Mirriam Makeba, decried in her melodies. It is such evil that writers and poets of the class of Mongane Wally Serote, Antjie Krog, Nadime Gordimer, Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali and others attacked in their prose and verse. Such dehumanising and sickening racism is what Thami Mnyele exposed in his revolutionary paintings before butchered by the apartheid forces. Our theatrical masters such as Barney Simon, John Kani, Mbongeni Ngema and many others launched blistering criticism against this demon so it cannot thrive.

It is through the uncompromising stand against racial prejudice and human rights abuse by our people in different sectors that we were able to bring apartheid and its abuses to its knees.So we cannot afford to regress and fall into the dark abyss of prejudice, brutality and violent abuse of our fundamental rights. Let our voices be heard and shout against abuse and discrimination.

Today is a very important day in the South African Calendar. It is a day that underscores the significance of our constitutional democracy born out of a struggle by all these heroes and heroines who use their talent to speed up the birth of democracy and freedom in our time.It is a day that sharply reminds us of our responsibility to uphold human rights and be brave enough to stand up against any form of abuse.

As we speak now the country is engulfed by the scourge of violent abuse in one form or another against a girl child, woman, grandmother and a sister. Their screams for help are muffled in the bedrooms of our houses. Their cries for mercy is brutally silenced by the heartless gun-trotting partner or bludgeoned to death by a raging spouse. Their plea for life falls on deaf ears of their tormentor as they are strangled to lifelessness. This has become our daily experience and we need to rise and stop it.

In terms of the studies by various bodies and agencies such as Gender Links, more than half of the Gauteng women (51.2%) have been subjected to some form of violence in their lifetime and about 78.3% of men which is a big proportion in the province admit to committing some form of violence against women. Moreover, a greater proportion of men, 37.4% admitted to perpetrating sexual violence.

Beside physical violence, the highest ranking form of abuse that most women in Gauteng are constantly subjected to is emotional abuse. This is a silent abuse in a sense that it falls below the radar of the law. It is a form of abuse that is not well covered under the domestic violence act. What the surveys highlights is the high levels of violent abuse and its potential of destroying families and communities.

Clearly, if we continue to turn a blind eye to the scourge of violent abuse against our beautiful flowers, the children, our loving sisters and our caring wives we will soon become a nation of cannibals that devours its own fleshto extinction. What we have now is situation where our value system is slowly being eroded while we dither on the sidelines. Our bedrock of human rights is being threaten and compromised.

As government, we build and created numerous institutions to promote and protect basic human rights. We crafted and uphold a constitution that espouses these rights. However, we need to work together with our communities to promote and protect the rights of every person who lives in our country. It is within our communities that human rights abuse take place. It is therefore the members of community that can act to bring an end to acts of abuse. Let us work with all the government institutions and law enforcing agencies to clamp down on abuse of human rights.

Dankie. Ngiyabonga