Address by The Premier of The Northern Cape, Ms Sylvia Lucas, on the occasion of Human Rights Day 2014, 21 March 2014

Programme Director
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Members of the Community

We are gathered here today to mark one of the most significant days on the Calendar of events in our country namely, Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day is a national day that is commemorated annually on 21st March to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in South Africa.

Our Government continues to ensure that all South Africans without exception, enjoy all rights such as right to life, equality and human dignity as enshrined in our Constitution. The 2014 Human Rights Day is celebrated under the theme “Celebrating 20 Years of changing lives through human rights!” The theme reaffirms that our country South Africa has become truly a better place where the governing party strives for a better life for all. Indeed South Africa has become a better place since 1994.

We commemorate Human Rights Day to reinforce our commitment to the Bill of Rights as enshrined in our Constitution. These rights include:

• Equality – everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
• Human dignity – everyone has inherent dignity and have their dignity respected and protected.
• Freedom of movement and residence – everyone has a right to freedom of movement and to reside anywhere in the country.

Language and culture – everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice.

Life - everyone has the right to life.

We are one of the first countries in the world to have outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation and legalise same-sex marriage.

The UN Human Rights Council in 2012 praised South Africa for its effort on the following achievements:

• Efforts to provide universal healthcare and steps taken to improve school enrolment rates.
• The provision of ARV treatment for HIV/AIDS and the fight against HIV/AIDS in general.
• Setting up a national agency on youth development.
• Promoting regional human rights programmes.
• Promulgating a law on national languages.
• Setting up the Ministry for Women, Children and People with Disabilities.

Apartheid had deliberately deprived black South Africans of amenities that are regarded as basic such as land, housing, education and healthcare.

Since 1994 government has consistently worked on improving the lives of all South Africans and advancing their socioeconomic rights such as housing, water, education, social development and healthcare to all.

Today more people have access to safe drinking water than ever before placing us ahead of our 2015 Millennium Development Goal targets.

Our provision of electricity has ensured a better life for the majority of households with almost 90 per cent having access.

More than 12 million people now have a place to call home as government has invested more than R100 billion in building new homes since 1994.

Government initiatives have ensured that more learners attend and succeed in school with the matric pass rate steadily increasing over the past 20 years from 53.4% in 1995 to 78.2 % in 2013.

The implementation of the National Development Plan, the National Infrastructure Plan, the New Growth Path and the Industrial Policy Action Plan should lead to investment and support for industry in creating jobs and a better life for all. 

The National Development Plan aims to ensure that all South Africans attain a decent standard of living through the elimination of poverty and reduction of inequality. The NDP aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030.

Ladies and gentlemen, indeed the Northern Cape Province and the rest of South Africa have a good story to tell.

Fellow compatriots

South Africans worked tirelessly for the transformation of our country to an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law.

The massacres in Sharpeville and Langa continue to serve as a historical reminder to all of us to make tangible efforts towards protecting human rights and human dignity.

We must always remember the spirit of our fallen heroes and heroines such as Abraham Esau, Marcus Mbetha, Fatman Mgcawu, Booi Mantyi, Sizakhele Mbekushe, Dicky Jacobs, Tau Tikane, Thabo Moorosi, Litre Monare, Patrick Mogotsi, Boitumelo Mabilo as well as Ulysis Gogi Modise amongst others.

Members of the community,

As we will be celebrating 20 years of democracy, the history of the liberation struggle in the Northern Cape can also not go unnoticed. We are talking here of the Mayibuye uprisings that saw the brutal killing of thirteen people and left seven others badly injured. It took place on a Saturday, 8 November 1952 at Number Two Location Galeshewe.

We must applaud men and women who were led by Dr. Arthur Letele at the time for being brave enough and joined in country-wide Defiance Campaigns of 1952. The Campaign was meant to protest against unjust laws used by the apartheid regime to oppress black people in South Africa.

Honourable Members of the Community,

Indeed we have a good story to tell. The story of the Upington 26 is the story of one of Apartheid’s great show trials.  It showed the arrest and conviction of 26 individuals on the basis of the common purpose doctrine with the slimmest evidence. Their harassment continued through a protracted two-year long trial at the end of which 14 were sentenced to death.  After that followed years on death row at Pretoria Central Prison during which appeals processes were followed which eventually succeeded in May 1991.

The trial, in a way that few other incidents of the 1980s were able to achieve, turned the media and international focus on the Liberation Struggle out of the big urban centres and showed the world and the apartheid regime that it was not only in large townships like Soweto, Langa and Kwamashu that there was resistance and that in a place far from the centres of government, people were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of our country.

If one looks at the ages of the people involved, the Upington 26 trial blows the myth put out by the regime that the acts of resistance were only perpetrated by uncontrolled youth and that the mass of older people were not interested in the political message of liberation.  For example, Mr Gideon Madlongolwane, accused number 19, was born in 1928.

Distinguish Guests; South Africa has however become a better country since our first democratic elections. As we approach the 20 years landmark, South Africans must be afforded an opportunity to recall the momentous events leading up to 27 April 1994.

One of the symbolic moments of the exodus from the past was the raising of the new flag in 1994. This moment fittingly affirmed the pride and dignity of an unfolding country and a celebration of humanity. Another significant moment was the merger of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and “Die Stem” to form one national anthem in 1997.

Also on 27 April 2000 the new Coat of Arms was launched embracing the collective historical essence of the people of the country. “Indeed South Africa has a good story to tell”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we mark the 20nth anniversary of Human Rights Celebrations, we would like to call on all communities across the province to join us in various districts to celebrate our milestones. The restoration of the rights and the relocation of the Xhu & Khwe when the former President Nelson Mandela bought members of that community a farm in Platfontein outside Kimberley. The community’s basic human rights were being trampled upon when they were left living in squalor in army tents at Schmitsdrift. We can tell a good story of the finalisation of the very first land claim involving the Khomani San in the Kalahari.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The issue of farm workers and how badly they are being treated has been public knowledge for many decades.  Farm workers were one of the poorly treated workers in the country during apartheid.  They were beaten, tortured, killed and subjected to all forms of human degradation and also regarded as properties of farm owners, with no rights. Since the dawn  of democracy,  we have moved  many steps  in passing  laws, which  protect  the rights  of workers  including  farm workers. The most important development we can refer to is the Bill of Rights that is entrenched in the Constitution.

Farm workers have the right to be treated with dignity and mostly, they have the right to form and join trade unions and participate in the activities and programmes of the unions. Farm workers must enjoy the benefits of being remunerated in accordance with the minimum wage requirements set by the law. They should also enjoy the protection of the labour laws of the country in the same way as their counterparts in other sectors are protected.

It cannot be acceptable that workers continue to earn far less than the minimum wages contained in sectoral determination laws and work for very long hours with dangerous chemicals under adverse weather conditions yet without protective clothing.

It cannot continue to happen that workers and dwellers on farms and forests continue to live without adequate decent shelter, without amenities like recreational facilities, health care and educational facilities, and without services like running water and electricity.

It remains unacceptable that the human rights of these workers and dwellers continue to be violated. Not many of these violations and crimes are reported. Of those reported, only a few are successfully prosecuted. Of those prosecuted the guilty verdict is not common. Of those with guilty verdicts, punishment does not fit the crime committed.

You must know that we appreciate the role that you are playing in our lives. We get energy from agricultural products. The food we eat everyday comes from farming. Without you, the entire humanity will be engulfed by famine. Without you, our destruction and demise as human beings will come long before the actual time.

For many years now, our province has been one of the main suppliers of food to the country. You must know that this is on account of your hard labour.

As the ANC government, we will intensify the land reform programme to ensure that more land is in the hands of the rural poor and will provide them with technical skills and financial resources to productively use the land to create sustainable livelihoods and decent work in rural areas.

• Review the appropriateness of the existing land redistribution programme, introduce measures aimed at speeding up the pace of land reform and redistribution and promote land ownership by South Africans.
  
• Expand agrarian reform programme, which will focus on the systematic promotion of agricultural co-operatives throughout the value chain, including agro-processing in the agricultural areas. Government will develop support measures to ensure more access to markets and finance by small farmers, including fencing and irrigation systems.
  
• Ensure a much stronger link between land and agrarian reform programmes and water resource allocation and ensure that the best quality of water resources reach all our people, especially the poor.

The most important point for today’s  gathering is a commitment to address underdevelopment and poverty in rural areas. This campaign should address food insecurity and empower our people to use land that currently lies un-used; so that people can produce the food they need and escape from their deep levels of unemployment and poverty.

It goes without saying that for us to achieve that goal we must first of all put an end to exploitation, lawlessness and racism which rule in many rural areas today.

Friends and compatriots,

Human Rights Day seeks to educate all South Africans about their human rights and obligations and make citizens aware of government services and programmes which give effect to ensuring that their human rights become a lived reality.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since the down of the new democratic society, government programmes have ensured that backlogs which were created as a result of apartheid are addressed and that access to basic service has becomes a priority. We can confidently tell a good story of multitudes of our people who now have access to clean running water decent sanitation and electricity.

Distinguish Guests,

As we will be celebrating the second decade of our hard earned democracy, allow me to conclude my address by once again quoting from the famous words of our former President Nelson Mandela ““NEVER, NEVER AND NEVER AGAIN SHALL IT BE THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL LAND WILL AGAIN EXPERIENCE THE OPPRESSION OF ONE BY ANOTHER” Dr Mandela also continued to say “THERE IS NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM ANYWHERE, AND MANY OF US WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE SHADOW OF VALLEY OF THE DEATH AGAIN AND AGAIN BEFORE WE REACH THE MOUNTAIN TOP OF OUR DESIRES” 

I thank you

Baie dankie