Issued by African National Congress - Parliament
19 March 2003
Once again we take the august podium to speak about one of the tragedies that befell our country in 1961, March 21, at a township called Sharpeville, east of Van der Bilj Park, when 69 people were shot dead with stern and machine guns and hundreds more were maimed and injured for refusing to carry one piece of a document called a dom- pass, that degraded them as equal human beings and theirs was a demand to be treated as humans and citizens in their country of birth. Theirs was indeed a fight for our political freedom.
As we remember and celebrate the event, our thought goes to the victim's families, their communities in Sharpeville and Langa townships and to the nation as a whole.
It was one of the many tragedies that characterized the type of society and the divisions we were living under, in the racially divided, apartheid South Africa.
As I was preparing my speech, I stumbled upon a heap of information and documented history, press cuttings and polemics, which described the sad event.
It was not only Sharpeville and Langa townships that got affected by such a calamity, but the country witnessed many more massacres of the same magnitude in later years and to mention a few, the 1976 June 16 students uprising, the Uitenhage, Mamelodi, Alexandra, Boipatong, Umlazi, Gugulethu massacres, and the list goes on.
Not only that, I also stumbled upon a list, about deaths in detentions and names such as, Dr. Neil Agget, 28, African Food and Canning workers, hanged himself in the cells, Steven Bantu Biko 31, BPC, banged himself in the cells, Edwin Cele, 22, Lamontville Youth Congress, Ernest Moabi Dipale 21 ANC, Dr. Hoosen Mia Haffejee, Nicodemus Kgoathe, Mathews Mabalane 23, Member of the Soweto SSRC, Abdullah Imam Haron 45, Cape muslim leader, Lucky Kutumela 25 journalist, AZAPO/MWASA.
Phakamile Harry Mabija 27, Church warden of the Anglican parish of St. James in Kimberly, Zungwane Jacob Mashabane 22, student university of Zululand, Caleb Mayekiso, Dumisane Mbatha 21 Soweto student, Joseph Mdluli, ANC, Manana Mgqweto 60, Transkei Opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Eric Mntonga IDASA/SAAWU, Joseph Mogotsi a teacher, Mohapi Mapetla former SASO and BPC, Thabo Mosala, over 60 and was chairman of tribal council of chief Neo Sibi and leader of Sotho minority in Transkei, Peter Nchabeleng 59, leader of the UDF in Northern Province, Batwanda Ndondo 22, SRC UNITRA, Lawrence Ndzanga former Secretary of SAHRWU and National Executive member of SACTU, Saul Ndzumo, former Minister of the Interior Transkei, Caiphus Nyoka, student leader from Daveyton in the East Rand, Andries Raditsila, CCAWUSA/CWIU, Ahead Timol 30 and a child of 13 years old Johannes Spogter just to mention a few.
It is in the Sharpeville victims, those who died in detention, massacred or assassinated and others that in their memory that we dedicated the March 21 as Human Rights Day.
I read the names deliberately to remind us of the long walk we traveled to freedom and to indicate the nature of draconian laws that violated our human rights.
Not forgetting all those who were hanged, those who were assassinated, those thousands who were detained without trials, and those who perished in the battlefields buried in shallow graves or mass graves in some parts of our country and the many million masses who were subjected to the most degrading human conditions, disregarded as human beings with their dignity stripped and without honour, because they were regarded as commoners, sub-human and uncivilized.
We said at the time to those of our heroes who died in the struggle, that; "Their blood will nourish the tree of liberation" and indeed the tree has been nourished and the dignity of our people is restored and our freedom is won.
In 1955 the ANC, accelerated and championed the struggle for the restoration for human rights and freedom and had adopted the Freedom Charter which declared for all our country and the world to know that our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in brotherhood/sisterhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities.
And I quote one of the clauses: "ALL NATIONAL GROUPS SHALL HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS!"
THIS CLAUSE of the freedom Charter continued to elaborate as follows, that; " There shall be equal status in the bodies of state, in the courts and in the schools for all groups and races, and indeed the ANC government is achieving on this noble goal. " All people shall have equal rights to use their own languages, and to develop their own folk culture and customs, the ANC government is achieving and all languages are now equal and being developed further. " All national groups shall be protected by law against insults to their race and national pride; we are exactly doing that under the ANC government. " The preaching and practice of national, race or colour discrimination and contempt shall be a punishable crime, we are indeed implementing that through our project of non - racialism and nation building.
Our new constitution is expressing itself adequately on all the rights we enjoy in a democratic society as enshrined in chapter 2 on the Bill of Rights. The opening phrase says; "The bill of rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all our people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom and our rights to mention them are follows: " Equality, Human Dignity, the Right to Life, Freedom and security of the person, " End to slavery, servitude and forced labour, " Right to privacy, freedom of religion, belief and opinion, freedom of expression, assembly, demonstration, picket and petition & freedom of association, " Political rights, citizenship, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of trade, occupation and profession, " Labour relations, environment, property, housing, health care, food, water and social security, and children. " Education, culture and language, cultural, religious and linguistic communities, access to information, jut administration action, access to courts,
All this rights are being enjoyed by our people under the ANC government, and call on our people to honor, respect and rise to the challenge. Also, to know that rights come with obligations.
We have even created bodies or institutions as directed by Chapter 9 of the Constitution and, should move to established Section (185), the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, which I received a report that preparations are at an advanced stage to establish the commission which will strengthen our resolve and vision and guarantee our noble vision of Nation Building.
Not everybody is enjoying all their rights because they do not have all the means and are constrained by economic conditions and factors
We still have in our country blacks who are in majority and poor and whites who are few rich because of the past unequal distribution of the countries resources and wealth. I am aware that some members do not like this analogy, which is nothing else, but the truth because when the President presented on the two nation theory debate and was accused of being racist. We must all of us; acknowledge the problems we inherited as a country, and telling the truth as it is and engaging in finding solutions.
The two nations theory is there and cannot hide it. It is not about racism, but a factual matter when the wealth of the country is in the hands of few people.
I was born and grew up in a township called Alexandra. To date I am still associated to this very poor community, North of Johannesburg where people scavenge for food in the dustbins, live in shacks, dilipiladated and overcrowding conditions and dwellings.
Just next door, across the street, three minutes drive from Alexandra is the affluent Sandton where the majority are whites, rich and live in splendour and lavishly.
Children in Alexandra, people of Alexandra aspire the life across the street, (the N1 Freeway is the street) that divides the two places. They see a better life which they can only wish and hope for, as the means to live that life are limited and constrained by many factors which most are not of their creation. They wish they could also have houses with swimming pools, big yards, two or more vehicles in the house, the best shops, etc.
As they wish for a better life and for full rights, the community next door to them is not even caring to help, support and uplift their hopes and wishes.
The government has allocated R1.3 billion to better the life of the people of Alexandra and to ensure they also enjoy some of the full rights, economic and social rights enjoyed by their counterparts.
I wonder if the people in Sandton (in exception of a few) ever think of reaching out as part of Nation Building to those poor and hungry next door.
Nation Building is not only about equal rights, is not only about human rights but must be stretched to include economic rights, social rights and all national groups should reach out to the poor and not only pity them or derive joy in their state of poverty or only react by blaming or saying the government is not doing enough or not caring or not delivering and yet the record of delivery is visible to all to see.
We must help the children from Alexandra and other parts of our country afflicted by poverty not only to aspire, but also to make their dreams possible and the government is contributing to this nation building.
The ANC at its Stellenbosch National Conference recommitted itself on our strategic objective goal of reconstruction and development, for the eradication of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid. It indicated the tasks we have to accomplish to reach this strategic goal and see our people enjoying their full rights.
Quoting from the January 08 Statement; the ANC says; "When our people attained their freedom in 1994, they inherited a country with millions of people afflicted by poverty. These masses had fought both for their emancipation from oppression and their liberation from poverty".
Among other things, the Stellenbosch Declaration adopted by the 51st National Conference of the ANC, said; "Recognizing that these efforts (directed at reconstruction and development) cannot bear fruit if carried out by government and the ANC alone.
Conference reiterated the position of the ANC to build strong links with community organizations, trade unions, religious bodies, business organizations, women and youth structures as well as other organizations to ensure that, in actual practice, "South Africans act as their own liberators"
THIS IS A CALL, for the mobilization and strengthening of a Broad Front for Construction and Development that we must act together as a nation to achieve our strategic goal.
The ANC has always being guided by the noble revolutionary ideals, objectives and a vision of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. This is the principle that guides the ANC in the Nation building project.
However, Nation building involves other strategic goals and objectives such as reconstructions, development, and central to this is the eradication of poverty, dealing with the eradication of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.
Nation Building is about the building of a prosperous South Africa and improving our people's lives for the better.
In Conclusion:
Yes, Human Rights are indeed one of the pillars for Nation Building. Non-Racialism, Non-Sexism, United, Democracy, Eradication of Poverty, Building a Prosperous Country and for the Construction and Development are some of the pillars.
South Africa, good standing and records on human rights in the world should and must be upheld. We are the shining example, we are the exemplary and we the envy of other nations in the world.
As the former President, Nelson Mandela said when launching the new South Africa's constitution; "Never Again, Never Again, shall we as South Africa witness such calamity as happened in Sharpeville and other parts of our country.
I thank you!