21 March 2004
Greetings,
It is indeed a pleasure for me to join the community of Westville Prison on this auspicious day to celebrate Human Rights Day.
There are a lot of celebrations currently taking place in our country. As we celebrate Human Rights Day today, our country is, this year, also celebrating ten years of democracy brought about by the African National Congress. Immediately after this function I will be attending another one in Inanda where I will join the Deputy President, Comrade Jacob Zuma, for a sod-turning ceremony where the ANC government will build two 300-bed district hospitals in the greater KwaMashu area.
We, as the ANC-led government, have decided to name the two hospitals, Dr John Dube and Dr Pixley ka-Isaka Seme. These are the two founding fathers of our organization the ANC. After that celebration, all our eyes will be focused on April 14, when we hold our general elections. I am sure that we will make sure that we return the ANC to power. Pointedly, I am sure that this community of Durban Westville will do all in its power to ensure that the ANC wins here in KwaZulu-Natal.
But, let me go back to our theme for today: the celebration of Human Rights Day.
As a government we believe that everyone has a right to dignity and a right to have that dignity respected. Everyone has the right to have access to health care service, including reproductive health care. When we say "everyone" we mean the community of Westville as well as other prisons.
That is why we donšt sleep easy as the ANC and as government when we hear information that there is a higher risk of infectious diseases spreading in our prisons. HIV and AIDS is reported to be high in prisons, especially among male inmates because of unsafe sexual behaviour and rape cases that are reported. We know very well that the risk of HIV infection is high amongst men who have sex with other men. This is a situation that we, as ANC-led government, cannot allow to continue unchecked.
Indeed, we have started with the Jali Commission to investigate the extent of the human rights abuse in our prisons. The picture painted so far by this Commission is grim. While human rights abuses among inmates can not be condoned, the situation becomes even grimmer when we hear allegations of collusion of prison warders, the human right protectors in prisons, being implicated in these acts. We need to put an end to this. We need to find some way of addressing the reported cases of rape in prison and other violations of human rights.
In our bid to extend health care services to inmates, we also have to deal with the challenge of overcrowding puts them at greater risk of contracting infectious diseases. Tuberculosis is one of the major challenges facing South Africa and the spread of this disease is high in areas where there is overcrowding.
The Department of Health is looking at coming up with TB controlling programmes that are focused at specific groups and areas like prisons and workplaces. This will assist in getting people in these places who can be trained to assist those with TB to take their tablets correctly and complete the course. In spite of being one of the major causes of death in this country, TB is totally curable.
As a government we are doing everything in our power to ensure that our people, including those in prison, enjoy their rights as entrenched in our constitution. But, these rights come with responsibilities. All of us as citizens of this country have the responsibility to abide by its rules and not do things that undermine the rights of others or are in conflict with the law.
For us in the health sector, we believe that everyone has a responsibility to live a life that does not expose him or herself to health risks. This includes refraining from using drugs, smoking and high alcohol consumption. Drug and alcohol abuse compromises our health and promotes various anti-social behaviours including the possibility of breaking the law. Drugs that are injected into the body are of serious concern as we face the challenge of HIV infection.
Human rights abuses in the form of criminal acts are a drain on the economy of our country. If a supermarket is robbed and its owner is shot, for example, it is our already strained health institutions that have to spend lots of money saving the life of that supermarket owner. Sometimes, the victims of such robberies decide to close down their supermarkets and this further means that a number of families that were supported by people working at those shops go hungry. The effect of human rights abuses cannot be measured only by what happens to victims but by also what happens to their families and communities of those victims. If we abuse one person, we abuse the whole nation.
As inmates, and as individuals, we need to ensure that the spiral of human rights abuses come to an end. In order to do this we need to start by being responsible for our own lives. We need to exercise our bodies and lead healthy lifestyles. We also need to eat nutritious food.
It is, therefore, important that we initiate food garden projects in this prison. If they already exist, we need to get more and more and more inmates involved in this exercise. There is no reason why we should not be producing our own vegetables and fruits so that we can have nice and nutritious meals. Studies have shown that a high intake of vegetables and fruit reduces the risk posed by certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and constipation.
We also need to exercise to keep healthy and strong.
It is important to participate in various sport activities here in prison and even as we rejoin our communities after serving our sentences. Active participation in sport will discourage us from leading unhealthy lifestyles like smoking, high level of alcohol consumption and substance abuse.
But, pointedly, we need to understand that human rights abuses pull our country backwards both practically and in terms of perception. We are a growing country, a country that needs to attract investors. Abuse of human rights undermines favourable conditions for investors. Therefore, all of us need to understand that our actions have far-reaching implications.
The government of the ANC is committed to making our country one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The ANC wants to make ours the safest country in the world where our children can grow up in stimulating conditions. I am sure the community of Westville Prison shares these ideals. I am sure that this community will work with the ANC to achieve these ideals. I am sure that the community of Westville Prison will vote for the ANC in order to realise a better life for all. Thank you