By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
As South Africa marks Human Rights Day, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for renewed efforts to close the gap between constitutional rights and everyday reality.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the national commemoration in Kimberley, in Northern Cape province, under the theme “A Legacy of Courage: Protecting Rights, Preserving Humanity.
Ramaphosa said the task of the next phase of democracy was to ensure that rights enshrined in the Constitution are fully realized in people’s daily lives.
“Our task is to ensure that the rights and freedoms contained in the Constitution are not only protected in law but experienced in the daily lives of all South Africans,” he said.
Human Rights Day, observed annually on March 21, commemorates those who died in the struggle against apartheid and this year coincides with 30 years since South Africa’s democratic Constitution was signed into law.
Ramaphosa said that while the Constitution laid the foundation for a just and inclusive society, “the benefits of constitutional democracy have not been equally experienced by all,” with poverty, unemployment and inequality still widespread.
The president called for a dual focus on economic growth and restitution, arguing that inclusive development was key to social justice. He said government priorities included job creation, reducing poverty and building a capable and ethical state.
Ramaphosa also urged greater cooperation across society to address persistent challenges, including corruption, crime and gender-based violence, and called on citizens to play an active role in upholding constitutional values.
SAHRC Chairperson, Chris Nissen, echoed the president’s concern about the gap between promise and reality.
He noted that the commission’s engagements across the country reveal that most citizens feel they “are yet to fully enjoy the benefits of a constitutional democracy”.
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says it stands with millions of South Africans in recognising the attainment of the country’s hard-earned democracy on this Human Rights Day.
COSATU’s spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, says the day serves as a reminder of the blood that was shed in Sharpeville and KwaLanga in 1960, to oppose the system of racial segregation.
“As the country reflects on the tumultuous and painful journey towards freedom and its realisation, the commemoration of days such as this should be an opportunity to not only celebrate the colossal gains achieved over the years, but it should also lay bare true introspection on the harsh realities facing many at the hands of shortcomings that could be remedied,” she said.
Elsewhere crowds dressed in green and yellow – the ANC’s colours – flooded the wide avenues lined with skyscrapers in the centre of the country’s economic capital.
The marches come 10 days after South Africa summoned US Ambassador Brent Bozell just a month after his arrival in the country for “undiplomatic remarks”.
“We cannot, therefore, have a white old man, who looks like he’s deranged, tell us in our country, what to do in South Africa,” African National Congress Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said.
He told supporters that Donald Trump had spread several lies about South Africa on the global stage, including those of white genocide against farmers. He said no such targeting is taking place and that Trump’s alarm over the “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” chant is misguided.
Mbalula said the ANC made a decision after democracy to no longer sing the chant, but could not police other parties that did.
“Those who are singing it are singing it for themselves. But it means nothing; that is why the Constitutional Court made the decision that it did no harm to society.