Gauteng premier, David Makhura will deliver a Human Rights Day keynote address at the Vereeniging City Hall in the Vaal Triangle on Sunday.
The day marks the 61st anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, when 69 people were brutally killed by apartheid police on 21 March 1960 during a protest against the apartheid government’s pass law.
It also pays tribute to all victims of human rights abuses.
Makhura together with the Mayors of Sedibeng and Emfuleni will lay wreaths at the graves of the victims of the massacre at the Pelindaba Cemetery in Sharpeville.
Remembering Sharpeville-Langa Day:
Other Human rights Day celebratory events will take place across the country.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will also deliver a national message on Sunday afternoon during the virtual commemoration of Human Rights Day.
President @CyrilRamaphosa to deliver national message on Human Rights Day https://t.co/7Z9P9aVHf0
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) March 20, 2021
This year’s commemoration also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the country’s Constitution, which is regarded as one of the most progressive and transformative constitutions in the world.
The Human Rights Month is this year is celebrated under the theme “The Year of Charlotte Maxeke: Promoting Human Rights in the Age of COVID-19”.
The theme pays tribute to the 150th anniversary of the birth of liberation struggle veteran and human rights campaigner, Charlotte Maxeke.
