Every year, we as South Africans celebrate March 21 to remind us of the great suffering and loss of life that accompanied the struggle for human rights. It is to remind us that people in South Africa will never again be denied their human rights. Human Rights Day.Human rights are the rights everyone is entitled to as human beings. We all have from the moment we are born. We do not have to earn them and they cannot easily be taken away from us.The list of human rights protected in South Africa is the Bill of Rights, which is Chapter 2 of the Constitution. The Constitution is the highest law of South Africa. Everyone in South Africa, including the government, must follow it. The rules set out in a Constitution are very hard to change. Everyone has these rights, regardless of your race, age or gender. We all need to respect other people’s rights as well.Why do we celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March?On 21 March 1960, events were planned for many parts of the country, for people to protest against the Pass Laws. These laws required all Africans living or working in and around towns to carry a document (known as a pass) with them at all times. Failure to carry this document would lead to arrest by the police and to people being sent away from the towns in which they lived.On this day people decided to go to police stations without their passes and to demand that the police arrest them. The idea was that so many people would be arrested and the jails would become so full that the country would not be able to function properly. It was hoped that this would lead to the Pass Laws being scrapped. At Sharpeville in Gauteng, thousands of people gathered at the police station demanding to be arrested. They were met by 300 police officers. After a scuffle broke out, the police opened fire on the crowd. At least 67 people were killed and 180 injured by the shooting.
Know your rights, Respect your rights
TheBill of Rightscontained in theConstitutionis the cornerstone of democracy in South Africa.The Constitution provides for the establishment of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The aim of the Commission is to promote respect for human rights, promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights, and to monitor and assess the observance of human rights in SA. The SAHRC was launched on 21 March 1996, 35 years after the fateful events of 21 March 1960.
2011 video highlightsSouth Africa observed Human Rights Day last year under the theme, “Working together to protect human dignity for all”. Watch highlights of the day where President Jacob Zuma delivered his keynote address at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Pasella celebrated 21 March, 2011 by taking a closer look at four dishes from local South African cultures; Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Cape Malay.
– By
