Chairperson, hon members, good afternoon.
On Monday 21 March 2011 we will be marking South African Human Rights Day. The theme of Human Rights Day this year is "Working Together to Protect Human Dignity for All." It's a day of solemn commemoration. We honour the memory of those who sacrificed so much in the struggle for a united nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South African nation, a nation in which all can enjoy equal rights.
We remember those innocent victims who met the brutal might of the apartheid security forces in Sharpeville and Langa on 21 March 1960, as they protested peacefully against the horrific pass laws. The pass laws represented the essence of apartheid colonialism. They declared the majority of South Africans to be foreigners in the land of their birth. They were the taps used to turn on and off the supply of cheap labour from the so-called independent homelands that fed the accumulation of wealth by a minority through super exploitation. They symbolised the perversion of the rule of law, the judiciary and the legal system that characterised apartheid. They represented an all-round assault on the most basic rights and human dignity of the majority of South Africans.
But this is also a day for reflection. We owe it to these heroes, ourselves and future generations constantly and critically to reflect on human rights issues that affect our people on a daily basis. How far have we come? And how far must we still travel? Which roads lead us to our destination? And which roads take us backwards? What are the obstacles along the road, and how can we clear them?
But it is also a day for celebration. We celebrate the fact that the sacrifices made by those who we honour on this day contributed to building a South Africa that is viewed across the world as an example of a democratic and constitutional state.
In his state of the nation address this year, President Zuma reported to the nation on the achievements that we've made together since the inception of our constitutional democracy. Apart from the institutional mechanism set up by the Constitution of the Republic to protect and promote human rights, we have institutions supporting constitutional democracy such as the Public Protector, the Auditor-General, the SA Human Rights Commission, the Commission on Gender Equality, the commission on cultural, linguistic and religious communities, and also an effective Parliament, and an independent judiciary.
In addition to all of these things, we've also made steady progress in promoting access to basic services. In this regard, the President informed the nation that more than 400 000 traditional people received a basic water supply in 2010. Approximately 81% of the country is electrified as compared to 63% in the year 2000. The crime statistics show a decrease in many crimes. Particularly armed robberies, house breakings, and business robberies as well as contact crimes; for example, showed a moderate decline of 8,6% in 2010. A difference is being made in education as we saw today, and as evidenced by the significant increase in the matric pass rate during 2010; an interest is being displayed by youth around the country in education.
Close to 15 million South Africans obtained social grants from the state and plans are afoot for the extension of the child support grant to cover eligible children under the age of 18 years. I think it's also opportune to reflect that, in 1996, only 64% of South Africans lived in formal households - that went up to 76% in 2010. In terms of access to water, 93% of South Africans now have access to clean drinking water. We are very close to meeting our Millennium Development Goal in terms of sanitation. Access to electricity has increased from 1994, when 4,5 million South Africans had access, to 9,5 million in 2010. All of these matters go to the very heart of restoring the human dignity of our people.
The founding provisions of the Constitution provide that the Republic of South Africa is one sovereign democratic state founded on, amongst other things, the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom, nonracialism and nonsexism. The Bill of Rights contained in Chapter 2 of the Constitution is the cornerstone of our democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
Section 10 of the Constitution provides that everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected. Guided by these constitutional imperatives, since 1994, basic service programmes have been pursued to restore to the lives of our citizens the dignity to which they are entitled. As enunciated by our internationally revered icon and longstanding proponent of human rights, former President Nelson Mandela, it is critical for the country to address the issues of poverty, want, deprivation and inequality in accordance with international standards which recognise the indivisibility of human rights.
Former President Mandela said, and I quote:
The right to vote, without food, shelter and health care, will create the appearance of equality and justice, while actual inequality is entrenched. We do not want freedom without bread, nor do we want bread without freedom. We must provide for all the fundamental rights and freedoms associated with a democratic society.
The judiciary in our democratic South Africa has played a proudly independent role in the adjudication of constitutional and human rights matters, with human dignity firmly rooted in the interpretation of the rights contained in the Bill of Rights. This dynamic and evolving constitutional value has been captured in many judicial decisions in South African jurisprudence. Amongst other cases, in Dawood and Another v the Minister of Home Affairs and others, the court held, and I quote again:
Human dignity informs constitutional adjudication and interpretation at a range of levels. It is a value that informes the interpretation of many, possibly all, other rights. This Court has already acknowledged the importance of the constitutional value of dignity in interpreting rights such as the right to equality, the right not to be punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way, and the right to life.
The Constitutional Court firmly pronounced that dignity is not only the value fundamental to our Constitution; it is a judiciable and enforceable right that must be respected and protected. At the international level, the right to human dignity is firmly rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948, both in the preamble and Article One of the declaration wherein it states that:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood.
Human dignity has also found its place in the International Covenants on Human Rights and informs the central underpinning of the contemporary human rights discourse across the world.
Chairperson and members of the NCOP, I would like to take this opportunity to mention specifically the role that the international community has played in the struggle for our human dignity against apartheid. The date, 21 March, was designated by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a day observed all around the world to focus attention on the problems of racism and the need to promote racial harmony. The United Nations made this designation in 1966 to mark the tragedy at Sharpeville. And, although the massacre occurred in South Africa, the United Nations was recognising that racism is an international problem.
We must endeavour to strengthen our respective relationships with civil society, business and labour, institutions of learning and Chapter 9 institutions with a view to empowering the public and capacitating communities in realisation of our human rights. Celebrating Human Rights Day on 21 March presents a wonderful opportunity to involve and galvanise people from all walks of life - young and old - for the promotion and protection of human rights by means of encouraging citizen participation in working together to protect human dignity for all.
The democratically elected government of South Africa has committed itself to redressing inequalities and improving the lives of its people and to promoting and entrenching a human rights culture. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development plays an important role in this regard, with its key mandate being justice and constitutional development, promoting human rights and access to justice for all, with particular emphasis on impoverished and marginalised communities. The transformation of society is premised on the values, dignity, equality and nondiscrimination in terms of the Constitution. Whilst we'll have a long road ahead, often difficult and trying, together we can and must redouble our efforts in promoting and protecting the human rights of our people, thereby restoring dignity, fairness, equality, justice, and democracy in our society.
This brings me to the theme of this year's commemoration of Human Rights Day, Working Together to Protect Human Dignity for All. We call on all South Africans to unite in the protection of human rights for people's dignity. The commemoration event will take place here in Cape Town at Athlone Stadium on 21 March starting at 09h30. It will be attended by representatives from all branches of the state, representatives of political parties represented in Parliament, the Chapter 9 institutions and nongovernmental organisations. The President will be delivering the keynote address, the acting premier and mayoral candidate will also be speaking, and many others.
Government will use this day to take stock of progress made in creating a climate conducive to the realisation of human dignity. We'll also devote time to reflect on the challenges that lie ahead. The significance of this year's commemoration coincides with the centenary of International Women's Day on 8 March.
What is also significant is that the Ministry of Basic Education will use the commemoration to hand over the torch of peace to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. This torch is a symbol of the commitment to protect human rights. We appeal to all Members of Parliament to attend this event, to encourage your constituents to attend, and to recommit yourselves to working together to protect human dignity for all. I thank you. [Applause.]