Human Rights Day: ‘SA needs to restore friendship and ubuntu’ – Madonsela

As South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day on Tuesday, 21 March, former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) nationwide shutdown is a reminder of how far the country has come.

Madonsela was speaking to The Citizen about the red berets protest and the significance of Human Rights Day in the history of South Africa.

National shutdown  

She said the national shutdown was a clear indication that South Africans can longer be afraid when people are marching.

“Justice Albie Sachs said recently, ‘we don’t have the society we fought for yet, but we do have the country we fought for.’

“What happened yesterday shows that we no longer can be afraid when people are marching because the state is going to mow them down as happened in Sharpeville in the 60’s where sixty-nine people were killed,” Madonsela said.

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Right to protest

Madonsela, the founder of the Thuli Madonsela Foundation or Thuma Mina Foundation whose purpose is to make democracy work for all said people have a right to protest and the right to do so peacefully without undermining others rights.

“There was intimidation, even by the leaders of the EFF and hidden messages in what they said. That is potentially a violation of human rights and really undemocratic, because what people don’t understand it that democracy gives us freedom, but the end of your freedom is the beginning of mine.

“If you take your freedom, to that extent that I have no freedom, then we can’t be talking about equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms as a birth right of our constitution currently,” Madonsela added.

Rebuilding friendship and ubuntu

As the country celebrates Human Rights Day, Madonsela said South Africa has become a “highly polarised society.”

“Our country started with friendship and ubuntu and it ended up with wars, discrimination and egregious violations of human rights and the end of that we became a highly polarised society.

“My appeal to every South African is can we retore that friendship and ubuntu that started the journey. But to do so, some of us will have to give up our privileges and some of us will have to give up our anger and resentment so that we can build the society that we have been yearning for,” Madonsela said.

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