Society still experiencing racism 61 years later – Gauteng ANC

Political parties have shared messages commemorating Human Rights Day on Sunday ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address.

The Human Rights Month this year is being commemorated 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 heroine and human rights campaigner Ms Charlotte Maxeke.

This year’s commemoration also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution of the Republic into law.

Gauteng ANC said it was a poignant moment that 61 years later, our society is still experiencing racist behaviour.

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“The ANC Gauteng dips its revolutionary Black, Green and Gold flag in honour and memory of
the victims and survivors of that fateful day and not forgetting their families. We urge South
Africans to take time and reflect on the actual meaning of the Sharpeville Massacre in liberating
the country.

“A non-racial, non-sexist democratic society which so many people have fought and
died for has no place for racism and those who still harbour racist believes have no place in
South Africa,” said the ANC.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has shared video clips of leader Julius Malema commenting on the day.

In one of the clips, Malema says the day is referred to as Human Rights day to distort the history of South Africa.

“Today we commemorate the Sharpeville Massacre, the day that turned the tide in the struggle for the emancipation against the white domination in South Africa. It is a day on which most basic human rights of our people were violated, by a racist and inhumane regime.

“This is a day where Black people where slaughtered by white people because Black people were fighting for their rights,” he said.

ALSO READ: Human rights: SA still has a long way to go to get it right

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) said it was observing the day with “mixed feelings”.

“It is very sad and unfortunate that this democratic dispensation with its successive regimes has been consistent in undermining our human rights on a number of occasions through failure to live to the expectation of the Freedom Charter,” said the party.

“One would have thought that by now, 26 years later, basic services like clean water, sanitation, electricity, proper housing health and education would not be the sole presence of the rich and wealthy but would be accessible to all.”

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