The South African Constitution, human rights and transformation were the highlights at the Wits Dialogue, from 3 to 9 December.
Ahead of 10 December, South African and European Unions’ Human Rights activists, Wits School of Governance Development and Rights Series collaborated in celebration of this International Human Rights Day.
The activists were joined by student activists, professionals and community organisations.
The Dialogue 3 was aimed at assessing how far South African society has been transformed, since the advent of democracy 22 years ago, including the role and impact of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights on transformation, the challenges SA faces and the way forward.
It also highlighted that many communities, schools and organisations have resorted to violent service delivery protests as a way of addressing or trying to resolve their issues.
Advocate George Bizos (88), who represented late stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu in the Rivonia Treason Trial, said he spent his life promoting the rights of a human being.
Bizos, a human rights activist who came to South Africa as a refugee from Greece, called human rights, the Laws of Humanity.
The Wits SRC secretary-general Fasiha Hassan said the struggle of education continues.
Hassan believes that the young people have rights to free and quality education.
“Our plan is not to burn down universities but to fight for our own rights,” Hassan said.
Media editor Mondli Makhanya, also a Fellow at the Africa Leadership Initiative, said society must hold government to account.
People on the floor also voiced their concerns about how SA remained untransformed even after 22 years and how they continue to live in misery.
Among the speakers were also the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinidis; Deputy Dean of Constitutional Law at UCT, Professor Pierre de Vos; Claude Leon, the foundation chair in Constitutional Governance; acting director of the Foundation for Human Rights, Hanif Vally and Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, John Jeffrey.
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