Day: March 21, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all South Africans to strive for a society of equals, ‘where none may claim dominance over another, where there is neither privilege nor disadvantage’.

Speaking at the official Human Rights Day commemoration in Sharpeville on Thursday, the President said while the journey over the 64 years since the Sharpeville Massacre has been remarkable and the 30 years of democracy have seen great changes in the lives of South Africans, the journey is far from complete.

‘We must strive for a society where neither race nor gender, nor age, nor religion, nor disability, nor marital status, nor sexual orientation, determines the circumstances in which a person lives or the opportunities that they have.

‘We must continue our work to redress the injustices of the past, affirming those who have been disadvantaged by unfair discrimination,’ the President said.

He called for the transformation of the economy so that all people may participate and so that all may benefit and share in the
country’s wealth.

‘This means that we must continue to implement policies of broad-based black economic empowerment, to support small businesses and black industrialists, to promote employment equity, and to use public and private procurement to empower black- and women-owned suppliers.

‘It means that we must accelerate land reform and provide emerging farmers with the resources and support they need to be productive and sustainable,’ he said.

President Ramaphosa noted that in building a more equal society, all people of working age must have an opportunity to earn a decent livelihood.

‘We must therefore create jobs on a far greater scale and at a much faster pace. We must provide support to those who want to run their own businesses and remove the many obstacles that they face,’ he said.

As the country works together to grow an inclusive economy that provides more jobs and greater economic opportunities, the President said government must continue to provide work opportunities to unemployed people throu
gh public and social employment programmes.

In building a society of equals, the President said there can be no instrument more powerful than education.

He highlighted the enormous strides made in securing the right of everyone to a basic education and the progressive achievement of access to further education.

‘We have achieved almost universal access to basic education and we have massively increased access to higher education and training.

‘But there is much more that we must do to keep young people in school until matric, and improve the quality and the relevance of what they learn. We must continue to focus on expanding access to early childhood development and improving early grade reading,’ he said.

In building a society of equals, the President further said the divide between men and women must be bridged.

‘Already we have made important progress. In South Africa today, girls learn alongside boys in primary and secondary schools and receive equal education. Last year, more females passed the mat
ric exams and got more distinctions than their male counterparts.

‘There are currently more female students enrolled at institutions of higher learning than males. Close to half of our Members of Parliament, judges and magistrates are women. More than 60 per cent of public servants are women,’ he said.

The President emphasised that there must be no position in society to which women cannot aspire and attain.

A society of equals means that all forms of discrimination and disadvantage are eliminated.

‘We must ensure that persons with disability are free and able to participate in every part of social and economic life. We must confront prejudice and ignorance, providing appropriate education and ensure equal access for persons with disabilities to economic opportunities,’ he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged South Africans to continue to honour those who fought for the rights that all enjoy today and hold dear.

President Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address at the Human Rights Day commemoration in Sharpeville, Gauteng on Thursday, held under the theme: ‘Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights’.

‘Sixty-four years have passed since the ground on which we gather here in Sharpeville bore witness to one of the worst atrocities committed by the apartheid regime against the South African people.

‘And although many decades have passed, we still remember with great sorrow and pain the 69 people who were killed and the many more who were maimed as they protested in peace against the grave injustices imposed upon them,’ the President said.

Earlier, President Ramaphosa led a wreath laying ceremony at the Sharpeville memorial site in commemoration of South Africans who laid their lives in sacrifice for the struggle for the attainment of human rights and democr
atic South Africa.

He also met with family members of the fallen Sharpeville Massacre victims during the wreath laying ceremony.

Today’s gathering, he said, was held to trace the journey as a nation over the last 64 years, from a state of discrimination and repression to a land of democracy and freedom.

‘Ours was a journey of relentless struggle. We still recall how every black South African – African, Coloured and Indian – was denied the basic human rights to which they were entitled.

‘We recall how many generations of black South Africans were denied the right to life and dignity, the right to equal treatment, the right to vote and to be heard, the right to live where they want, to work in the trade of their choice, the right to education and health care, the right to the protection of the law,’ he said.

The President reflected that it was a difficult and dangerous journey travelled by community activists and union organisers, by traditional leaders and religious groupings, by freedom fighters and unde
rground operatives, by political prisoners and exiles, and by friends and supporters across the world.

He added that it was a struggle to realise the rights contained in the Bill of Rights which called for equal treatment of all people, equal access to land, direct representation and voting rights.

‘Ours was a struggle to realise the vision of the Freedom Charter, adopted by the Congress of People in 1955, of a South Africa that is prosperous and free and in which all enjoy equal rights and opportunities.

‘It was these principles and these ideals, these struggles and these sacrifices, that enabled the achievement of our democracy and the adoption of the Bill of Rights that is at the centre of our democratic Constitution,’ he said.

And as the country celebrates this milestone, President Ramaphosa said the country will reflect on the journey taken towards the full realisation of the fundamental freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights.

‘We will count the elections that we have held every five years since 1
994, elections that have been peaceful, free and fair and that have reflected the will of the people.

‘We will assess the institutions that make our laws, that both represent the views and regularly seek the counsel of the South Africans people. We will point to the independence of our judiciary, the vibrancy of our civil society, the activism of our trade unions and the freedom of our media.

‘As we celebrate 30 years of freedom, we will reflect on the progress we have made in progressively realising the social and economic rights contained in our Constitution,’ he said.

The President said the country has much to celebrate as he detailed the progress made by government throughout the years.

He highlighted that millions of South Africans have been lifted out of dire poverty, while eight out of every 10 households have proper housing.

‘Nine out of every 10 homes have electricity and access to clean drinking water. South Africans are living longer. Far fewer women are dying in child birth and far fewer chil
dren are dying in infancy.

‘More children from poor families are completing school, passing matric and going on to study at universities and colleges,’ he said.

The President said this has been made possible because the country has focused on correcting the injustices of the past and meeting the needs of the poor and excluded.

He highlighted that working together, nearly 4 million hectares of land has been returned to people who had been dispossessed of their land and acquired over 5 million hectares of land for redistribution and to provide security of tenure for labour tenants and other farm dwellers.

Government has provided social grants for children, the elderly and people with disability, and recently introduced a special social relief of distress grant for unemployed people.

Government also provides free daily meals to millions of school children and has expanded the number of fee-free schools and has massively increased funding for students from poor and working-class families to attend universiti
es and colleges.

‘As our economy has changed, more and more people have been able to exercise the right to freely choose their trade, occupation or profession. Our economy has tripled in size since 1994.

‘While unemployment still remains unacceptably high, the number of South Africans in employment has more than doubled in the last 30 years. The proportion of executive management positions held by black people increased almost five-fold between 1996 and 2016,’ he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in Oshikoto Region Region have opened a case of rape against an unknown cattle herder who allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl on Tuesday.

According to NamPol’s Crime Investigations Coordinator for the region, Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Wednesday, the incident happened at an unknown time at Uuntyaye village in the Omuntele Constituency.

The victim is a Grade 1 learner at Amen Combined School and resides with her grandmother at Uuntyaye village.

‘It is alleged that the suspect came to the victim’s house, where he found the minor victim with her cousin, an eight-year-old boy,’ said Ekandjo.

He added that the minors were alone at home since their grandmother had gone to Onandjokwe State Hospital.

‘It is alleged that the suspect started calling the victim by her name and then held her by the hand, before going with her in the nearby bushes, where he undressed her and started touching the victims’ private parts before having sexual intercourse with the minor under
coercive circumstances,’ he added.

He further reported that the suspect is unknown to the victim and her cousin, but according to the victim’s cousin, it was not the first time that the unknown man came to the house and picked up the victim while the grandmother was away.

Ekandjo reported that after the incident on Tuesday, the victim rushed to Oniihandhila location and informed a woman about what had transpired, after which the police were informed and a case opened.

No arrest has been made as the suspect is unknown.

Police investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in Oshikoto Region Region have opened a case of rape against an unknown cattle herder who allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl on Tuesday.

According to NamPol’s Crime Investigations Coordinator for the region, Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Wednesday, the incident happened at an unknown time at Uuntyaye village in the Omuntele Constituency.

The victim is a Grade 1 learner at Amen Combined School and resides with her grandmother at Uuntyaye village.

‘It is alleged that the suspect came to the victim’s house, where he found the minor victim with her cousin, an eight-year-old boy,’ said Ekandjo.

He added that the minors were alone at home since their grandmother had gone to Onandjokwe State Hospital.

‘It is alleged that the suspect started calling the victim by her name and then held her by the hand, before going with her in the nearby bushes, where he undressed her and started touching the victims’ private parts before having sexual intercourse with the minor under
coercive circumstances,’ he added.

He further reported that the suspect is unknown to the victim and her cousin, but according to the victim’s cousin, it was not the first time that the unknown man came to the house and picked up the victim while the grandmother was away.

Ekandjo reported that after the incident on Tuesday, the victim rushed to Oniihandhila location and informed a woman about what had transpired, after which the police were informed and a case opened.

No arrest has been made as the suspect is unknown.

Police investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

As the country heads to the polls on 29 May 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that threats, intimidation and undemocratic actions by people who want to undermine the electoral process will not be tolerated.

Speaking at the Human Rights Day commemoration in Sharpeville on Thursday, the President said the regularity, peacefulness, fairness and integrity of the elections are achievements that must be dutifully protected.

‘In just over two months from now, South Africans will go to the polls to vote in the 7th democratic election for national and provincial government. We must not tolerate the threats, intimidation and undemocratic actions of those who want to undermine our electoral process.

‘But we must go beyond the right to vote. We must create more space and open up more opportunities for all citizens to have a say in the decisions that affect them,’ the President said.

He said citizens will be exercising one of the defining rights of democracy, the right to freely and in secret choose the peopl
e who will represent them in Parliament and the provincial legislatures.

In opening up more opportunities for all citizens to have a say in the decisions that affect them, the President said ‘we must do so by strengthening the processes of consultation in government, in Parliament, in legislatures and in municipalities, making them more meaningful and inclusive’.

At the same time, he called for unity in working together to build people’s power at the grassroots level.

‘We must support community-based organisations and initiatives, religious formations, women’s organisations and youth bodies.’

Parents must be encouraged to participate in school governing bodies and community members to get involved in community policing forums.

‘Democracy thrives when we have an active citizenry – when people are fully exercising their rights to freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom to demonstrate, picket and petition.

‘Democracy thrives when people use the rights guaranteed to th
em to determine their own future. This means, among other things, that people must be able to enforce their rights. They must have access to justice and to be sure that they will be treated fairly and impartially,’ he said.

As the country looks back on 30 years of freedom as well as decades of struggle for basic human rights, the great strides that have been made must be acknowledged.

‘Working together, as a nation united, we have built a democracy that recognises the equal worth of every person.

‘We have built a society in which everyone has an equal expectation that their rights will be respected and upheld. We have travelled this long journey together.

‘But we still have further to travel and much more to do before everyone can equally exercise the fundamental freedoms that are rightfully theirs. On this Human Rights Day, let us pledge to ourselves and each other that we will travel that road together,’ he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A 48-year-old man allegedly died on Wednesday after he was trampled by an elephant.

The Namibian Police Force Omusati’s Crime Investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho, said the incident occurred around 23h00 at Otjorute village.

According to Simaho, the deceased and two other individuals were reportedly chasing an elephant from the mahangu field.

‘Later, after leaving the mahangu field, the elephant began chasing the three men, killing the deceased,’ he said.

Simaho identified the deceased as Pau Kanyome, who is originally from Ositoo village in Angola and was employed as a domestic worker.

Police investigations into the matter continues.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency