Kariega: Deputy President Paul Mashatile will deliver the keynote address at Friday’s 2025 Human Rights Day commemoration event. The Deputy President will speak on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Kariega, situated within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Human Rights commemorative events this year are themed ‘Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights’. This theme calls for renewed and strengthened commitment from all levels of society to accelerate practical solutions in driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty, tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state.
South Africa marks National Human Rights Day on 21 March to remember the Sharpeville massacre, where apartheid police killed 69 peaceful protesters in 1960. The Presidency highlighted that this day is also significant in honoring 35 individuals who were killed on 21 March 1985, when apartheid police targeted community members after a funeral in Uitenhage and KwaLanga.
The government selected Kariega to host the national Human Rights Day commemoration as part of its initiative to rotate national days, enabling communities across all provinces to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the liberation struggle. According to the Presidency, the event provides an opportunity to reflect on and evaluate the progress made towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and united nation.
Deputy President Mashatile will be joined by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, Premier of the Eastern Cape Province Oscar Mabuyane, Members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Council, Mayors, and senior government officials.