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21 March 2006

Programme director,
Members of the Executive Council,
Executive Mayors and Mayors,
Speaker and Deputy Speaker,
Honourable MPs and MPLs here present,
Councillors from various Municipalities in our province,
Chairperson of the House and members of the House of Traditional Leaders,
Our Traditional Leaders,
Veterans and stalwarts of our struggle,
Representatives of the South African Human Rights Commission and other Commissions, Religious leaders, Leaders of organized business and labour and
Distinguished guests.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The 21st of March 1960 will forever remain etched in the memories of millions of people all over the world. It was on this day in history; when the Apartheid police; acting without provocation; decided to open fire on thousands of unarmed anti-pass demonstrators in Sharpeville; killing 69 of them and injuring 180. The events of 21 March 1960 changed the cause of history for the better as they taught our oppressors a lesson they would never forget. As we now learn in history it was precisely the events of this day, the 21st of March 1960, which prompted the African National Congress and other liberation movements to adopt the pillar of armed struggle as a tactic in the liberation struggle against the Apartheid regime.

It is important for us to always remember that the people who were killed and maimed on this day were defenceless demonstrators who were merely protesting against unfair pass laws, which were meant to control influx of black people into the cities and other white urban areas. These passes, which our people were always expected to carry, were a shameful symbol of subjugation; depriving any black person of his or her right to dignity and self worth. The 21st of March 1960 should therefore serve as a clear reminder to all of us that no government in the world should deny any of its citizens basic human rights in the country of their birth. It is the same resolve and commitment, which led and inspired young people in 1976 to take up arms against the regime for its imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instructions in black schools.

The year 1994 was a watershed year in the history of our country as we began the process of drafting up a democratic Constitution that promoted human rights for all. In 1996 we were able to inaugurate a democratic constitution that guaranteed our people the right to equality and human dignity underpinned by a Bill of Rights, which guaranteed freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, demonstration or picketing, freedom of association and freedom of movement and residence. To pay tribute to all those who laid down their lives for our freedom, we decided to declare 21 March Human Rights Day. We also initiated a truth and reconciliation process, which made us to look back at our past with a purpose of reconciling the perpetrators of Apartheid crimes and their victims.

This has made our country to become a shining example and one of the most promising developing countries in the world with a transparent government and a positive human rights record. Our quest for human rights extends way beyond our borders hence we continue to participate in countless peacekeeping missions all over the continent. We are the envy of the world and countries look upon us for solutions in addressing conflicts and human rights related challenges. We appreciate the fact that there are still many incidences of human rights violation in other parts of our continent and the world, which remains our responsibility to tackle. Just a few days ago, we welcomed a delegation from Iraq that pleaded with our government to intervene in helping that war torn country with the drafting of a democratic constitution.

There are strong indications that we will be helping out also in this case, as we have done with other countries, in solidarity with their governments and people. However, our good international standing on human rights issues does not mean we do not have challenges of our own at home. Our country is just recovering from the brutal murder of the little girl, Makgabo Matlala who was recently killed at her home in Lenasia, Gauteng. Here in our province, we continue to read reports about the callous murders and maiming of people at Makonde village for ritual purposes.

These incidences are clearly anti-human and against all what we fought for during our liberation struggle. As government, we condemn these senseless and inhumane acts, and reiterate our call to our people to co-operate with law enforcement agencies in the fight to uproot these evil deeds from the public face. These deeds stand in direct contrast to the values and norms that have always defined us as Africans. Today, as we celebrate human rights day, we must also ensure that human rights are extended to farm workers and their families. Like all other people, farmer workers do not deserve to be discriminated against and have got rights to all social amenities. They have the right to access social grants, housing, education and healthcare. Our appeal to farm owners is that they should treat farm workers with dignity and respect, in line with the legislative framework that is in place.

As we celebrate the progress brought about by our Constitution in bringing back our dignity, let us rise to the challenge of a united action to speed up the progress we have made and build a national effort for a faster and shared growth.

During this year, in which we will mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of our democratic Constitution, we will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of women’s march against pass laws in our country. This will also be aligned to the celebration of achievements at local government sphere where a significant proportion of women are now represented in governance structures. We have now reached 48.8% mark in women representation in our councils and have achieved about 49% of Mayors and 82% of Speakers who are women.

The challenge we now face is to build on this foundation by making local government work and make bigger strides in eradicating crime and poverty. We are also faced with a challenge of building national reconciliation, national unity, a shared pride and new patriotism based on respect for human rights and the Constitution.

This means working together in all our sectors for:
* A growing economy that benefits all
* Safety and security for all
* Speeding up access to social services
* Batho Pele an effective and speedy delivery of services
* Africa’s renewal and a better world.

Programme Director

Our efforts to fight crime are gaining ground and momentum. The Provincial Government has through the Department of Safety, Security and Liaison developed a comprehensive Strategy to prevent and combat crime in the province. This strategy, which we are launching today, evolved through a lot of consultations, and is better known as the Limpopo Province Crime Prevention Strategy. The strategy is also meant to further the objectives of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) by improving the quality of life of our people; by contributing to economic growth; by improving our institutional efficiency and effectiveness and by contributing to regional integration.

We are making a call to all our people to assist in achieving the objectives of this strategy by ensuring that:
* The rural areas in Limpopo are secure from the threat of crime through a co-ordinated rural safety strategy;
* We effectively target crimes that undermine our social cohesion and the fabric of communities like women and child abuse;
* We target challenges of trans-border and organised crime both across and within the borders of Limpopo.
* We mobilise and support communities through a comprehensive community policing strategy.

However, challenges remain with regard to such crime categories as witchcraft related violence, racially motivated killings, child and women abuse, and domestic violence. As government we will intensify the implementation of this strategy by ensuring that harsh sentences are given to those found guilty of these crimes.

Members of the community on the other hand must assist us by building stronger Community Policing Forums (CPFs) where they live. This would go a long way in creating a platform for our people to participate in endeavours to secure themselves and their children. With this strategy in place, and working better, we can be optimistic about the future. The Age of Hope, the President talked about is upon us. We are quite confident that this strategy will work better and have positive developments on the ground which our people will be able to share.

Let us use this celebration of Human Rights Day to honour the heroism and the sacrifices of our people knowing that tomorrow will be better than today.

We have come this far working together to build a caring nation and united in action we can do more to restore our dignity and create beacons of hope for our children and many generations to come.

Programme director,

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
21 March 2006