Human Rights Day: Residents speak up
Residents gave their views about the public holiday on March 21 referred to as Human Rights Day.
As residents came together to celebrate Human Rights Day, the Randfontein Herald hit the streets to ask them what they thought of the public holiday and why it is important.
Resident Edwin van Wyk has come forward with a statement about what he believes human rights should be.
Human rights should not be just individual rights at the expense of group rights.
“Our country is based on the Bill of Human Rights but it usually only provides for individual human rights. You can see it in a courtroom when an accused is granted human rights.”
Japie de Klerk commented on the current state of human rights and shared his experience.
“For us older people, it is difficult to think about the topic. If you look at the government’s policies there doesn’t seem to be any human rights. If you listen to certain political figures speak, it seems there are no human rights.”
Resident Promise Khumalo expressed his excitement for the holiday.
“To me, this public holiday acknowledges the struggles we have been through while also appreciating what we have – our upbringing and traditions. On this day we are one nation uniting. We all practice the same traditions in a different form. It is such a beautiful day where we get to dress up and fill it with colour,” Promise said.
