SHARPEVILLE.- This year’s Gauteng Provincial Human Rights Day commemoration activities, set to take place on Friday, March 21 in Sharpeville, will be taking place at the two newly designated World Heritage sites.

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has announced that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has elevated the statuses of the Sharpeville Memorial Monument and the 69 graves of the victims of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre.

The Memorial Monument located at the site of the massacre incident and the 69 graves at the Phelindaba Cemetery, have both been included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites as part of a collection of 14 locations associated with the Nelson Mandela Legacy Memorial program.

The two sites will be the latest to receive the highest level of heritage protection in the world.

“The National Heritage Council of South Africa and the South African Heritage Resources Agency will be in attendance to officially declare the sites. This year’s commemoration is themed ‘Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights’ highlighting the importance of service delivery and respect for human rights for everyone,” said the GPG.