SA's new human rights chief
Sheree Russouw
17 October 2002
Jody Kollapen, the new chairperson of South Africa’s principal human rights body, has a vision of a country in which human rights empower all people, no matter their station in life.
Kollapen, who served as the deputy chairperson of the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) from 1996, was appointed chairperson in October 2002. His appointment, for a period of seven years, was approved by President Thabo Mbeki. Kollapen succeeds Barney Pityana, the Commission's first chairperson.
While he is humbled by his appointment, Kollapen says he faces a formidable task in helping to transform South Africa into a true democracy.
He envisions a society where taxi drivers and chief executives alike have the same awareness of their fundamental human rights - while conceding that, eight years into the new South Africa, most of its citizens have a limited awareness of their rights.
“In South Africa, there are a lot of people who are comfortable with
their rights, but there are so many more people who are not even aware of their rights. The former want their rights to be enforced, but they are not worried about the rights of the latter. I believe that that is a recipe for social disaster.
“For example, we all complain about crime, but when someone is trying to do honest work like handing out pamphlets at street corners, we moan about what a nuisance it is and close our windows.
“We have to ask: who is enjoying human rights? In a lot of instances, it’s not ordinary people, those who make up the largest part of our population and those who are predominantly poor. These are the people who ask me how our Constitution can possibly help them in their lives”, says Kollapen.
Kollapen, a lawyer, recalls how in the 1980s he defended the country’s political activists from apartheid’s draconian laws. “While there, I developed a vision of a better society, one that comes out of your own humanity”, he says.
In 1991
Kollapen joined Lawyers for Human Rights, co-ordinating its political prisoner release programme. He has defended political activists in cases like the Sharpeville Six and the Delmas Treason Trial. He was also a member of the panel that selected commissioners to serve on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Kollapen has a vision of the SAHRC becoming a true commission for the people. “When people knock on the SAHRC’s doors, they must find compassion. We must be tough if we need to be, and uncompromising if we need to be. We must have a strong relationship with those we serve, at least in their minds and hearts.
“When people hear our name, I want it to evoke something for them. If you sit in a taxi, and you hear about us, then you must know what we stand for.
“I think that the struggle for human rights means that the SAHRC must become accessible. There’s a gap between what the law promises and the reality of life on the ground.
“South Africa, with the
exception of Brazil, has the widest gap between rich and poor in the world. There are still millions of people without food, and you still see long, long queues of people waiting for their social grants. A gap definitely exists when we talk about human rights.”
The Commission aims to centre its attention on poverty and inequality. “It’s really about how we advance a culture of rights and protect people who have been discriminated against or whose rights have been violated. South Africa has a fragile, young democracy that faces serious threats. We want to make interventions that make a difference”, he says.
The SAHRC is is one of six state institutions set up in terms of the Constitution to promote democracy and a culture of human rights in the country.
| 
