Motlanthe calls for political tolerance
Proffesor Ndawonde
24 March 2009
President Kgalema Motlanthe has urged all political parities contesting South Africa's general election to respect the rights of voters as enshrined in the country's Constitution.
"As we approach the election, we should remember the importance of the principle of political tolerance and social cohesion for our future," he said, adding that political intolerance had no place in South Africa.
"We should all be committed to free and fair elections and allow all political parties the right to have access to all voters."
Motlanthe was speaking at a South African Human Rights Day event in Galeshewe in Kimberley on Saturday.
Human rights, democracy 'closely linked'
Motlanthe told the crowd of more than 3 000 people that respecting human rights was fundamental to a well functioning democracy. "Human rights and democracy are closely linked," he said. "Democracy is rooted in values based on respect for the equal worth of all human beings.
"By the same token, full compliance with human rights presupposed a democratic society," he said, reminding his audience that the country's democracy had come at a price.
"Many heroes and heroines have paid the ultimate price for us to enjoy the democracy that we have today."
South Africa, he said, was celebrating 15 years of freedom and the fundamental human rights based on the values of human dignity, equality and freedom as the cornerstone of the country's democracy.
"It is also the respect, protection, promotion and fulfillment of the principle of equal access to opportunity and the restoration of human dignity that we are celebrating.
"It is imperative that we should remember that one of the objectives of our Constitution is to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person."
Sharpeville Massacre
South Africa's Human Rights Day also serves as a commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre.
On 21 March 1960, several marches were organised countrywide to protest against apartheid South Africa's Pass Laws, which forced African people living or working in and around towns to carry a document known as a "dompas" at all times.
At Sharpeville Township in Gauteng, thousands of people converged at the local police station and demanded to be arrested in defiance of the law. They were confronted by 300 police officers and a scuffle ensued.
Police opened fire on the peaceful protesters, killing 69 and injuring 180 people.
Source: BuaNews
