People, parliamentarians meet
12 October 2004
Speakers from the nine provincial legislatures joined their national counterparts in welcoming participants to the People's Assembly that started in Cape Town on Monday.
All nine provincial legislatures have been linked to Parliament via satellite to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the country's Constitution and 10 years of democracy.
The Western Cape sitting is being held in Worcester outside Cape Town, with over 200 people invited to attend.
Various sectors of the population, such as the youth, labour, women, people with disabilities and land reform beneficiaries will be given an opportunity to share their stories at the Assembly.
North West Speaker Thandi Modise said the country's Constitution protects the rights and dignity of citizens. "Let the voice of the voiceless be heard, and let's go all out to ensure that we hear all people", Modise said.
Mxolisi Dukwana, the Speaker of the the Free State legislature,
said the People's Assembly was an opportunity to share experiences on the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of ordinary people.
Shaun Byneveldt, the Western Cape Speaker, said the Assembly "reaffirms people at the centre of our business and everything we do".
His counterpart from the Northern Cape, Connie Seoposengwe, urged communities to use the process to keep representatives on their toes. "Your opinions, input and testimonies will be documented and senior public representatives will present feedback on how this will be taken forward", Seoposengwe said.
Human Rights Commissioner Leon Wessels, who was involved in the process of drafting the Constitution, described it as unique because of the socio-economic rights it espouses.
However, he said the task was not complete until all South Africans understood their constitutional values and human rights.
"We have to live the values that are enshrined in the Constitution, which are human dignity,
the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism and non-sexism, to ensure that they are much more than words on paper."
Wessels said the biggest challenge for the country was to ensure delivery of the promises contained in the Constitution. "If we fail, the ideal of a democratic constitutional state will be questioned", he said.
Source: BuaNews
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