By Fiona Wakelin
Every person must be able to live in dignity, comfort and peace
In his letter penned to the nation on March 16, President Ramaphosa reflected on our Constitution and its commensurate Human Rights values. March 21 is Human Rights Day – a celebration of the rights enshrined in our Constitution, recalling Sharpeville, on that day in 1960, when apartheid police opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing 69 people and injuring many more.
The year 2026 marks the 30 year anniversary of our democratic Constitution – a social compact which promises that never again should any person in South Africa be stripped of their humanity and dignity. Of all the values enshrined in our Constitution, human dignity is one of the most fundamental and is the foundation on which the rights to equality, to freedom from discrimination, to education, to health, to a safe environment and others are built. It is the idea that every person possesses an inherent worth that must be respected and protected.
“In our Constitution, human dignity is not an abstract ideal, but a concrete right that has meaning in people’s daily lives. The right to dignity is operationalised through law, institutions and policies. Our courts continue to assert this right and, where necessary, order government and those in power to take measures to enhance people’s dignity.
“Protecting a person’s right to dignity is not limited to the way people treat each other. It is also about improving the circumstances in which people live. It lies at the heart of the policies and programmes of this government and of the work of many organisations and individuals across society. Since the adoption of our Constitution, indeed since the advent of our democracy, we have worked to restore the dignity of all South Africans. Millions of South Africans have access to water, electricity, healthcare, education and social support that were denied to them under apartheid.
“This work, which we have undertaken together as a society, has enhanced the human dignity of children, who are supported by a child support grant, who have access to early childhood development, who attend fee-free schools, who receive school meals and who will be able to access funding to study at a university or college. The provision of housing, water and electricity has changed the lives of families across the country, reducing poverty and improving their quality of life,” – H.E. Ramaphosa.
His Excellency is clear – there is still work to be done with poverty, inequality and unemployment remaining obstacles to the full realisation of human dignity for every South African, which is why economic recovery is of paramount importance. Job creation and infrastructure development all advance the right to dignity. He exhorts us to keep on this path despite the current global economic outlook.
“On Human Rights Day this year, let us rededicate ourselves to the Constitution and to its most cherished principles. Let us resolve in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities to treat every person with the dignity that is their right – and let us never stop working until we have ensured that every person can live in dignity, comfort and peace,” – His Excellency, President Ramaphosa.
