21/03/2025
Human Rights Day:
On 21 March 1960, Apartheid police opened fire on peaceful protesters outside Sharpeville Police Station. Resulting in 69 people losing their lives and more than 180 sustaining injuries.
The present day government commemorates this event and other sacrifices of the generations of freedom fighters. This is done with emphasis placed on Chapter 2 (Bill of Rights), of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
The Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our Country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. These rights must be respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled.
Amongst this long list of rights, there are certain rights regarded as Non-Derogable. In simple English these rights cannot be suspended, limited or restricted. These are:
*Equality (Section 9);
*Human Dignity (Section 10);
*Life (Section 11);
*Freedom and Security of the person (Section 12);
*Slavery, servitude and forced labour (Section 13);
*Children (Section 28); and
*Arrested, detained & accused persons (Section 35).
As indicated there is a long list of rights contained in Chapter 2, however the above are critical in terms of the prescripts of our law, though intertwined with the rest of the others and should collectively be realised in a democratic society.
K. Ndou Attorneys
076 633-6898
[email protected]
246 Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria Central, Gauteng.