Stories

Young and old, large and small, dressed mostly in orange and white T-shirts, hundreds of South Africans from all walks of life gathered to take part in the We The People Walk from Constitution Hill on Sunday, in celebration of the importance of human rights.  

South Africa’s constitutional democracy is 25 years old. Its achievements tell a mixed story. The Constitution of South Africa provides a foundation for human rights for all South Africans, a framework for a just and equitable society.

South Africans are no novices with disappointment, particularly when it comes from the people we have placed our trust in and given our power to. We know what to say when our rights are at risk: “It is enshrined in the Constitution!” But despite our best efforts to reinforce this sentence at every violation, we are consistently let down by our country’s leadership.

Over the past few years, the South African public health system has steadily been collapsing. Buildings are falling to pieces, there are not enough medical personnel to treat the numbers of patients who need care, and people are dying.

The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and the Ntethelelo Foundation are collaborating to uplift and empower adolescent girls and young women in Setswetla in Alexandra, just outside Sandton.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s freedom, and protecting and promoting human rights is as vital now as it was before 1994.