Young people inspired to make their voices heard

The young people who attended the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter dialogue say the discussions have inspired them to make their voices heard by the current administration.

The Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister, Andries Nel, chaired the event, alongside some officials from the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC) and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The event, aimed at educating young people about their fundamental rights and responsibilities, drew a large number of high school and college students.

Participants shared their perspectives on youth involvement in South Africa’s constitutional development and addressed issues highlighted by young people during the debate.

Donell Taunyane (21) describes the dialogue as eye-opening.

“Coming to this dialogue has been really eye opening. It’s been a good opportunity to get our views as the youth towards government and its different agencies. It is a good start and it does show that as the youth, especially in terms of turn out, that the we are very willing to have our voice heard and have change happen in terms of not just the leadership but also in how things operate in the country,” says Taunyane.

Taunyane, who is a third-year law student, expects that the government will now scrutinise their opinions and incorporate them into some of the country’s policies.

Some of the issues the young people raised were over the high influx of undocumented immigrants and the government’s apparent lack of support for GBV victims and whistleblowers.

Another 21-year-old, Lucky Mokolo, believes that the massive migration of undocumented foreign people to South Africa contributes to unfairness in the country.

He hopes that the dialogue helped to resolve some of the injustices that many residents experience “as a result of the law”, saying that it is futile to live under a Constitution that overlooks the well-being of natives.

“I’m hoping to take away some good improvement with regards to the injustices that is happening in our country. A majority of the citizens are losing hope when it comes to the justice system. I hope as the future legal practitioners of the South Africa, we are able to contribute positively for males, females, kids, and for everyone, because what’s the point of living in country where you don’t feel safe and validated? There are people who get to misuse the constitution and therefore get away with a lot. These are the things that cause injustice in South Africa,” adds Mokolo.

According to the second-year law student at UNISA, government officials who allow unauthorised foreign nationals to live in South Africa should be investigated and prosecuted.

He believes that the legal profession still has a long way to go in terms of positively impacting immigrants’ access to the country’s resources.

Some law students believe South Africa still has a long way to go to get justice for GBV and femicide victims.

Lesedi Mabasa, a law student at UNISA, says it’s disturbing that many South Africans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current administration, but so little has been done.

The second-year 19-year-old student claims that citizens’ views are taken for granted, and that the President is aware of his people’s hardship but chooses to remain silent.

She believes that future lawmakers in the country should regard such issues as inspiration to work towards the reforms they want to see in the country’s Constitution.

“For me as a law student I feel like as future law makers, this is motivation for us to work even harder to be the change we would like to see in South Africa,” says Mabasa.

Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister, Andries Nel, has urged young people to ensure that their rights are not just written on paper, but are also implemented.

Minister Nel believes that the youth’s ideas and courage are crucial in developing the country’s democratic landscape.

“It something that we can’t take for granted and its something that we need everyday of our lives to work on, protect and to advance. It’s also there so that we we may ensure that the rights don’t remain just on paper, but also that they become real rights for people in their day to day lives,” he adds.

He points out that young people who are aware of their rights are positioned to speak up for themselves and, more importantly, others.

He emphasises the responsibility of young people to promote democratic engagement and respect for others’ rights.

He hopes that the conversation moves the young people from passive observers to active defenders of democracy.

Human Rights Commission’s Chris Nissen says they are working with other stakeholders to strengthen the protection of whistleblowers in the country.

He says the commission is currently in discussions with the NPA and Corruption Watch to help safeguard whistleblowers in the country.

“We working with commission for domestic and culture rights. The commission has also observed what is being done in the Omotoso case and we had discussions with the NPA yesterday on how to look at the protection of whistleblowers, amongst other things. The problem in SA is that we do not have a real protective environment for whistle-blowers and that is why we are engaging relevant authorities,” says Nissen.

His remarks come amid dissatisfaction with the country’s level of support for whistleblowers. Written by Odirile Rabolao