Johannesburg - South Africans were urged to mark Human Rights Day by creating awareness around and pledging to fight against racism, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation said on Wednesday.
The foundation’s director, Neeshan Balton said: “We are calling on South Africans to mark this day through activities that raise awareness around racism. We want people to rededicate themselves to the fight against this specific human rights violation.”
Balton said that while South Africans could celebrate the triumph over apartheid on March 21, they should not forget that racism was still prevalent in society.
“Political freedom and dignity was won through the defeat of apartheid and was entrenched through the adoption of the Constitution. However, we cannot be hypocritical and celebrate our human rights record when schools are still racially divided, when issues of race keep cropping up in universities and the workplace, when some people still believe that apartheid was not a crime and when many see nothing wrong with hurling racial insults, specifically via online platforms,” he said.
He went on to raise his concerns about the various forms that racism take and used the recent xenophobic attacks in Soweto as an example.
Noting the urgency to tackle racism at all levels, Balton said he was encouraged by the government’s commitment to later this year finalise its draft of South Africa’s National Action Plan against Racial Discrimination.
ANA