Pretoria - The main celebration for the Human Rights Month programme will take place in the Eastern Cape on 21 March.
“The choice of location is to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Uitenhage Massacre that took place on 21 March 1985 and at the same, popularise the national significance of the day to all citizens of the country,” said spokesperson for the Minister of Arts and Culture, Sandile Memela.
Human Rights Day is an annual commemoration to remind South African citizens about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for democracy and freedom that has been enjoyed for the last 20 years, Memela said.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Celebrating the Freedom Charter, Enjoying Equal Human Rights for All”.
As part of the celebrations, a National Social Cohesion Report Back Summit will take place in Port Elizabeth on 30 March.
“The gathering is a follow up event to the summit that was held at the Walter Sisulu Memorial Square of Remembrance in Kliptown, Soweto, that also took place at the historic site of the Freedom Charter,” Memela said.
The summit will be attended by delegates from civil society, religious leaders and government representatives.
The purpose of the summit was to review progress and identify stumbling blocks to the nation building and social cohesion programme as outlined by the resolution of the 2012 Summit.
It will also chart the way forward to speed up the nation building project.
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa will host a special community conversation on social cohesion at the Youth Centre in Chatsworth, Durban, on 13 March as part of the build-up to the Report Back Summit and to promote a culture of human right.
“Human Rights Month will see the reburials of struggle stalwarts, Moses Kotane and JB Marks that will take place in Pella and Ventersdorp in the North West on 14 March 2015 and 22 March 2015, respectively,” Memela said. – SAnews.gov.za
