The Constitution is the supreme law of the land; a Bill of Rights that outlines the human rights of South Africans.
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So it was fitting that on Human Rights Day, the woman synonymous with supporting and defending democracy, former Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela, was in conversation with Miss South Africa Ndavi Nokeri. Nokeri’s Ed-Unite campaign ensures education is remembered as a constitutional right.
The event took place at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, a space that permits the Constitution of South Africa to be lived, experienced, debated, and defended while it encourages active engagement by the public and public servants alike.
The discussion was facilitated by radio broadcaster and legal counsel Songezo Mabece, who also serves as executive assistant and legal researcher to the Commissioner.
Called We, the People in Conversation, the theme for this Human Rights Day was We, the People Seizing Power to Make the Constitution Real.
There was a discussion on how to define power, including ways that power could be transformed into living – and making real – the Constitution. Thoughts were exchanged on the possible futures of South Africa’s constitutional democracy with the question asked: “What can We, the People. do to ensure a sustainable collective future?”
Through an intergenerational conversation between two women who wield power in our nation’s life in such vastly different ways, but guided by the same ethics – the meaning of We, the People was explored.
This conversation marked the start of Constitution Hill’s annual Human Rights Festival (HRF) which was established to commemorate the past and continuing struggles for the fulfilment of human rights in South Africa. This year’s HRF theme was Seize Power.
The events also served as a launch of the Constitution Hill Trust’s We, the People brand which calls on all people to own and live the Constitution through various activities, programmes and campaigns promoting the Constitution, its history, its meaning today and its imperative to us, the people, to build a stronger constitutionally democratic future for generations to come.
"Was so honoured to be a panellist for @wethepeople_sa @constitution_hill alongside Prof. Adv Thuli Madonsela on Human Rights Day to have a meaningful discussion on seizing our power & what we can do to make the constitution real for everyone; to drive us to the point where we all enjoy our rights.
Revisiting our history, acknowledging the current state of our nation, and highlighting education as a basic human right was a great reminder to us, as the people to take up the responsibility of making it accessible to all South Africans," she wrote.
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