Ramaphosa: Poor service delivery, corruption continue to undermine human rights
President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans’ basic rights continue to be undermined by poor service delivery and corruption.
Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address at the National Conference on Human Rights in Boksburg.
The conference will discuss the issue which prevented the realisation of human rights over the past 30 years.
"Certainly, there have been challenges and shortcomings over the past 30 years, and we have a long way to go towards completely fulfilling the promise of the constitution,” Ramaphosa said.
“That said, we should not shy away from the immense progress we have made. The Bill of Rights enjoins the democratic state to enact various pieces of legislation to promote human rights between and among people.
READ: Ramaphosa: Violence during elections won’t be tolerated
"Amongst those we have put in place are the Promotion of Access to Information Act, which gives effect to Section 32 of the Constitution; the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, which gives effect to Section 33; and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which gives effect to Section 9,”
The president also said there had been significant changes in the position of women in society since 1994.
"Today, there are more women serving as leaders in both the public and private sectors.
"We have passed a broad range of laws to protect women from all forms of abuse and to advance their rights. These include laws around domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and workplace discrimination.
Various institutions have also been established to strengthen constitutional democracy," Ramaphosa said.
"These include the South African Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Public Protector, the Commission for Gender Equality and others.”
