Africa-Press – South-Africa. Opposition political parties believe the country has very little to commemorate on Human Rights Day as poverty, unemployment, and poor service delivery continue to dominate the lives of millions of South Africans.
The EFF and the DA have condemned the government for the lack of progress in addressing service delivery and poverty.
Both parties said the government had done very little to address poverty concerns on Human Rights Day.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said South Africa remains an unequal country globally.
He said the government’s lack of action in addressing poverty was one of the reasons why he had called for a motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.
The motion will be heard in Parliament on 30 March.
“If we are to realise the vision of human dignity for all that is enshrined in the Bill of Rights, we need to commit as a nation to ending poverty which continues to deny over 60% of South Africans their human rights and basic freedoms. This is the fight of our generation,” Steenhuisen said.
EFF leader Julius Malema, while addressing a rally in Sharpeville on Monday, said there were no human rights in South Africa because of rising crime and lack of essential services.
He laid the blame on Ramaphosa, saying he should be removed as the president of the country.
“We should remove Ramaphosa as president. With so much unemployment in South Africa, we still have the ANC in power. Young people are unemployed and resigned to using drugs,” Malema said.
Malema added that citizens deserve the ANC in power because they voted for it.
“We need to go to the Union Buildings and occupy it because of the collapse of the country’s state-owned entities and corruption which have led to unemployment and poverty. Why should we be an unequal society when we have mineral resources?” Malema said.
The ANC said, in a statement, that citizens should help address the country’s socio-economic issues.
“Let’s us work together to eradicate the legacy of apartheid and collectively address challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality. We urge South Africans from all walks of life to remember that our freedom and democracy was never free. Many people lost their lives for this freedom.
“Let human rights continue to reign in South Africa. Our Constitution guarantees all of us our human rights. As we enjoy these rights, let’s remember that they come with great responsibility,” the ANC said.
At the government’s Human Rights Day commemoration event in Koster, in the North West, Ramaphosa said the government had managed to provide basic services to the bulk of citizens.
He, however, acknowledged that corruption, state capture, and lack of accountability had stifled the country’s efforts at addressing inequality.
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