Hon House Chair, hon members, the 21st day of October, Africa Human Rights Day, is an important date in the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa.
On this particular day we remember the year 1986 when the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights came into effect. The charter is more than a statement of rights; it is a signpost for what Africa aspires towards. It entrenches the right to life, liberty, protection from slavery and degrading punishment; the right to trial by impartial courts and freedom of conscience; and the right to receive information; and the right to participate freely in government business.
In our view as the IFP, the charter remains a leading document that guarantees the virtues of ubuntu. The challenge is always to ensure that the commitments on paper are matched in practice. The premise of this input is that there are more debilitating challenges than success stories. Africa remains poverty-stricken and beset with disease in spite of the hot air coming from African leaders in the G8 promising poverty reduction.
Millions of Africans live as refugees or internally displaced persons, often without the bare necessities of life and without hope. It's impossible to accurately quantify routine patterns of abuse. All this happens despite African Union member states having ratified the charter.
The recent tragic outbreak of xenophobic killings on our own soil and the continued ill-treatment of African foreigners remain a mammoth challenge for the South African government in this regard. Respect for human rights goes deeper than free and fair elections. It is directly linked to the question of good governance.
A human rights culture cannot flourish on a continent that is beleaguered by improper governance, corruption and lack of service delivery. More importantly, if Africa is to succeed, the attitude towards corruption has to change - stripped from partisan politics - and presented to society not only as a moral illness but as an infringement of the right to development of the African people.
We therefore call on civil societies and activists across Africa, including those who are raising their voices - whether in calls for a new constitution for Zimbabwe, a firmer response to HIV and Aids, service delivery in South Africa or the violation of human rights in Kenya - to celebrate Africa Human Rights Day with honour and dignity. I thank you. [Applause.]