The Speaker of Fezile Dabi District Municipality, Cllr Sidney Pittaway, recently hosted a two-day Know Your Rights Campaign in Frankfort, aimed at creating awareness of the rights enshrined in the Constitution and educating communities about their constitutional rights and the services available to them.
At the heart of the campaign was a simple but important question posed by the Speaker:
“Do you know what your rights are?”
The Speaker reminded community members that the Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic and that everyone is bound by it. Chapter 2 of the Constitution contains the Bill of Rights, which he described as a cornerstone of South Africa’s democracy.
Community members engaged on key rights contained in the Bill of Rights, including equality, human dignity, the right to life, freedom and security of the person, privacy, freedom of expression, the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition, and political rights. The Constitution further recognises socio-economic rights including Section 26 on housing, Section 27 on healthcare, food, water and social security, and Section 28 on the rights of children.
Various stakeholders were invited to participate in the campaign and speak on rights relevant to their respective areas of responsibility. Stakeholders addressed issues such as arrests, social grants, domestic violence, voting, and active citizenry. The Speaker challenged citizens to consider not only whether they know their rights, but also whether they exercise them and insist on them when necessary.
The two-day campaign was supported by the participation of various stakeholders such as Seeds of Change, SASSA, Free State Department of Social Development, South African Police Service and the IEC, who brought different areas of expertise and publci services into the conversation. The campaign also highlighted the importance of citizens actively participating in democratic processes, with the IEC placing emphasis on the right to vote.
