Lentswe, Klerksdorp - This month is Human Rights Month and South Africans commemorated Human Rights Day last week. The staff of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Klerksdorp attended the National Human Rights Day commemorative event in Rustenburg on March 20.
The event was organized by the South African Human Rights Commission North West Province office.
According to Joe Mashilo, secretary: Justice and Peace Commission, human rights defenders (individuals) and organisations in the province who in the past and at present have contributed to advance human rights were honored at a gala dinner by the leadership of the South African Human Rights Commission.
Nominated organizations were presented with honorary awards for having meaningfully contributed and fostered a culture of human rights in the North West Province.
“Our organisation has fought for the farm dwellers’ constitutional right to access health care services at the time where the Department of Health’s mobile clinics were on the brink of collapse. More than ten farming communities under Matlosana Municipality benefitted from our human rights project which was generously brought from Act Ubumbano. Other services provided to the farms dwellers include education on labour laws and eviction orders,” he said.
As a faith-based organization, they are inspired by the gospel values and the Catholic Social teachings, key to that, are the principles of human dignity, common good and solidarity.
“We welcome the South African Human Rights Commission’s initiative because it truly brings hope and gives courage to all the human rights activists in the North West Province. Despite achieving thirty years of freedom in our South African democracy, human rights violations are a daily reality. We congratulate all other human rights defenders in the province who were honored with the certificates and the awards and we wish them all the best in struggle and fight for justice for others.”
