Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
Socio economic rights and service delivery are central to communities’ human rights and, addressing these issues by authorities will enable people to enjoy their human rights. This is the view of academics at the North West University, in Mahikeng.
They also believe that the country has done well by drafting an impressive constitution, which documents the rights of every South African but, the reality in most communities is that a lot still needs to be done, for people to fully enjoy their rights.
Some argue that human rights are being violated in the country because most people still live in abject poverty. Others are still in need of housing with proper sanitation. There has also been large scale challenges of water supply to many communities and a lack of service delivery in municipalities around the country but, there others, who believe government has done a lot and it’s still working towards fully protecting human rights.
“I don’t think the government is doing enough to address the challenges faced by human rights, considering the problems I previously mentioned, where I said that inequality is the main issue,” says Politics student, Pearl Zuma.
Another Politics student, Lesedi Moleleki adds, “It’s a long journey, but the government is really trying to ensure that human rights are safeguarded. We have the implementation of the NHI, which is a step in the right direction in ensuring that all individuals receive full and proper healthcare.”
The government has been blamed for what Ayanda Mhlanti, a politics student, terms a ‘service delivery backlog’.
“It is so sad that we, as South Africans, say we are going to celebrate human rights, while they are not applied to all South African citizens. We have clinics that only operate for a few hours, denying people 24-hour access, which is the reality we are facing. We are also confronting serious problems, such as the water crisis, which is especially dire in the deep rural areas where there is no water at all.”
However, another student Lethabo Maseko has lauded South Africa for its tough stance against violation of human rights in the world.
“We’ve seen, even with the stance we took at the International Court of Justice regarding Israel and the people of Gaza, that we are a very progressive country when it comes to human rights. I think the world can really take note of how to approach human rights. The stance that South Africa has, and the attitude it demonstrates toward human rights, is very important and relevant in today’s context, considering the geopolitical and socio-economic aspects of the world,” says Politics student Lethabo Maseko.
Political analyst, Thabang Motswaledi says basic issues affecting citizens must be addressed urgently.
“The Constitution is one of the best on the African continent, and we should be enjoying the benefits it provides. However, I think that, generally, we have a lot of socio-economic issues that we need to address. We need to deal with these socio-economic challenges first before we can fully realize the benefits of our constitutional democracy. I think the government may need to go back to the drawing board to consider how to solve our societal issues, particularly our socio-economic problems, as this is where the root of many of these issues arises,” says Political Science lecturer, Thabang Motswaledi.
Academics say government must prioritise delivery of basic services such as water and electricity, and address socio-economic challenges.
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www.sabcnews.com, https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/human-rights-day-academics-call-for-action-on-socio-economic-rights/
