As Human Rights Day draws nearer, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that though the government had made great strides in advancing human rights, more work was needed.

'The adoption of our Constitution with its Bill of Rights by the Constitutional Assembly on the 8th of May 1996 was a great moment in our struggle to achieve a free and equal society. As I said at the time, it marked the day our country and our people came of age. I referred to our Constitution as the birth certificate of our nation."

President Cyril Ramaphosa said this as he delivered his keynote address on Monday, 18 March 2024, at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre during day one of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development's National Human Rights Conference.

Ramaphosa took the podium at the event hosted by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola as South Africa is just days away from commemorating the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre on Human Rights Day on Thursday.

The three-day conference seeks to reflect on the state of human rights in South Africa as the nation celebrates 30 years of democracy. Ramaphosa was joined by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and almost 1,000 delegates from government, the judiciary and civil society to take stock of the strides made to turn the Bill of Rights into reality and assess what more...