|| Emfuleni Local Municipality

This year’s commemoration of Sharpeville Massacre, now observed as Human Rights Day, saw the ANC and PAC working together to honour heroes and heroines who died in 1960 fighting for liberation of South Africa. The event took place on Friday, 21 March 2008 at Sharpeville Memorial Precinct at Phelandapa Cemetry. Commemorated on annual basis, the event always reminds South Africans about the brutality of the apartheid regime which killed almost 69 people and injured over 180 people who were marching against pass laws. The historical significance of the day, was that after its occurrence, the United Nations’ Security Council declared apartheid an injustice against humanity for the very first time.

The Executive Mayor of Emfuleni,

Sedibeng Executive Mayor, Cllr. Mlungisi Hlongwane, MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Barbara Creecy and Emfuleni Executive Mayor, Cllr. Dikeledi Tsotetsi at the laying of wreaths during the Human Rights Day's celebration.

Councillor Dikeledi Tsotetsi said in her address that even though black people have gained liberation in 1994, the struggle to restore their dignity still continues. She indicated that more still need to be done for people to feel that they are liberated.

“We will not rest until we have managed to turn the tide of underdevelopment and poverty which still continues to ravages our communities. The recent incidents of racism at Free State University show that we still have a long way to go”, she said.

Speaker after speaker highlighted the importance of working together to honour the day and what it stood for. Councillor Mbuyiselo Gantsu, from the PAC regional leadership told the gathering that those who died did not do so in vain but they laid their lives for freedom. He said they made history by commemorating the day together with the ANC.

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