Honourable Chairperson,
This year, we mark 30 years since our Constitution was adopted. It has been hailed all over the world as one of the most liberal and forward-looking constitutions. We appreciate that fact that everyone is equal before the law, human rights must be respected, and the rule of law must stand.
For those who may not know, the ACDP was the only political party in Parliament that voted against the adoption of the South African Constitution in 1996. There were a number of reasons for this and I will highlight just a few:
Firstly, human rights are not balanced with personal responsibilities.
Secondly, its failure to distinguish between rights that should only be enjoyed by citizens of the country; not non-citizens.
For example, sections 19, 20 and 21(3) and (4) refer to every citizen having specific rights, while section 27 states that everyone has the right to have access to a number of social privileges. We believe that access to these social privileges should be limited to citizens only, as is practiced in other democratic countries.
In the President SONA speech he said, and I quote: “Our schools and hospitals should make no distinction between those arriving at their doors.”
This surprised me, as we are well aware of the confrontations that have happened at schools and hospitals where people are fighting over free resources. Illegal immigrants have been accused of receiving free access to education and health care, when our own citizens are struggling to access them. This must change.
Speaker, the Constitution did give us a strong base for democracy, but Parliament has not always done its job well when it comes to accountability and oversight. We all know the truth: When it comes to corruption and regard for the sanctity of human life, South Africa’s name is not held in high esteem.
Transparency International put South Africa at number 83 out of 182 countries on corruption. SAPS statistics show that crime is still very high. We have, on average, 64 murders every day, more than 5,700 in just three months. Our people live in fear, and they feel Parliament has let them down. This, too, must change.
As the ACDP, we celebrate the vision of the Constitution. But we also call for a fresh commitment to what it demands. Parliament must rise above party politics and self‑interest, and make sure justice and dignity are real for all South Africans. If we fail, then this 30th anniversary will mean nothing.
