EDITORIAL | Human Rights Day should be a call to action

South Africans from all walks of life joined hands in celebratingHuman RightsDay on Saturday. This day is not just a date on the calendar — it is a mirror held up to our past, and a measure of how far we still have to travel. Indeed, it is a moment for rejoicing at the multiple strides we have made since the dawn of our democracy, but also a time for introspection.

Nowhere is this dichotomy more evident than in the Eastern Cape, a province rich in history, yet burdened by persistent poverty, inequality and unemployment. This year’s celebration takes place 30 years since our democratic constitution was signed into law. SA’s founding document is hailed as one of the most progressive charters in the world because it guarantees so many fundamental rights.

Millions of South Africans now have access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Many young people have access to free education and millions of households are provided with basic services. However, it’s also true that 32 years into SA’s democracy, many communities in the Eastern Cape continue to face daily violations of the very rights that Human Rights Day seeks to commemorate.

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This publication has reported frequently on how access to clean drinkingwaterhas been reduced to a luxury in some parts of our province. Collectively, through advocacy, activism and participation, we all must shape SA’s human rights future Communities have complained about having been forced to share water from heavily polluted sources with pigs and dogs.

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