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HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH: Safety is not a privilege, it’s a right

29 March 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Valentino Ndaba

Human Rights UFS news — On 22 March 2023 students gathered on the Bloemfontein Campus for a celebration honouring Human Rights Day.

“As people we have the right to feel safe within the environment in which we live, no matter the circumstances. We cannot walk on the streets being fearful of what might transpire. We have the SAPS which has the constitutional obligation to make sure we feel safe. On campus as students, we also have access to Protection Services, which is tasked with ensuring our safety. It is crucial to understand that we have this section 12 right to safety, because safety is not a privilege, it’s a right,” said Lutho Makhofola during a human rights celebration held on the University of the Free State’s Bloemfontein Campus on 22 March 2023.

Lutho, a fourth year LLB student, is one of many Human Rights ambassadors who are part of the Free State Centre for Human Rights (FSCHR) which hosted the Human Rights Day celebration. The ambassadors led a dialogue with other fellow students under the national theme: ‘Consolidating and Sustaining Human Rights Culture into the Future’. In addition to robust discussions, students also tested their knowledge of the with a quiz before signing a pledge committing themselves to becoming livelong advocates for human rights.

Remembering 1960

Dr Annelie De Man, Coordinator in the Advocacy Division of the FSCHR, said the event was about celebrating the present while reflecting on the past. “The aim is to raise awareness around matters of human rights in celebration of Human Rights Day observed on 21 March.”

Human Rights Day in South Africa commemorates the Sharpeville Massacre which took place on 21 March 1960 where 69 died and 180 were injured when police opened fire on a crowd that had gathered to peacefully protest the pass laws. We now have the opportunity to contemplate on South Africa’s road to democracy, the realisation of change, and the advancement of human rights awareness both in the academic setting and society at large since this significant day in our nation's history unfolded 63 years ago.

Significance for students

According to Limeque Redgard, Student Assistant at the FSCHR and a former Human Rights ambassador, the purpose of the FSCHR Human Rights Day commemorative event was to inform and educate students about their rights, particularly the rights that apply to the university setting, to encourage reflection on those rights and how to exercise them responsibly.

“I believe that such events are important for students because we are in such a diverse space within the university, therefore such events bring us together for a common purpose and allow us to celebrate each other's diversity. Furthermore, the goal is to equip students for the world.”

News Archive

Mure, 10-12 June 2009

2009-06-05

Production: Mure
Language: Afrikaans
Text: Prof. Marcelle Pieterse
Director: DeBeer Cloete
Venue: Scaena Theatre
Date: 10 – 12 June 2009
Time: 19h30
Age Restriction: PG 16 (LVS)

Tickets:
R 30.00 Adults
R 25.00 Pensioners, scholars & students
R 25.00 Block bookings 10+
R 15.00 Club Theatron members

Tickets available at Computicket (Mimosa Mall & any Checkers) or at the door.

When reality and context can no longer be bounded by walls, the psyche of man not only starts moving beyond its own limits, but the person, once trapped inside the self, looses perspective and even identity. “Mure” is ‘n brand new script by the Nagtegaal-prize finalist, Marcelle Pieterse. Die script is unique in the South African theatre style seeing that it is completely devoid of context, time and even reality. Pieterse is currently an honours student in Drama- and Theatre Arts at the UFS and her fresh new take on the changing South Africa, anchored in its own history, is not only poignant, but even shocking.

“Mure” is an experimental, avant-garde South African drama incorporating styles such as theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd and even aspects of futurism, all coming together in a narrative of a nurse in a hospital for mentally ill patients. Pieterse dedicates this script to her third year drama lecturer, Stephanie Brink, who exposed here to the new and changing face of contemporary drama. This production is a third year module production and DeBeer Cloete directs. Tickets are available from Computicket.

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