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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

Support our FNB Shimlas as they play against the NWU Pukke

2011-02-16

Jamba Olengu in action.
Photo: Van Zyl Naudè

On Monday, 7 March 2011 Steinhoff International will be presenting the last Varsity Cup match for the season on Xerox Shimla Park, as the FNB Shimlas take on the NWU Pukke. Do not miss this mini intervarsity! The Shimlas need your support.

The match, which starts at 19:00, will be preceded by matches between the FNB UFS U.19 vs. the NWU u.19 (15:00), and the FNB UFS u.21 vs. the NWU u.21 (16:30). So, take your seat early and also watch as, for the first time during a Varsity Cup match in Bloemfontein, parachuters will land on Xerox Shimla Park. Look out for this sight between 18:30 and 19:00.

Let us arrive in our numbers and make it a record breaking crowd to support our FNB Shimlas. Big prizes are once again at stake. Carling Black Label is giving away two Apple iPods. Tickets will be sold at the gate and will put you in the draw for one of these incredible prizes.

Campus residences and associations who rocks up in the biggest numbers, is the most visible and who is making the loudest noise stand a chance to win a six month DSTV subscription.

Tickets will be sold for R10, fifty percent less than the normal price.

The normal price is R20 per ticket, but a limited number of tickets will be sold at R10 per ticket for students who do not have a royal blue supporter shirt on. These tickets are available from the south ticket office at Xerox Shimla Park. They will be sold on a “first come first served” basis. Once the tickets have been sold out, the normal price of R20 would apply once again. So be at the field early and save R10 on your ticket.

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