Where is the freedom
on the eve of Freedom day?
What Freedom are we celebrating when real change and
democracy has not been made? The day of the first democratic elections in South
Africa is tarnished by the practices of the ruling party to ignore the principles
enshrined in our Constitution. In a
council meeting on the eve of Freedom day, a report was presented without any
notice where a biased committee with no independence or impartiality came to
the conclusion that I be excluded from the Council for 60 days.
On Freedom day we should be able to celebrate the
Constitutional right to a fair trial. We should be able to celebrate the fact
that we are meant to live in a country where everyone has the right to have a
dispute resolved by the application of law decided in a fair public hearing
before an independent and impartial tribunal. On Freedom day we should be able
to celebrate the right to hear charges levied against you. We should be able to
celebrate the right to be present when the trial is conducted. We should be able
to celebrate the right of Appeal. We should be able to celebrate the right to
just administrative action. But alas we do not.
These are only words written in a Constitution which are
daily raped by their non application. What makes it worse is that all of the
above rights were just ignored in this matter brought against me but when the
matter was placed without notice on the Agenda to be debated, the ANC Speaker
of Council decided to suspend debate and not even allow the person found guilty
in their absence, to not be heard on being informed of the decision. Can you
imagine what would happen if Employers were allowed to just dismiss employees
and employees notified without any opportunity to respond , plead their case or
offer evidence in mitigation? There would be a revolution.
Freedom can not be selectively applied. Freedom can not be
paraded on the steps of the Union buildings on ceremonial days. Freedom
requires daily application and to be part of the fibre of society but most
importantly deeply embedded within the government.
Unfortunately apathy allowed the ANC to win the last local government
elections with a 5% majority. We could be living in a city where the
administration respects the constitution. But we are not. Apathy will allow the
ANC to continue to erode our Constitution by small things which they do daily
and then by larger efforts such as the attacks on the free press. Now we live
in a City which does not respect the rights to participatory democracy and we
must do all in our power to stop Apathy and be more proactive in changing South
Africa to be a truly free country which respects our Constitution and all our
histories and cultures.
Nuremburg told the world that it is justified to not listen
to or respect a government or leaders who are immoral. I can not respect a government
which ignores the Constitutional provisions which they so "freely"
profess to live by. Our speaker is a Tyrant and can not respected. Unfortunately
we can not even remove her as she wont allow to hear a motion of no confidence
in her. We as citizens must find a way to fight for our freedom on Freedom day.
