Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel has called on all South Africans to treat the Constitution not merely as a historical achievement born after years of hardship, but as an active tool for shaping the nation’s future.
Nel addressed the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the constitution hosted by the Centre for Constitutional Values.
He noted that over the past three decades, the supreme law has “fundamentally changed” South Africa’s legal and political landscape by entrenching an extensive Bill of Rights, establishing a judiciary that is independent as well as institutions supporting constitutional democracy.
“It also recognised that political freedom could not be separated from the social and economic conditions in which people live. That is why socio-economic rights form such an important part of our constitutional order.
“But thirty years is also long enough for us to reflect critically. The Constitution cannot transform society simply by existing. It cannot by itself overcome the enormous inequalities produced by our history. It cannot create jobs, eradicate poverty, end gender-based violence, defeat crime and corruption or ensure that every community receives decent public services,” he said.
Nel added that the responsibility belongs to all: government, Parliament, the courts, civil society, business, labour, communities and citizens.
“Every generation has to acquire an understanding of the Constitution for itself. Young South Africans who were born long after 1996 must be able to see the Constitution not simply as an historical achievement of an earlier generation, but as an instrument through which they can shape their own future.
“We need to renew our commitment to constitutionalism, to the rule of law, to accountable and capable government and to strong democratic institutions. But we must also recommit ourselves to the transformative objectives of the Constitution,” the Deputy Minister urged.
Reflecting on the promises of the preamble of the Constitution, he added that although much work still needs to be done but much has also been achieved.
“We can be proud of our Constitution and what it has enabled us to achieve over the past thirty years. But perhaps the best way to honour that achievement is not simply to celebrate what we did then. It is to ask what the Constitution requires of us now.
“The Constitution belongs to all of us. So does the responsibility for making its promise real,” he concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
