South Africa’s democracy is vulnerable as citizens are not sufficiently educated regarding the government’s constitutional mandate; as such active citizenry is imperative to protect it.
This was according to Zackie Achmat, a South African political activist, who spoke at the fifth annual Anton Lebowski memorial lecture in Stellenbosch recently.
Anton Lebowski was a Namibian freedom fighter during the apartheid years, said Max du Preez, South African journalist and co-founder of Vrye Weekblad, an anti-apartheid Afrikaans newspaper, who also spoke at the lecture.
The lecture was hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU) in collaboration with Simonsberg Men’s Residence on 27 September at Simonsberg, said Ferdi van Dyk, SU’s donor activation coordinator.
The country’s democracy is vulnerable because few people know what’s in the public administration section of the Constitution, which emphasises the need for an open and accountable government that serves the people’s interests, said Achmat.
Anton Lebowski died fighting for human dignity and freedom, said Max du Preez (pictured above), South African journalist and co-founder of Vrye Weekblad, which was a prominent anti-apartheid Afrikaans newspaper. Du Preez spoke at the fifth annual Anton Lebowski memorial lecture, said Ferdi van Dyk, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) donor activation coordinator. The lecture was hosted by SU in collaboration with Simonsberg Men’s Residence on 27 September.
PHOTO: Mia van der Merwe
A need for active citizenry
Active citizenry requires participation in local and public issues to improve neighborhoods, support democracy, and contribute to society.
This was according to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, activist and founder of the Gift of the Givers, a disaster response non-profit organisation based in South Africa. Sooliman also spoke at the lecture.
“Our state is fundamentally broken […] because basic needs are not met […] our education system is failing, people are struggling with housing or don’t have access to water,” said Achmat.
“We must also start educating ourselves as activists, […] organisers, [and] movement builders,” said Achmat.
Educated citizens are vital as they are able to understand how to contribute to society and be active citizens, according to Achmat.
“This country does not belong to the government… it belongs to its 65 million South Africans,” he added.
South Africans must educate themselves in a country where the education system continues to fail its citizens. This was according to Zackie Achmat (pictured above), South African political activist, who spoke at the fifth annual Anton Lebowski memorial lecture, that was hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU) in collaboration with Simonsberg residence on 27 September, said Ferdi van Dyk, SU’s donor activation coordinator. PHOTO: Mia van der Merwe
A new movement
It’s important to build a movement which will bring justice and equality to the nation, said Achmat. People can help to build this movement by supporting humanitarian assistance organisations, like non-profit organisations, he explained.
Supporting these organisations is vital because it actively helps to build a more stable democracy, he said.
The government does not dictate its citizens actions; instead, the nation’s people should determine and communicate the country’s desires to them, because that is the essence of governance. This was according to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman (pictured above), activist and founder of Gift of the Givers, a disaster response non-profit organisation based in South Africa. Sooliman was speaking at the fifth annual Anton Lebowski memorial lecture, which was hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU) in collaboration with Simonsberg Men’s Residence on 27 September, said Ferdi van Dyk, SU’s donor activation coordinator. PHOTO: Mia van der Merwe
