Statement by Premier Alan Winde on Human Rights Day | Western Cape Government

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Statement by Premier Alan Winde on Human Rights Day

21 March 2021

“This Human Rights Day, the Western Cape Government commits to a recovery that delivers jobs, safety, dignity and ultimately, hope”

Over the past month,  South Africans have been reflecting on the very difficult year our country and the world has faced. It has now been one year since the first known case of COVID-19 was reported in South Africa.

Next week will also be the sad anniversary of the first COVID-19 related death in our province and the announcement of the Hard Lockdown, which destroyed the livelihoods of many South Africans.

Over 11 400 people have died because of COVID-19 infection in the Western Cape to date. Tens of thousands more people have lost their job and are hungry.

It has indeed been a time of great loss and pain for so many people in the Western Cape, and as a result, a hammer blow to the basic rights all our people deserve.

And so, this Human Rights Day, we commit to turning the tide on the loss and the despair, by bringing hope back in the Western Cape.

We will achieve this by doing whatever we can to defeat COVID-19, by growing the economy and creating jobs, by ensuring safer communities across the province, and by releasing the dignity and well-being that every single person deserves.

As I reflect on Human Rights Day today, and the personal sacrifices that so many people made in pursuit of South Africa’s freedom, I realise that we are not short of courage in South Africa. It exists in every family and community, and in every village, town and city.

Drawing on this bravery, and the memory of all those who have fought for a better future, let’s stand together and commit now to a recovery that will make a real, positive and lasting change to the lives of all people in our beautiful country.