The Division of Student Affairs of Sol Plaatje University (SPU) hosted its first Human Rights Day Dialogue on 15 March 2023, titled “Race relations in Contemporary South Africa: Addressing the Complex Challenges of Cohesion and Diversity through Human Rights”.
Two esteemed thought leaders joined the dialogue as guest speakers: Prof Muhammed Haroun, who is a research associate at the University of Johannesburg and associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of Botswana, as well as Mr Imtiaz Cajee, the nephew of slain apartheid activist Ahmed Timol and author of In the Murder of Ahmed Timol: My Search for Truth.
Dean of Student Affairs, Ms Nicole Morris welcomed and thanked the esteemed guest speakers, the university’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof. Andrew Crouch, the staff, and students for their attendance. In her opening remarks, Dean Morris encouraged all attendees to consider their role in addressing these complex challenges in society, but also work together to promote and protect the human rights of all citizens locally and internationally. The Human Rights dialogue forms an integral part of the University’s co-curricular student programme in providing knowledge and insight to our youth.
Prof Muhammed reminded students how lucky they are to be at an institution named after an iconic figure like Sol Plaatje, a human-rights activist who inspired many – not just politically but academically, too: “We are an institution named after a very iconic figure, so we must never forget this figure. In fact if we look at all our universities in South Africa there is no institution except for maybe one or two that are named after an iconic figure. So, we must take inspiration from him and others like him.”
Prof Muhammed also emphasized the importance of human rights – and how important the principle of Ubuntu is. He went on to explain the global impact of human rights and how the global context impacts human rights at a local level, as well as the observance of human rights through a social lens, whereby racial segregation continues to challenge our society today. He concluded by encouraging everyone to live by some of the most important values of human rights.
Our second speaker, Mr Imtiaz Cajee, reminded the audience what life was like during apartheid in South Africa. During his presentation, he shared the trauma he and his family faced after losing his uncle, struggle activist Ahmed Timol, to the apartheid system. Mr Cajee shared how he spent most of his life trying to find the truth about what happened to his uncle. He also shared the difficulties he encountered while trying to get the state to open a second inquest to investigate his uncle’s death.
In ending his presentation, Mr Cajee encouraged attendees to take inspiration from his story. He encouraged them to take a stand to fight and preserve the legacy of their loved ones who stood up against the apartheid system. “You do not need to depend on lawyers, human-rights activists and academics only. They have an important, critical role to play but one of the reasons we formed the party as the victims’ family group is that, as families, our voices must never be lost. We must stand as a collective and fight to preserve the legacies of our heroes and heroines.”
After these insightful presentations, students engaged in a thought-provoking question-and-answer session. Burning questions included where we are as a country in terms of human rights and demonstrating ubuntu, and whether the apartheid system is to blame for the state of the society we live in today rather than questioning the capitalist system that is detrimental to our society?
The entire day was underpinned by a strong message about individual responsibility. In the words of Prof Muhammed: “We must work towards reinforcing positive values in our homes and workplaces that will help us achieve social cohesiveness. It starts from home, it starts from within and then it spreads.”
