Rector’s eNews 10: 19 March 2025

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Friday we will be acknowledging the importance of human rights in a service for all boys and all staff to be held, weather permitting, in our Amphitheatre. It will be led principally by the boys who are hard at work in preparation for it. Since we are a full boarding school, we use the day as one on which to educate our boys on our role vis-á-vis human rights, to reflect on the past and to stir ourselves into action for the future.

The notion that certain rights are inherent to all people can be traced back to the ancient philosophers and legal systems of, amongst other nations, Greece and Rome. However, these societies had slaves and slavery was, indeed, commonplace throughout the world until the 19^th Century, so they could not proclaim that they were promoting universal human rights. The Renaissance saw a rise in individualism and the concept of “natural rights” began to be established and philosophers in the 17^th and 18^th Century took ideas forward, prompted by such events as the French Revolution which espoused liberty, equality and fraternity as some of its guiding principles.

However, it was only after World War II in 1948 that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established as a milestone document and set out for the first time fundamental human rights which should be protected. This has now been translated into over 500 different languages. It is of interest that South Africa’s Jan Smuts played a particularly significant role in drafting the Charter of the United Nations and advocating for “human rights”, despite the fact that, at that time, apartheid had become a cornerstone of South African society.

Some of the better known of those ideas contained in the UN Declaration are evident in its earlier articles. In Article One, for example, it was declared that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood. In Article Two, “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth… without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs…” and in Article Three, “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. Other articles deal with freedom from slavery and torture, freedom to form one’s own opinions and expression, the right to work and to education and to other non-discriminatory practices. In short, the notion that one is free to live in such a way as one chooses without harming others was established.

As most people know, the Sharpeville massacre took place on 21 March 1960: 69 people died and 180 were wounded on that day which proved pivotal in the history of this country. South Africans, therefore , reflect on the sacrifices made by many and on human rights particularly on 21 March each year and the upholding and deepening of the culture of social justice and human rights is the theme for Human Rights Day in South Africa in 2025.

The Bill of Rights is enshrined in Chapter Two of the South African Constitution and guarantees fundamental human rights including equality, dignity and freedom, and this is the foundation of democracy in South Africa. The notion of respect for others is contained in the comment of Nelson Mandela: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way which enhances and respects the freedom of others”. We hope that our boys will be inspired to be conscious of the need to uphold human rights wherever they see them being eroded throughout the world.

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