Freedom in SA is under fire

DANGER: BLACK CLOUD OF GUN VIOLENCE DARKENS OUR DEMOCRACY

- STANLEY MAPHOSA

THREAT. Research suggests that around 30 people are killed with a gun every day in SA.

(iStock)

Every year on 21 March we remember Sharpeville. On this day in 1960, 69 people were killed and about 180 injured when apartheid police opened fire on peaceful protesters demanding dignity and freedom from pass laws.

Many were shot in the back as they tried to run away. The guns used that day were legal. They were issued by the state.

Sharpeville reminds us that guns have always shaped the story of rights and power in South Africa and that the question of who holds them - and how they are controlled - continues to affect the safety of our communities today.

Human Rights Day asks us to remember that history. But it should also invite us to reflect honestly on the present.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. This simple principle sits at the heart of democratic societies, including South Africa.

Yet gun violence continues to take lives across our country. Research drawing on police and public health data suggests that around 30 people are killed with a gun every day in SA.

When you spend time in communities affected by shootings, the numbers quickly become real. In my work with Gun Free South Africa, I hear these stories repeatedly from people trying to rebuild safety in their neighbourhoods.