Human rights month events in Sharpeville to proceed as planned despite hiccups, says department

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The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation has confirmed that the human rights month events in Sharpeville will proceed as planned despite misleading information.

The department also called out and condemned what it termed the spread of fake news regarding the provincial Human Rights Day commemoration and related events in Sharpeville.

In a statement issued, SACR’s communications officer, Mpolokeng Moloi, apologized for the confusion and said they take this matter seriously and are investigating the source of this misinformation.

Adding that working with the Sedibeng district and Emfuleni municipalities, they would like to clarify and assure the public that all planned events will proceed as planned.  

“It has come to our attention that today’s scheduled activity to clean the graves of the 69 victims was disrupted.

“Some officials were physically assaulted, and families and survivors faced intimidation and verbal abuse from certain individuals with malicious motives.

“These actions aim to undermine the bravery of the victims of the massacre who fought for dignity and freedom for the oppressed people of our country.

“We strongly condemn these shameful actions, which betray one of the most significant moments in our nation’s history of liberation,” she remarked.

Local suppliers provide services for human rights day

Moloi highlighted that over the years, the department has ensured that most services are provided by local suppliers within Sedibeng for human rights day, even going so far as doing information sessions to assist them with registration and compliance.

She continued; “We have attempted to engage with a growing group of individuals regarding their demands, but previous discussions have ended without resolution.

“The department remains open to hearing these demands, but we can only address them within the framework of government policies, including the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

Moloi stated that one of the demands made is that procurement services be limited to residents of Sharpeville only, which she maintains is impossible to fulfill.

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“The procurement process is strictly regulated to ensure compliance with standards, as well as the safety and health of all event patrons.

“It is unacceptable that a few individuals, feeling unable to achieve their goals, resort to such disgraceful actions.

“We want to reiterate the government’s commitment to engage with everyone in order to ensure the successful hosting of all events,” she concluded.