Eustace Davie | Director | Free Market Foundation | mail me |
The fact that a South African individual is unemployed, is not well-educated, and has had difficulty in finding employment, does not mean that government officials are entitled to treat them with disrespect. All citizens who obey the laws, and treat their fellow citizens with respect, are not only entitled to be treated with equal respect but also to have their rights, as described in the South African Constitution, fully respected.
The constitution contains many provisions that were clearly included for the specific purpose of ensuring that the rights of individuals are to be protected.
Democratic values of human dignity and freedom
For instance, Section 7(1) of the Constitution “enshrines the right of all people of our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity and freedom”.
Unemployment causes people to lose their dignity and has a negative effect on their lives. Denying them the right to bargain freely with a prospective employer takes away the right to end the indignity of unemployment. It also takes away the freedom of the individual.
Protecting, promoting and fulfilling the rights in the Bill of Rights
Section 7(2) says that the state must “protect, promote, and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights”.
This means that the government and all its agencies, should use the powers given them, to end unemployment by taking away the laws and regulations that get in the way of the right to work.
The right to equality
Section 9(2) says the state must promote the…
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Read the full article by Eustace Davie, Director, Free Market Foundation, as well as a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the June/July 2023 edition of BusinessBrief.
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