Embassy Activities

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the South African Embassy website. Please find below the highlights for this month and specific activities that were facilitated by the Embassy;

Human Rights Month and Human Rights Day on 21 March
Human Rights Month is commemorated in March to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in South Africa. The theme of Human Rights Month this year  is "The year of unity, socio-economic renewal and nation Building". Human Rights Day on 21 March falls within this period.

Human Rights Day in South Africa is historically linked with 21 March 1960, and the events of Sharpeville. On that day 69 people died and 180 were wounded when police fired on a peaceful crowd that had gathered in protest against the Pass laws. This day marked an affirmation by ordinary people, rising in unison to proclaim their rights. It became an iconic date in South Africa’s history that today South Africans commemorate as Human Rights Day as a reminder of our rights and the cost paid for our treasured human rights.

Our Constitution is hailed as one of the most progressive in the world. The Constitution is the ultimate protector of our Human Rights, which were previously denied to the majority of our people under Apartheid. We commemorate Human Rights Day to reinforce our commitment to the Bill of Rights as enshrined in our Constitution. These rights include: Equality, Human dignity, Freedom of movement and residence, Language and culture and Life.

International Women's Day on 8 March
International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

The theme of International Women’s Day 2020 is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. The theme is aligned with UN Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls, everywhere.

This year we will also be celebrating other major UN anniversaries, such as the 10th anniversary of the establishment of UN Women, among others. The year 2020 represents an unmissable opportunity to mobilize global action to achieve gender equality and human rights of all women and girls.

TB Awareness Month
Tuberculosis (TB) causes thousands of deaths every year in South Africa and the rest of the world. Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44.

TB Day on 24 March commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus.

I wish you all a peaceful month.

Tshepo Ranamane
South African Embassy in Ankara, Turkey