SA Citizen Rights

Module 4
 You should be proud to be South African and the freedom and rights
we enjoy. One cannot talk about human rights without acknowledging
the Constitution of our country, which is an example of one of the most
democratic constitutions in the world.
• The Constitution is the supreme or highest law of South Africa
• The President, the Government and all the people of South Africa
must follow it.
• It says what the structures of government are and what powers these
structures have.
• It also ensures that your rights are protected and sets up institutions
to check that government do not abuse your rights.

• All other laws must adhere to the Constitution. But the Constitution
does not replace these other laws. Instead, it sets out the standards
that it should follow.
The RIGHT in the Bill
of Rights
• Chapter 2 of the Constitution contains the human
rights that are protected.
• The Bill of Rights provide over 25 basic rights and
freedoms to all people in South Africa.

• For e.g. All people have the right to the treated

equally and with dignity, to live in freedom and
security and in a healthy environment, to exercise
freedom or association and movement and the right
to vote.
• Human rights are the basic rights the government must protect!
• They have to be in the Constitution to protect them and so that you
can use the law in case your rights are violated.
• It is difficult to change the Constitution and also very difficult for
anyone to take your rights away.
Human rights can sometimes be limited. This means they could be
changed, restricted, or even taken away. But this can only be done if:

• The law which limits a right applies to everybody

• There is a good reason to limit the right
• To limit the right makes sense in an open and democratic country
 Rights and Responsibilities
• If you have a right, you also have a responsibility!
• If we want our rights to be respected, we must not do anything that
violates another person’s rights.
• Rights and responsibilities are linked to each other and as citizens
exercise these rights, it must happen in a responsible manner.
 All Rights have a responsibility
RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITY

I have the right to go to college I apply myself at college and I respect my lecturers and
other students.

I have the right to be alive I do not unnecessarily risk myself by engaging in life-
threatening activities such as taking drugs.

Right to a good standard of living in a healthy I keep my surroundings clean and I respect the
environment environment

Right to be protected from child labor I report instances of where children are abused and
forced to work instead of going to school
Right to choose a government that is just and fair I exercise my right to vote

Right to food I do not waste food

Right to express my ideas I do not engage in hate speech

 The Right Citizen
Citizen Defined:

CITIZENSHIP
“the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country”.

CITIZEN
“an inhabitant of a particular town or city”. E.g South African citizen
 Attributes of a good citizen
• He/she will be proudly South African and follow the Bill of Rights as stipulated in our
Constitution.
• Good citizen practise Ubuntu (African moral belief)
• Understands and willingly applies democratic values in our Constitution.
• Makes informed decisions taking into consideration other people’s feelings and right.
• Attends political meetings, follows proper procedures for peaceful strike action and
marches.
• Support national sports teams.
• Celebrate national holidays and vote in all elections.
• Patriotic attitude, deep love and loyalty towards SA.
• Do not misuse or abuse their rights and freedom.
• Has respect for diversity
• tolerance for different beliefs communication, conflict resolution
• Teamwork, leadership and respect for gender and cultural differences.
 The Right college environment

• One of your rights as a student is to study in place that is not unsafe

or would cause you to fall ill because of unhygienic conditions.
• Not only the college management or cleaning staff are responsible for
this, you as a student are also responsible to make sure the college
environment is protected.
 How to be green
• You care for the environment and you do things to limit the damage
done to the environment and sustain life on earth.

• For example you switch off the geyser and lights to save electricity,
you take your own plastic bags when you go shopping, you buy glass
packaged items instead of plastic packaged items.
Everyone can do something for the environment, you can start following
these steps:
1. Respect life and renew your bond with nature – developing respect
means you realize that all living things have a right to live on this planet
2. Improve your environmental awareness and knowledge – you can
read up on environment issues.
3. The 3 R’s, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – reduce by not creating waste
or by minimizing waste. Reuse by using the waste for another purpose.
4. Spread the environmental message – you can start educating family
and friends on the importance of saving the environment.
5. Support local environmental initiatives and groups – join groups that
help the environment rather than relying on the government.
6. Use your rights as citizens and consumers – you have the right to
participate in policies regarding the environment
Doing The Right
Thing
• Moral and ethics should encourage you to do the right things.
• People live by a set of rules that teaches them about right and wrong.
• Your personal and working lives are strongly influenced by ethical and
moral principles and values.
• If you have strong and good values, morals and ethics in your personal
lives, you will show the same in your work place.
• Good, positive morals and values will assist you to make a success of
your life.
• Ethical and moral codes includes values such as honesty, trust,
integrity, courtesy and respect for authority.
 The value of values
• We all grow up in homes, communities and different cultures that will
influence the way we think, behave and do things.
• The rules that your parents have will differ from the rules that your
friends parents have.
• Our parents and the people we grow up teach us certain ‘things’ or
values, skills and attitudes. These have big impact on the type of life
that you live.

• Values are what you regard as important. Values are the principles
that guide your ethical and moral behavior.
 These are some fundamental values
Co-operation Co-operation is working together to achieve a common goal.
Respect Respect is recognizing that every person is important and must be treated with dignity. In
the context of human rights, respect does not need to be earned, it is the right of every
person

Inclusion Inclusion is recognizing that every person is a full member of society and of the group.
Fairness Fairness is affording to every person the same importance, the same rights and the same
opportunities.

Respect for Respect for diversity is recognizing and appreciating individual differences.
diversity

Responsibility Responsibility is thinking before you act and being ready to accept the consequences of
your actions.

Acceptance Acceptance is acting to ensure the full participation of everyone without exception.
 Choosing to behave and do
RIGHT

• Morals relate to character or conduct considered as

good or evil.
• If you live by certain morals in your personal life, you
will also have positive morals at work and college.
 Where to morals and ethics
come from?
• The roots of ethics and morals can be found in most of the worlds
religions.
• There are codes of ethics that want to influence the moral behavior of
people.
• Morality must therefore be part of your life as a student at college
and ethics should form an integral part of your college.
• Immoral behavior leads to distrust and therefore distrust leads to
disloyalty.
 What is a code of ethics or
conduct?
• A code of ethics or conduct stipulates morally acceptable
behavior
• It defines the guidelines that need to be respected by
everyone when dealing with others
• It is necessary to have a code of conduct because diverse
people with different sets of values work or study together,
therefore they should be given guidelines about what ethical
behavior is expected from them
Values guide your morals and ethical choices regarding
matters such as:
• Class attendance
• How diligently you study and work
• They way you treat your fellow students
• The respect you show for college property
• The respect you show for authority and rules at the
college
• What value and appreciation you attach to the
financial aid that you get
The following are examples of positive ethical behavior at
college :
• Display honesty and trustworthiness in all work and during
tests
• Show respect for authority and college rules
• Respect diversity in cultures and backgrounds of students
• Show loyalty and support for the college
• Delivery quality assignments and work
• Be on time for class and keep to deadlines for all assignments
• Consider and listen to others opinions
 Volunteering is the right thing
• Becoming a volunteer is a very selfless act.
• It shows that you care about others regardless of what
you get in return.
• By becoming a volunteer you can make a difference in
someone's life.
 The right in volunteering
Volunteering can take many different forms but no matter
how you look at it there are many advantages to volunteering
in life:
• The community- When a community of people work
together they are indeed building a stronger community, this
happens when you work side by side with your neighbors
• Other people -So no matter what type of volunteering you
do you can make a huge difference in other peoples lives
even a few minutes a day can make a huge difference
• You- There is something within us that grows as we help
others, it helps us grow into great people. You will feel
rewarded and learn a lot as you do it
 Rights in and off teams
• It is important that a group becomes a team by effectively
working and developing together
• Groups will only develop into teams when they understand
their common goal
• Within each effective team each member is assigned a role
that suits their talent, gift or skill set
• Each player has an important role and the rest of the team
cannot function without one person
 Description of the personality and contribution to the team

Coordinator Clarifies the teams objectives and sets the agenda. Mature and confident but not
domineering. Promotes decision making and delegates well

Finisher Very coconscious and will check all details for mistakes and keeps to deadlines

Implementer Well organized, disciplined, trustworthy and reliable

Monitor evaluator Makes sound judgements and unravels information
Creator/Plant A creative and imaginative person who solves difficult problems

Resource A sociable, stable extrovert, who is enthusiastic and communicative but tends to
investigator dominate

Shaper Dominant extrovert who thrives on pressure. A good task leader and has the drive and
courage to overcome obstacles
Specialist The expert on the team who knows a lot about a specific topic
Team worker A reliable team worker that cooperates and who is a good listener and diplomat
 Code of conduct for a group
meeting or discussion
• Allow only one person to speak at a time
• Everybody gets a chance to give their opinion
• Set values and goals together
• Have positive attitudes towards each other
• Work together when doing tasks and take
responsibility
An effective team has the following characteristics:
• They know why they exist and what their purpose is
• They know what their goals are
• They are motivated
• There is a climate of trust
• There is support for everybody
• Personal growth and development takes place and
members provide feedback on how things are going
 Leadership
• The role of the leader is important to the wellbeing and effectiveness
of the group
• The leader is a person that takes charge of situations
• They can cut through discussions to identify the problem and lead the
way to decision making
• The group turns to them for advice and recognition
• It is the leaders task to ensure that group members work towards the
main goal
• The person who becomes the leader is the one who best meets the
needs of a particular situation
 When you are a leader…
• Be optimistic
• Be sincere and loyal to others
• Communicate regularly
• Be a good listener
• Set standards and maintain them
• Make other people feel special
• Resolve conflict and disagreement positively
• Help members to get to know each other
• Encourage members to openly express ideas