Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities
Content Summary
Term 2: Week 4 - 5
LESSON 1
CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES AS STATED IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTION
In South Africa’s history - there was the need to set up a democratic government to uphold human rights,
dignity, freedom, and equality of all people. Democracy is best implemented and guaranteed by a
Constitution. South Africa is what we call a Constitutional Democracy.
The Constitution:
The Constitution of a country is a set of rules and values for those who govern and those who are
governed. Our Constitution of 1996 is the supreme legal document of the Republic of South Africa.
It protects the rights of citizens and holds political leaders accountable, in line with democratic values and
principles.
South Africa’s Constitution is said to be one of the most progressive in the world, as human rights are given
clear importance in the Constitution. The Constitution was formally approved by the Constitutional Court on
4 December 1996 and took effect on 4 February 1997. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. No
other law or government action can take the place of the provisions within the Constitution.
The Constitution aims to:
• heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and
fundamental human rights.
• improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.
• lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the
people, and in which every citizen is equally protected by the law.
• build a united and democratic South Africa that can take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the
family of nations.
Fundamental rights
The rights contained in Chapter 2 of the Constitution protects the rights and freedom of individuals. The
Constitutional Court safeguards these rights and determines whether actions by the state are in agreement
with what the Constitution states.
Simply put, the Constitution applies to everyone, all the laws, everything anyone ever does in South Africa.
This includes the government, businesses and all of us as individuals, must be in line with the Constitution.
VALUES
• Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another.
• They serve as a guide for human behaviour.
• Values are society’s shared beliefs about what is good or bad and how people should act.
Constitutional Values:
Constitutional values enabled South Africa to overcome its history and create a new national identity based
on equality, freedom and dignity.
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Constitutional values that come from the Constitution:
• human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human
rights and freedom
• non-racialism and non-sexism
• supremacy of the Constitution
• universal adult suffrage, a national common voters’ roll, regular elections, and a multiparty system of
democratic government to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness.
Human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom:
Every single person has the right to have their dignity respected and protected. They also have the right to
believe or think what they want, even if their beliefs are different to others. Everyone has the right to
practice the religion of their choice, provided that their actions do not go against the Constitution. For
example: schools can follow religious practices (like having prayers in the morning) learners cannot be
forced to attend or take part.
Dignity means that we all have the right to be valued and respected, and to be treated ethically. Everyone
has the right to be treated with dignity – but remember for you to be treated that way, you need to treat
others that way as well. Every person has value as an individual and is important, and no one deserves to
be degraded. The Constitution states that human dignity is something that we all have the right to, and that
means that we must treat others with dignity.
Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and
talents. It is also the belief that no one should have less chances because of circumstances. Such as where
they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.
Human rights & freedom: Human rights are rights inherent to ALL human beings, regardless of race,
gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life
and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and
education, and many more.
Non-racialism and non-sexism: Our Constitution lays the groundwork for a society that does not
discriminate against anyone – meaning that gender and race should not have any bearing on anyone’s
rights. Equality for all, regardless of who they are or their origins.
Supremacy of the Constitution: The Constitution essentially represents the highest authority when it
comes to laws. This means that no one can ignore what is stated in the Constitution. This also means that
no one is above the law in any way.
Universal adult suffrage, a national common voters’ roll, regular elections, and a multiparty system
of democratic government to ensure accountability, responsiveness, and openness:
Universal adult suffrage means that all citizens (18 years and older) can vote regardless of race, gender,
or any restriction. This means the right of all people to vote in elections, without any discrimination, is one
of the most fundamental of all human rights and civil liberties. The national common voters roll is a
centralised register of all citizens that are registered to vote – in order to be on the roll, you have to be
registered and this is linked to your ID number.
South Africa's national and provincial elections take place every five years. Voters vote for a political party,
not individuals. The political party then gets a share of seats in Parliament in direct proportion to the
number of votes it got in the election. (This process is potentially being updated for the 2024 Elections)
What this all comes down to is that everyone has a say about how the country is run. In a democracy, the
government is put into power by its citizens. The adult citizens of a democracy elect their government. One
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way they do this is by choosing people to stand for them in a parliament. In a multi-
party system, the party that gets the majority votes governs the country. This is why
when its your turn to vote – you should! It’s your right as a citizen and an important part of our democracy.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ROLE MODELS
What is a role model?
A role model is as an example and someone who people look up to,
often as someone worthy of imitation. People have different role
models throughout the stages of their lives. We usually associate the
term role model with celebrities, sports stars and other prominent
figures. But they can also be closer to home, such as your parents,
guardians, teachers, religious leaders or community leaders.
Role models can help show young people how to live their lives with integrity, optimism, hope,
determination, and compassion. They can encourage positive development and be a positive guiding force.
Positive role models demonstrate their commitment to a desired goal and are willing to invest the
necessary time and effort to achieve success. They do not give up easily and they persevere when
confronted by obstacles. Their passion to succeed can inspire young people to follow through and reach
their own goals.
Why are role models important?
We do not usually give this much thought, but role models give us our most important life lessons, with their
actions having a profound influence over us. Positive role models can influence actions, often in the form of
imitation, and motivate us to strive for the standards they have set. A good role model can sometimes
influence a young person even more than his / her parents can.
Positive and Negative Role models:
Positive role model Negative role model
• Respects rights of others. • Has no respect for the rights of others.
• Stands up for the rights of others. • Abuses own rights.
• Exercises rights and responsibilities • Discriminate against other people.
• Treats people equally. • Treats others with disrespect.
• Respects the rights of all political parties. • Do not lead by example, is not law abiding.
• Treats children, elderly people and people living • Engage in drinking and drugs.
with challenges and disabilities with respect. • Bully others in person or on social media
• Leads by example and is law abiding.
Positive role models are kind and honest. They work hard, are knowledgeable, and share their ability with
those around them. Negative influences are the people it is best to stay away from. Negative role models
can be unfriendly, uncooperative, and often complain about anything and everything.
A negative role model is someone who influences others in a bad way. Negative role models can be public
figures, such as celebrities, whose poor behaviour and decisions set a negative example for those around
them.
Negative role models exert an influence like that of positive role models, but they differ when it comes to
the type of behaviour being shown. Negative role models are more likely to inspire a “prevention mindset”,
which encourages young people to pursue avoidance strategies to prevent negative outcomes.
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Examples include cheating on a test to avoid failing or abusing drugs or alcohol to
block out challenges. The set of coping mechanisms that negative role models inspire may seem like they
are effective, but these strategies tend to be physically or emotionally unhealthy.
LESSON 2
Role models that uphold constitutional values: Parents and leaders in the community/society.
• Parents are influential role models in your life. You learn about your morals and values from them.
• Leaders in your community can also share and educate us about what is right and wrong as well as
morals and values.
• Teachers are leaders at school, who educate and set an example of how to behave.
• Religious leaders, sport coaches, political leaders, business leaders and business owners can assist in
promoting human rights within a community.
What does a good role model do?
• Inspire and motivate young people in their development and choices - encouraging good behaviour and
habits.
• Role models can inspire generations for years to come, which is why most role models try to set a good
example.
• Everyone faces challenges at one point or another, seeing heroes face their own challenges and
bounce back can be a source of inspiration and motivation.
This is especially true for people who face forms of discrimination – be it because of a disability, their
sexuality or race.
Inspire faith and confidence in people to achieve their goals, despite the obstacles in their way. For
example, an athlete with a disability who goes on to win a world championship, will play an important
role to someone with a similar disability who feels they can’t achieve their goals.
• Inspire the youth to set and achieve their goals.
• Role models can be a template for success and can help people set ambitious goals, often modelling
the type of behaviour required to reach their goal, even if it’s in a totally different field.
Examples of upholding constitutional values and being a good role model:
• Always show respect to others.
• Oppose any form of discrimination.
• Respect other people’s values and beliefs.
• Treat everyone with dignity.
• Promote the concept of Ubuntu.
• Do not use abusive or vulgar language.
• Practice patience, understanding and tolerance.
• Treat everyone as you would like to be treated.
• Protect and care for your environment.
• Promote peace.
• Be honest in every dealing.
• Fight against corruption.
• Know your rights and responsibilities.
• Participate in elections and keep yourself informed.
• Accept and value diversity.
• Love your country.
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Applying constitutional values in daily life:
• Human dignity: Treat other people with respect by using appropriate language and not doing harm to
anyone physically. Eradicate bullying at school and everywhere else. Be sensitive to every human
being.
• Encourage other people to take part in nation building activities.
• Equality: Do not discriminate against people. Improvement of education and employment levels in your
community is vital by being responsible about your schoolwork to help others in your community.
Volunteer yourself in programmes that suit your personality. Examples could be helping at an old age
home.
• Freedom: Be involved in democratic processes. Example: By being a productive member of the
student body at your school or voting in the next elections once you reach 18 years.
Other values to uphold:
• Show commitment to your family by respecting and honouring your parents. Be kind and loyal to the
rest of your family.
• Right to live in a safe environment includes conservation of the natural environment by protecting plant
and animal life.
• Preventing pollution includes not littering at school or at home and not wasting water.
• Right to citizenship means to obey the laws of our country and contributing to make South Africa a great
country.
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