The Civics Academy is an online learning platform to inform and strengthen democratic values and responsible citizenship among young people. It is an initiative between the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation. Launch of the new Civic Academy held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the main speaker was Thuli Madonsela, then Public Protector.
The book reminds South Africans about the Constitutional values which are pillars against which human rights and constitutional obligations lean and how they guide deeper understanding of constitutional principles.
The book serves to help the public to understand the Constitution and its imperatives better – to understand what went wrong in the past 27 years (actions and omissions) in relation to the upholding of constitutional values – and to understand what ought to have been done! And how that ought to have been done.
It identifies the conduct that delayed and delays performance of constitutional obligations especially owing to lack of diligence and disregard for constitutional values and principles by those occupying public office.
It reminds all citizens and office bearers that the Constitution is not a document of convenience. And exposes how those occupying public office including public servants fail to: use and abide by the law; and uphold the Constitution to ensure the realisation of human rights and perform constitutional obligations.
Parliament, provincial legislatures, municipal councils, the Executive, boards, members of commissions, accounting officers, managers and employees are recounted what they out to have done and how they ought to have conducted themselves.
Court judgments, investigation reports and reports of commissions of enquiry are used to evince and expose how constitutional values were disregarded and weakened.
The book assesses and encourages a high standard of ethics, professionalism, integrity, good governance and constitutionalism, and diligence in the performance of constitutional obligations.
It further suggests interventions and recommendations inter-alia the restructuring of the constitutional and legislative framework of certain constitutional bodies and statutory bodies such as Chapter 9 institutions and PANSALB towards a diligent and speedy realisation of human rights and service delivery, and thus uphold constitutional values.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation collaborated with the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) to launch the exhibition Insurgent Citizens- Reflections on Protest in Democratic South Africa at the Foundation’s Centre of Memory. Photographs show guest viewing the exhibition and singing in the Auditorium. The event was facilitated by Sumaya Hendricks and the Former Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela was the keynote speaker.
The 14th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture 2016 was delivered by Bill Gates on the eve of International Mandela Day at the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi Campus. Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, addressed the theme “Living Together” in his lecture.
