University of Fort Hare’s law students rallied together to bring copies of the country’s constitution to Scenery Park residents at the community hall on Saturday. The third year students who are part of the Students for Law and Social Justice programme (SLSJ) issued the English and Xhosa versions of the constitution at an event held to help residents become active citizens in bringing change to their community. Research coordinator Lwazi Ncapayi said they also aimed to create a platform to discuss community issues regarding service delivery in the township. Research associate of UCT’s Centre for African Studies and a senior researcher for Inyanda National Land Movement, Dr Fani Ncapayi, and community development practitioner at Border Rural Committee, Bonani Loliwe, were invited panellists. Lwazi said for the past two years they had been doing constitutional awareness through their legal show weekly at a community radio station in East London. “People have been participating over the phone and we felt it was time we became more personal and come to see them,” he said. Lwazi said the group aimed to equip people with knowledge which will lead them to making informed decisions. “We are here to share this information and have a discussion with the residents so that they can reclaim their power from political parties and take initiative to be the change they want to see because it seems that change will not be brought by political parties. “We should shift our mind from complaining and be at the forefront of coming up with solutions,” he said.
SLSJ chair Sibabalwe Manyadu echoed Lwazi’s sentiments. “The constitution is the highest law in the country, so once a person is enlightened about their rights, they will be able to stand up for themselves,” he said. Community member Mhlanganisi Mbekwa said: “This book will help us know better about the laws of our country. We have never had people come to share with us this kind of information and many people in our township are not aware of what the constitution is about. Everyone in South Africa should have a copy of the constitution at home.”..