Kgalema Motlanthe

"We should listen to young people in Africa, they are Africa's greatest resource. ‘We should use their ideas, empower them with education, and invest heavily in young entrepreneurs"

"My grandmother had taught us to say goodbye when we went to the shop in town, because we never knew if we would come back or not. We use to say ‘If you don’t see me, check me at number four"

"Together we can do more to protect and make human rights real. Together we can do more to build a better future we can all be proud of as a nation united in its diversity."

"On this Human Rights Day, we should remember that a common ownership of our history is the basis of nation building and must never be undermined by any interest group based on the subjectivity of race, religion, class, gender or ideology"

"Our democratic government undertakes to never ignore the plight of the poor, those without shelter, those without means to an education and those suffering from abuse and neglect"

"Let us pledge to show the world our abhorrence to the heinous acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance"

"My challenge to those responsible for public policy formulation and implementation is: do we display selflessness, diligence and dedication in the execution of our tasks?"

"Therefore, in a democratic era, I urge you to use democratic institutions available to us to voice our grievances and demands. This is our collective responsibility, as much as it is the responsibility of government to fast-track the creation of a better life for all."

"It is difficult to imagine that 16 years ago South Africa was regarded as a pariah state that was notorious for grotesque violations of human rights. Today our Constitution enjoins each and every one of us to strive for the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom."

"A key message from the Human Rights Day is that we should honour all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the noble goals of freedom"

"Firstly, we must never forget the sacrifices made to forge our South African democracy and thus must never take for granted this reality."

"It is critically important to ensure that these discussions are not solely held in ivory towers of intellectualism and that they do not simply consist of elite factions of our society"

"When democracy was ushered in, it was never assumed that the road to the attainment of material freedom, justice and equality would be an easy path to traverse"

"We must remember that this nation is more than a composition of its challenges"

"Rather than being thrown into the depths of despair by the doubts that this moment raises, I charge us all to embrace doubt"