Human rights and rites of passage

In Iran and Venezuela this month, ordinary people like us have been taking their lives into their own hands by protesting on the streets demanding change. In both cases, they desperately want to live in countries led by governments that take their human rights into account. 

These aren’t new battles, they have been ongoing for years, but they have come to a head for various reasons. Living in a country where your human rights are respected and you have electricity, running water, food, jobs, and education is essential for all of us, right? 

This week, in our special matric edition, education and careers are highlighted. That excitement and trepidation we all experience on finding out our matric results is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

There is such a huge emphasis on those particular results. There’s a sense that our lives depend on them. For those finishing school, I understand the pressure. But as an adult with a few years under my belt, those results aren’t the be-all-and-end-all of our lives. If you don’t get six or eight distinctions, it’s not life-threatening – or it shouldn’t be. 

I do understand the pressure to get into the right university and the right degree. Marks count for that. However, there are many paths to the same destination or to your best destination. 

You do have to put your all into studying for matric exams. It’s important. But if you don’t get the results you hoped for after all your effort, trust me, you can still follow your dreams. It might take a little longer. You might find a roundabout way to get there, but if there’s something you really want to do, you will do it. 

Many matriculants at the age of 17 or 18 have no clue what they want to do for the rest of their lives. That’s understandable. They have a long life ahead, and they may not have discovered their personal holy grail And that is understandable. They may need to go along a couple of paths to find it. 

There’s always such pressure on matriculants to get that degree and get to making a life for themselves. The truth is that pressure is unwarranted. For some, their paths are clear, they get into their chosen degrees, and life seems easy. That’s great, but it doesn’t happen for everyone. The pressure matriculants are under to do that is unfair. 

If you are passionate about what you do in life, you will do it well, and it will bring you joy. So, in pursuit of finding that, there’s no mad rush, just possibly a bit of trial and error to find your path. 

My point is: matric is vitally important, but it can’t always be the ultimate decider of your career and life. 

Having said that, we are proud of our 2025 matriculants’ achievements. I particularly want to give a shoutout to those at King David Victory Park who endured the end of their school at the same time as writing matric. I hope the integration of the Parkers into their new school is smooth and without stress. 

However, when considering the humanitarian crises in Venezuela and Iran – also in this edition – right now, it does bring to mind what’s most important for all of us. 

I find it astonishing how when citizens revolt against their government calling for change, as in the case of both these countries, there isn’t more support for them. 

Considering how many years their populations have been battling under authoritarian regimes – albeit very different ones – I imagine that we would be fighting for their human rights. 

I say that considering how so many people in the world are focusing on the human rights of Gazans and taking constant aim at Israel for anything it does. It does appear that there’s a large majority of people who fight for the human rights of all the world’s citizenry, right? 

Consider that the Iranian authorities are using live ammunition on their own people protesting against the government. Civilians calling for the downfall of their government are being killed and the numbers bandied around in the media are in some cases as high as 12 000 dead. This number isn’t verified, but nevertheless many are dying. 

But where are the massive protests around the world, especially from South Africa against the Iranian regime? I mean, human rights is the cornerstone of our democracy. So, the ANC keeps telling us when its leaders take on Israel. 

Why aren’t all those so-called human rights activists and our national leaders, which condemns Israel at every opportunity it finds, condemning the Iranian government? In fact, there hasn’t been a solitary peep out of the ANC. 

And while the Islamic Republican Party is directly implicated in the violent suppression of civilian protests, our government went ahead in initially welcoming Iranian and Russian military naval vessels into our waters during the BRICS+ exercise “Will for Peace”. 

While protests rage in Iran, Venezuela is in a different situation, but that country is also at a tipping point. United States President Donald Trump stepped in and orchestrated the seizure and rendition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. Since then, around 100 of more than 800 political prisoners who were arbitrarily detained have been released. Detention in Venezuela has clearly been used as a tool of repression. 

I know there are varied and divergent views about whether it was acceptable for Trump to do this, but when are we going to be shouting for the civilians in trouble? How long are we going to ignore that and rather throw dirt at Trump? 

I look to our so-called “human rights activists” to stand up for the downtrodden in even just a fraction of the way they have stood against Israel for its behaviour in Gaza. Where are they? What are they saying? 

Aaah, they are condemning Trump instead for Venezuela, and taking a shtum pill regarding Iran. Surprise, surprise! Is this really the behaviour of human rights activists or is it perhaps antisemitism? You tell me! 

Shabbat shalom! 

Peta Krost 

Editor