“We observe Human Rights Day at an extraordinary time for our country and the world, as we battle to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19,” Ramaphosa said in a statement on Saturday.

“The threat posed by this formidable adversary has compelled us to take unprecedented steps to protect the most fundamental human right of all, and that is the right to life," he said.

South Africa annually observed Human Rights Day in remembrance of the events of March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville in Gauteng and Langa in Cape Town. In Sharpeville, police fired on a crowd protesting pass laws, killing 69 people and wounding more than 180 others. Saturday marked 60 years since the Sharpeville shootings.

"Regrettably, this year we are not observing this day as we usually do by gathering in our numbers as we do with our national days. The prohibition of gatherings over 100 people is for the health and safety of all," he said.

“This disruption is one of many necessary interventions we need to embrace as our nation sets out to meet a challenge that calls for unity, social solidarity, and personal discipline among all South Africans.

“The right to life, to health and to economic activity is under threat from a virus that has necessitated that we dramatically alter our behaviour as a nation. It further demands us to look at ourselves and the world around us in ways we have not imagined.”

South Africans could take strength from the way in which they had pulled together as a nation, working together closely with all sectors of society.

“If this coronavirus is to leave any positive legacy, let it be that it brought all of us closer together, not just for survival in this moment, but for our future together as a nation that is destined to overcome this challenge," Ramaphosa said.

“As we work together in the best interests of our country, South Africa, today, the events of Sharpeville and Langa on this day 60 years ago remind us of a time when the majority of citizens enjoyed no protection or recognition by the state and were deprived of their fundamental right to dignity.

The theme for Human Rights Day 2020, “The year of unity, socio-economic renewal and nation-building", was a profound call to action for all to play their part in ensuring the "recovery of every compatriot by the coronavirus", as well as the recovery of the economy from the deep effects of this global pandemic.

“Let us be inspired today by the certainty that inspired the people of Sharpeville and Langa: that they would overcome. They did overcome. And so will we," he said.

African News Agency