Top 10 Reasons to Love Our Constitution

1. It protects you. If it were not for the constitution, you could be arrested for almost anything. You might not realize it, but each and every day you are free in ways that were unimaginable 25 years ago.
2. Our children’s rights are the best in the world. The section on children in our constitution has higher standards than the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
3. It’s practical. Imagine if one group decided on which rights everyone else got to have? There’s no other way to cope in a diverse society where everyone has a different idea about the way we should live.
4. It’s fair. Everyone has the right to practice their own culture, religion and traditions as long as these don’t violate the rights of others.
5. It’s advanced. It includes rights that aren’t mentioned in other constitutions, like children and the environment. Our constitution is studied around the world because it’s considered so advanced.
6. It gives us freedom. We can tell jokes about anything we like - in many countries, you can be jailed for insulting the president or the king.
7. It’s accessible. Nobody enjoys more rights just because they’re rich and powerful. We’re all equal before the law.
8. It carries legal weight. If you think your rights are being violated, you have several options listed here. That’s the point of We The People: to educate you– because if you don’t know what your rights are, you can’t stand up for them.
9. Votes are more powerful than tanks. The army does not have the power to change the government because our constitution regards the votes of ordinary people as the most important deciding factor.
10. It represents the people of South Africa at our best. We all know we don’t always achieve the standards spelled out in the constitution, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to reach them.

Mrs Bezuidenhout, will you be voting in this year's municipal elections in Darling?
“No, I vote in Laagerfontein, Mpumalanga, where I am registered, but I will make sure my 107-year-old mother will vote in Darling.”

Why should other people vote?
“There is no alternative. Voting is the key to the door of the future. Don't use it and then don't complain if the door doesn't open.”

Tell us about your experience with your current municipality.
“I like them because they have also taken chances with our Darling Trust. They gave us land to build our swimming pool for the community and we have given them the pool in exchange. It is a great success among the youth.”

What is Evita Bezuidenhout's role during these elections?
“I have no role. I am a citizen determined to make my voice heard. If we all did that, the politicians would run to Lesotho or Swaziland and marry the king.”

Mention the good aspects you have noticed in the current campaigns.
“Very little. Except a lot of good dancing and some very strange costumes.”

Mention any faults have you spotted in some campaigns.
“There is no reinvention to inspire us in 2011. This election is still being run on an old 2004 blueprint. It can't work in a world of instant change.”

Do you have any advice for the parties running in this election?
“Stand up and be heard. Stop hiding behind slogans and lists. I want to see a face and hear a voice - and blame a fool when things go wrong.”

Any advice for specific candidates?
“Do your homework. Belonging to a party is not a guarantee that anyone will believe you. The further you can distance yourself from your party the better. Be an individual who cares, not a cadre who obeys. We don't believe any party any more.”

What is your advice for voters this year?
“Do your job on 18 May. Get up and take your ID book and go and queue up and vote. Do your homework and know that if we do not cure this cancer of corruption with the chemotherapy of democracy, we will lose our country to the criminals (who, Mr. Malema, by the way, are not all white!).”

Comment on the removal of Verwoerd's statue in the Midvaal.
“I have invited him to come and rest in Boerassic Park at Evita se Perron in Darling. He can join Vorster, Botha, Malan and some others. How can we complain about a song like 'Kill the Boer' when everyone still has to drive along a Hendrik Verwoerd Boulevard?”

Comment on the ANC’s recent release of an Afrikaans CD in the Western Cape to win over voters from the coloured and white Afrikaans community.
“Very clever. A song can do more work than a speech. But it depends on the rhythm.”

Comment on the accusations of nepotism against Patricia De Lille.
“Nepotism always begins at home. Charity also starts at home. Education starts at home. Belief in a democracy starts at home. Who is at home to make things work and be an example to the youth? So go home and work at the future.”

What are your hopes for "after the elections"?
“Clean streets. Lights. Toilets with walls and paper. Ears that listen. Eyes that see. Mouths that answer questions. And candidates that don't disappear for another 5 years.”

Any other comments or opinions you would like to make known regarding the elections as a whole, a specific party, any candidates or news events that have concerned the elections?
“The people must lead and the government can follow.”