Hansard: Debate on National Women's Day: Working together to enhance women's economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation
House: Joint (NA + NCOP)
Date of Meeting: 22 Aug 2011
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
JOINT SITTING
Tuesday, 23 August 2011 Take: 449 & 449A
TUESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2011
PROCEEDINGS AT JOINT SITTING
Members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces assembled in the Chamber of the National Assembly at 14:05.
The Speaker of the National Assembly took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, YOUTH, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Start of Day
DEBATE ON NATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: WORKING TOGETHER TO ENHANCE WOMEN'S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE JOB CREATION
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon members, ...
IsiXhosa:
... amakhosikazi, malibongwe!
AMALUNGU AHLONIPHEKILEYO: Igama lamakhosikazi!
UMPHATHISWA WOMAMA, ABANTWANA NABANTU ABAKHUBAZEKILEYO: YiPalamente yamakhosikazi namhlanje.
English:
To commemorate National Women's Day in South Africa represents not only a strong affirmation of the historical contributions that women have made in the struggle against colonial oppression and apartheid, but also of the role that they have played in fighting against patriarchy and gender inequalities.
It is, therefore, the recognition and acceptance that the country's attainment of political freedom and democracy in 1994 was also as a result of heroic struggles waged by women. The day, 9 August, also symbolises a commitment to the continuation of the struggle against patriarchy and inequality for the achievement of a truly nonsexist society.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of the historic women's on 9 August 1956, in which more than 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in opposition to the oppressive apartheid laws. With the dawn of a new democracy, 9 August was declared National Women's Day to commemorate and annually celebrate this courageous act of women at a time when political resistance was met with severe brutality, including arrest, torture and murder.
This year, we pay tribute to two important women leaders, who were part of the historic march to the Union Buildings in 1956, and also former members of this august House. I am here referring to the unfortunate passing away of Mama Bertha Gxowa and Mama Albertina Sisulu. [Interjections.]
They were women who stood side by side with other stalwarts of the August 1956 march - those who are deceased, such as Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and others, who are our living treasures, such as Amina Cachalia, Sophie Williams‑De Bruyn and many others.
We are also here to remember the brutal slaying of Victoria Mxenge by the agents of the apartheid regime during the month of August 1985. These stalwarts, together with other women, remain role models for young women in this country.
Speaker, allow me to share with the House what the commemoration of National Women's Month in 2011 entailed. The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities co-ordinated the countrywide process through several National Gender Machinery preparatory meetings.
During these meetings, which were also attended regularly by a number of women Ministers, Deputy Ministers, women's organisations and nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, a comprehensive national calendar was developed. This calendar contained all the activities of government, development partners, parastatals, Chapter 9 institutions, NGOs and women's organisations.
Given the focus of His Excellency President Jacob Zuma on job creation and addressing unemployment in the country, these National Gender Machinery meetings settled for the theme: Working together to enhance women's opportunities to economic empowerment.
I am proud to say that this theme became the rallying call during the month. Even the National Women's Parliament yesterday kept to the theme and focused on deliberations around the economic empowerment of women. Issues of priority that were raised by the Women's Parliament were the empowerment of women through agricultural training and programmes, rural development, small business development and co-operatives.
The National Women's Build that was hosted by the national Department of Human Settlements on 18 August 2011, emphasised empowerment and self-sufficiency of women, where women - including young women - were trained in construction. This provided these women with skills. They can now go out and seek employment in the building and construction sector or start their own construction businesses. They built 100 houses Brandfort, which were given to the women there.
This was also a day to honour hon Winnie Madikizela Mandela, who spent almost 10 years of her life, banned, in Brandfort. [Applause.] One of the recipients of a house that was built by the women was a 102-year-old woman who was born in 1909.
The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities introduced the National Women's Month on 31 July through the launch of the women's conference. This day was also used to commemorate Pan-African Women's Day, which is the day when the Pan-African Women's Organisation was launched in 1962.
On this day we launched the South African chapter of the African Union's African Women's Decade which runs from 2010 to 2020. The theme for the decade in 2011 focuses on addressing maternal mortality and the high impact of HIV/ Aids on women and girls. This event was addressed by the Minister of Health and also the Regional Director for UNAids.
One of the important points that emerged was that South Africa has done very well in combating HIV and Aids and introducing strategies and programmes that will address this scourge. We also committed ourselves and pledged that South Africa would identify itself with the campaign that includes the "four zeros". We would do so by acknowledging this month and exploring the challenges that are faced by women, including gender inequality, high maternal mortality rate in South Africa, as well as child mortality.
The "four zeros" pertain to zero new infections of HIV, zero discrimination against people living with Aids, zero gender-based violence, and zero new babies born with HIV infections by 2015.
One of the challenges that was highlighted is that the face of HIV is still that of a woman, and this has to be changed. South Africa remains one of the countries that have the highest number of people living with HIV, and concerted efforts must be made to fight the disease.
Minister Dlamini-Zuma gave the keynote address at the launch of the African Women's Decade and called upon all departments to prioritise economic empowerment and job creation for women.
IsiXhosa:
Wathi abasebenzi bakarhulumente mabayeke ukuthi izicwangciso zoshishino zoomama aziphumeleli kuba azilunganga; mabazilungise bona ngokwabo. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Mabasebenze benze ukuba oomama bakwazi ukufikelela kumathuba nakwiimali ezithiwe thaca ngolu rhulumente we-ANC.
English:
From 1 to 3 August, the department hosted a very successful National Women's Conference, where we consulted women from a broad spectrum of sectors. The conference brought together more than 1 000 women from across the country. They included rural women, businesswomen, women in provincial and local government, councillors, MECs, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, women with disabilities, elderly women, young women and women living with HIV.
I am delighted to place on record that the National Women's Conference was attended by a multiparty women's caucus from this Parliament and also ensured representation of female MPs from the national Parliament and also from our provinces. Over the four days, from 31 July to 3 August, we had 15 Cabinet Ministers, who addressed the women and pledged to ensure that their programmes would focus on women's concerns and needs and are gender oriented. The highlight was the keynote address by His Excellency Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa during the closing ceremony. The conference presented a women's declaration to the Deputy President.
In preparation for this conference, we also held national summits with rural women, young women and women in the media. We met with women in business and also with women in the trade union movement. We also had a successful gender and climate change dialogue on 7 and 8 August 2011, hosted by the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation and Minister of Environmental Affairs. We are also in the process of meeting with women with disabilities, this coming Monday, 29 August 2011.
The August month activities occurred against the background of a national summit for rural women that was held in Tzaneen, in Limpopo. This process is assisting the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to develop a strategy for rural women's development, which will be finalised after consultation with all nine provinces.
Deliberations at this summit also took into consideration issues of climate change. There are linkages between poverty and climate change that put women more at risk than men. Women are generally more vulnerable to poverty than men.
There are important gender perspectives in all aspects of climate change because of men and women's gender roles in society and in the division of labour. This has resulted in the feminisation of poverty and gender inequalities, as well as inequalities in accessing resources.
It is sad that three months after holding such a momentous summit for rural women, we heard of the loss of one of the gallant fighters for rural development, Mama Cynthia Molo, who was the president of the Women in Agriculture and Rural Development Association, Ward, in the Eastern Cape. May her soul rest in peace.
We also hope that women in rural areas and at the level of local government will be inspired by her resolve and commitment to the development and empowerment of rural women.
In the light of the fact that South Africa will be hosting the 17th Conference of Parties, COP 17, and as we prepare for COP 17 which will take place in Durban, South Africa, we need to make sure that we attend the conference as women, speaking with one voice, having one position. It is therefore important that we ensure that gender is a significant factor in the construction of social vulnerability in relation to the risk caused by natural disasters.
Notwithstanding the significant importance of the economic empowerment of women, the month also addresses issues of gender-based violence. The issue of so-called corrective rape of lesbian women in our society, as it has come to be known, is also being addressed in several ways in our country.
Led by the Deputy Minister of Police, a consultative meeting was held with lesbian women, councillors, religious leaders and community leaders in Khayelitsha on 5 August this month. Another meeting was held in Kwa-Thema in Springs, led by the Premier of Gauteng.
These are attempts by this government to ensure that the police and our communities address and stop the attacks on lesbian women and also stop the so-called corrective rape. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development has also taken up the issue. He has set up a special task team to look at urgent strategies to address and to stop this abuse of lesbian women.
Gender-based violence is acknowledged as a scourge in this country. In January this year, this Minister presented the country's report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, committee in Geneva.
In the concluding observations of the committee, gender-based violence is highlighted as an area to which South Africa needs to pay specific attention. In response to this, the department has been vigorously preparing and consulting with women across sectors, including women at the National Women's Conference, and stakeholders on the establishment of a national council on gender-based violence.
The matter is currently being deliberated upon at Cabinet level and further information will be presented in this regard. We hope that we will be able to set up the council very soon. We have to ensure that this council actually drives the 365-day national action plan against woman and child abuse.
We have had to acknowledge the fact that gender-based violence is continually robbing our country of courageous women and their health. The existing pieces of legislation have been in place for quite some time, but we have to ensure that women are aware of these laws and are aware of their rights.
Commissions to further interrogate this topic were also held at the young women's consultative meeting, the Rural Women's Summit, as well as at the National Women's Conference at the beginning of this month. Although South Africa has envisaged a 50-50 gender parity in the area of decision-making, we have done very well as far as political representation of women is concerned.
We know we have over 44% women in Parliament and 43% women in Cabinet. We used to have 40% women in local government, but unfortunately we have moved back in that regard. We are now at 38% female councillors.
This clearly demonstrates the fact that it is only the ANC that is committed to equal representation and women's empowerment in this country. [Applause.] It is only the ANC that has a 50% quota in its constitution in this country. The ANC put out 47% women in the local government list. Other parties have pulled us down. The DA only had 33% women and other parties had less. Hence, we were pulled down to 48%.
In the private sector, we are also not doing so well. The President highlighted this matter on 9 August 2011 when he addressed the nation on the need for women's empowerment and the economic empowerment of women in particular. He said the private sector has failed us in this regard.
We are therefore saying that we will be coming to Parliament with a Gender Equality Bill next year, which will enforce equality for women, both in the private and the public sector. [Applause.]
In conclusion, I would like to say that the vision of this department will only be achieved through working together with women in civil society, with women in NGOs, with programmes such as the National Women's Parliament and also national and provincial governments and our municipalities, where we need to make sure that gender programmes, gender desks and focal points are also established.
Children's units should also be established in our municipalities, which are the face of service delivery in this country. We cannot expect our women to move from QwaQwa to Bloemfontein for them to get their services. With these words, I want to say to all the women of South Africa, Happy women's month! [Applause.]
Mrs D ROBINSON
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Mrs D ROBINSON: Hon Speaker, and members...
IsiXhosa:
... molweni makhosikazi ...
Afrikaans:
... baie welkom aan almal hier van my kiesafdeling.
English:
We are delighted to have you all with us. Minister, while I accept what you are doing is in the right direction, I want to say that we look forward to the day when you have a leader of your party who is a woman, when we have a President who is a woman ... [Interjections.] ... and a Judge President who is a woman. [Applause.]
Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been ...
[Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Order, hon members, Order!
Mrs D ROBINSON:
Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.
Those were the words of wisdom spoken by the former President Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Seventeen years later, during this Women's Parliament, we need to ask ourselves: What freedoms do women in South Africa enjoy? What are the challenges, risks and obstacles that women are facing, and how can they best be addressed?
During the plenary session of our Women's Parliament yesterday, we discussed how women's economic development could be enhanced through skills development and sustainable job creation. The focus is on helping women to free themselves from the socioeconomic circumstances and the oppression of prejudice and traditional attitudes, which often denigrate women and their worth.
Women are rarely passive victims of their circumstances. In rural and poor communities, they are usually the most active in working towards and ensuring the well-being of their families and the greater community. Yet the high levels of violence faced by women in South Africa cannot be separated from the state of poverty in which too many of them live.
A report released by the Department of Trade and Industry and the International Finance Corporation, found that black women are the largest self-employed group in the population, with the majority of them running informal businesses. The challenge is not teaching poor and rural women what they need to do to empower themselves economically, but rather finding out from them what needs to be done to break down the barriers they face in earning a decent income and moving their businesses from the informal to the formal sector.
The participants themselves must identify solutions, and this is what was achieved in the commissions held yesterday after the plenary. Useful suggestions were made as to how government departments could more effectively reach women in order to be responsive to specific challenges.
In adopting this programme, the Women's Parliament aims to ensure that government achieves its commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3: Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women by 2015. However, Speaker, I refer to our own Constitution, which guarantees equality and human rights for all.
Why is it then, that according to the Shadow report published by the Tshwaraganang Legal Advocacy Centre, does the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development seem to be retreating from gender equality to vulnerability when dealing with women?
South Africa's Constitutional Court makes it clear that few things can be more important to women than freedom from the threat of sexual violence. So important is this right to be free from all forms of violence that along with the rights to life and dignity, it imposes two sorts of duties on the state.
Firstly, it obliges the state to refrain from acting in ways that infringe on these rights and secondly; it compels it to develop legislation and structures that guarantee those rights. We are looking at two pieces of legislation, the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act.
I will focus only on the Domestic Violence Act, due to time constraints. According to a reply to a Parliamentary question, the South African Police Services, SAPS, does not consider domestic violence a stand-alone crime when it compiles statistics. Therefore, trends cannot be tracked and effective policing strategies cannot be developed to combat domestic violence. It makes a mockery of the stated priority of SAPS to reduce violence against women.
Other deficiencies mentioned in the Shadow Report are: the lack of required documentation at police stations; widespread failure of police to protect victims of domestic violence; inadequate training of police on the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act; failure to serve protection orders on abusers and not filing copies; and failure to report to Parliament on the implementation of the Act every six months, as required by law.
No wonder The Times of Monday 22 August 2011, refers to the "Domestic Violence Shambles".
Hon members, this report states that service delivery has been severely impeded, and that implementation is poor in relation to the Domestic Violence Act because of the absence of a costing framework. Apparently, Cabinet declined to legislate on the provisions of comprehensive management treatment and care services to rape survivors and their families because of costs. But it allowed the creation of the National Register for Sex Offenders, a lesser version of the National Child Protection Register, which has also not been implemented due to cost. Yet the state is obliged to refrain from acting in ways that infringe on these rights!
Secondly, it is compelled to develop legislation and structures that guarantee those rights. Speaker, can we say that government is meeting those requirements when we read that women are not protected and that the law is not carried out to the letter? No, government is failing our women.
The Cabinet needs to put its money where its mouth is. If it is serious about women's rights - personal, political and economic - then it needs to reconsider the budget and what informs its decision-making. Women will never be truly free while institutions of state do not protect their safety.
Financial considerations cannot be used as an excuse when we see so much wasteful and unnecessary expenditure in other spheres, internally and externally. What about the recent loan to the Kingdom of Swaziland? This is not the best example of a democratic state which upholds human rights.
Hon members, true empowerment of women, economic or otherwise, will only occur when the patriarchal attitudes of some men in our society change; not while some men, young and old, think that they have the right to regard women simply as sex objects for their gratification;
not while many women suffer from the stigma of being classed as witches; or while elderly women are raped and often murdered by young men returning from the mountain after their initiation. Yes! This was mentioned a number of times during the commissions yesterday.
Women will never be free to develop and grow their skills as entrepreneurs and businesswomen unless there is a complete paradigm shift in all of us. I quote from gender activist, Cheryl Roberts:
The war on women, their bodies and sexual choices is violent and brutal. It's a war waged by fearful men forced to believe in their masculine and heterosexual superiority and power; but we must never give in to male gender domination, or allow this war on women to brutalise us into submission.
Men and women, as brothers and sisters, we need to be united in a common cause of uplifting those who are caught up in the cycle of poverty and who are marginalised. We need to remove the obstacles that impede progress. We, Parliamentarians, need to set the example to support and uplift.
It is vital that those of us who represent women and the vulnerable groups, especially those suffering from HIV/Aids, those who have disabilities - especially the deaf and those who cannot speak - do more to facilitate change, fight prejudice and remove the barriers that are preventing our citizens from being fully recognised as individuals.
We must acknowledge their special attributes. Everybody needs a chance in life. More importantly, there must be the political will to ensure that legislation and measures are enforced.
Lastly, let us not encourage our youth to be indulgent, wasteful and to spend their money on expensive pastimes that are foreign to our cultures. Let's instil family values, encourage mutual respect in recognising the human rights of all men, women and children. In respecting the values imparted by our grandmothers, we will help others to escape the cycle of poverty.
The march to the Union Buildings 55 years ago was a peaceful and dignified demonstration, but it took courage, determination and inner strength. Let us learn from those women; forgetting divisions, united in a common cause, they were selfless and courageous. Let us emulate them.
IsiXhosa:
Malibongwe! Wathintha abafazi wathintha imbokodo. [Applause.]
Mrs M A A NJOBE
Ms D ROBINSON
Mrs M A A NJOBE: Speaker and hon members, I would also like to add my voice to those who have greeted the women up there in the gallery.
IsiXhosa:
Sithi mholweni makhosikazi, namkelekile ePalamente. [Enkosi.]
English:
One's spirit is a bit low, colleagues, because of the sad news of the death of one of our colleagues, Mr Tolo, which we received yesterday. However, duty calls and life goes on.
As we are gathered here today debating women's status under the theme, Working together to enhance economic women's empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation, it is on behalf of Cope that I would like to salute all women in all walks of life irrespective of race, creed, culture or religion, who took part in the struggle against apartheid.
For some of the unsung heroines such as Doreen Motshabi, Alzinah Zondi, Kate Mxakato, Dora Tamana, Ms Njokweni, Ms Holo and others, their role in the struggle was not in vain. Today South Africa ranks number four in the world with 45% of women parliamentarians. Though men still outnumber women, South Africa is the major contributor to the 19,4% of women parliamentarians in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The women who fought for the struggle would be very happy in their graves if one day the poverty stricken women, particularly those in rural areas, could achieve some of the following things. They would be happy if women could be financially independent; have access to employment; if a gender-oriented approach to poverty reduction would concentrate on the economic development and empowerment of poor women; and if there could be resources generating opportunities that are easily accessible to women's needs.
In this regard the Department of Trade and Industry is challenged to make its funding programmes accessible to women in rural areas in order to generate employment opportunities to promote women's economic empowerment.
These unsung heroines would be happy if in rural areas, indigenous women are given access to ownership of land. The struggle of liberation was about land. The Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform concurred yesterday that the Land Act of 1913 fuelled the struggle.
However, one might ask how much of that 87% of land that was held by those who had taken it away from the people is in the hands of the majority today, particularly women? We need to know if we are making progress in accessing the land, particularly women.
The women of 1956 who marched to Pretoria would be happy if programmes would provide financial assistance and credit, with accommodating interest rates and convenient terms of repayment so as to create opportunities for women to engage in small business activities.
This is a challenge to lending institutions, in particular the Land Bank, to open their doors and provide financial assistance to promote women's economic empowerment. The women of 1956 would be happy if programmes could provide education, employment and training that will build the capacity of women to become economically independent and thus enable them to alter situations of violence. Of course the women of 1956 would be happy to hear that!
We challenge the institutions of higher learning, including the institutions such as the further education and training sector and the Setas, to speed up the training of women in order for them to achieve economic empowerment.
It would be good if there could be functional literacy programmes which are a crucial step in empowering women to take control of their lives. This means that Adult Basic Education and Training, Abet, programmes needs to be revisited to ensure it is effective. We know it does exist but it is hardly effective, particularly in the rural areas. This is because of inadequate funding for those who have been trained to carry out the programmes.
The Department of Higher Education needs to look into this very, very seriously. It is unacceptable that millions of adults, especially women, are still illiterate or semiliterate in this country, which is the most developed country in Africa. It is a fact that education is the key factor in enabling people to access knowledge.
The lack of commitment to women's empowerment has left the majority of women in rural areas trapped in poverty. The majority of women in rural areas are unemployed, as we all know. They lack access to arable land, land ownership and microfinance services for economic empowerment.
In conclusion, we call on the women's Ministry to play an active oversight role and to make sure that budgeting in all government departments - national, provincial and local - is gender responsive.
Women's political visibility alone is not enough. Women must also take the initiative to empower themselves with the necessary information and knowledge in order to access facilities that are made available by the various government departments.
This morning, the Portfolio Committee on Tourism examined the national department's statistics on the training of tour guides. We noted that the percentage of women participating is extremely low. This is the case in all provinces.
Tourism is yet another opportunity for women to take up in order to create jobs for themselves. So, all women here, both Members of Parliament and our guests can take the message to their areas that there is an opportunity for women to participate. The statistics for woman is extremely low, and yet they could participate as tour guides. It is quite a safe form of employment to take part in.
To succeed, women must be organised and collectively work together. An example of this was well illustrated by an organisation called Mhani Gingi Social Entrepreneurial Network yesterday during the deliberations of the National Women's Parliament.
It is very important that we are organised to be able to achievement. This also means that women formations, including the National Women's Parliament, Multiparty Women's Caucus, Civil society organisations of women and existing structures such as the Gender Commission for Equality should follow a common programme and pursue a common vision of an inclusive society free of all forms of discrimination and inequality.
If we can achieve these things, we would definitely be able to achieve the aims of our theme:Working together to enhance economic women's empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mrs C N Z ZIKALALA
Mrs M A A NJOBE
Mrs C N Z ZIKALALA: Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise today to first and foremost pay tribute to our mothers and grandmothers. It was in this month on 9 August 1956, that 20 000 women of all races, carrying 100 000 petitions, descended on the Union Buildings.
These brave women protested against the apartheid regime's inhumane act of forcing women to carry passes in urban areas. This month marks the spirit and courage of women in our country, past and present. Our women have always taken a stand at the most critical moments in our country's history.
Women's month reminds us that women's voices must be heard. It reminds us that the road we have travelled as South African women has been a long, difficult and treacherous one. It also reminds us that we still have a long road to travel to fully realise our dream of an inclusive society, free of unfair discrimination, inequality and abuse.
Should we, as women leaders of this Parliament and South Africa at large, instead of debating the theme,Empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation, not have come here today to report to the House on the progress that we have made in our communities? I believe this approach would have been far more effective. [Applause.]
While the IFP agrees that our country can show many gains and achievements in promoting women's rights and advocating gender equality, many challenges persist and need to be overcome if we are to achieve a truly democratic and nonsexist society.
Other key challenges include the poverty of our people; the underdevelopment of our country; the pervasiveness of crime; repercussions of unemployment; the anguish of disease; inefficiencies of our education system; the scourge of corruption; a decline in morality; the very real problem of food security; the health of the rule of law; and the HIV and Aids pandemic.
As the IFP, we are deeply concerned about food security, particularly in our rural areas where subsistence agriculture has largely fallen away. How will our families put food on the table as the price of food continues to skyrocket? The IFP has always urged our women not to wait for government handouts.
Everyone who has two hands should produce something in order to earn a living, even in a garden near one's home. A vegetable garden is worth its weight in gold. We need far greater emphasis on self-help and self-reliance than what the present ANC government is willing to commit to. Instead, the government is creating a welfare state where some 15 million South Africans receive a social grant.
I am not criticising the idea of social grants. The IFP's philosophy has always been to empower people to help themselves, not to make them dependent on a state that cannot provide for all their needs. History tells us that a welfare state will inevitably collapse under the weight of its financial obligations.
In conclusion, that is not what we want for South Africa; we want sustainable development that will make our citizens to become more and more self-sufficient. Only in this way can the full measure of human dignity be achieved; and only in this way can we see South Africa becoming economically prosperous.
Once women are empowered with the skills they need, they can create sustainable jobs for themselves.
IsiZulu:
Ngithanda ukubonga umhlonishwa, uNgqongqoshe uLulu Xingwana ukuthi namhlanje unitshele ukuthi sikhona lapha uma kukhulunywa izindaba zabesifazane, asiphuthi. Bengithi uzosho uthi ikakhulukazi i-IFP. [Uhleko.] Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.]
Ms B V MNCUBE
C N Z ZIKALALA
Mrs C N Z ZIKALALA
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, as I call hon Mncube, I really appeal to you that you discuss the very important business, other than what we are discussing here, very softly. The noise is beginning to drown out the speakers. Hon Mncube.
Hon MEMBERS: Malibongwe [Praise be]! [Applause.]
Ms B V MNCUBE: Madam Deputy Speaker, Speaker, Chairperson of the NCOP, and all protocol observed. We are gathered here today to honour the struggles waged by the women of South Africa over the past decades, in particular the last 55 years.
In doing so, we salute the heroines by the names of the late Ma Bertha Gxowa, Ma Lillian Ngoyi, Ma Adelaide Tambo, Ma Sisulu, Auntie Sophie de Bruyn, Ma Winnie Mandela, Annie Silinga, Rahima Moosa, Ruth First and many more unsung heroines who, 55 years ago, decided that enough was enough.
They could no longer fold their arms when their husbands, brothers, sons and they themselves were brutalised, savaged and dehumanised by being forced to carry a dompas in the land of their birth.
Deputy Speaker, allow me to wish the Speaker a happy birthday! May he see many more. [Applause.]
The theme of this debate today is, Working Together to Enhance Women's Economic Empowerment through Skills Development and Sustainable job Creation. The question we need to ask ourselves today is: How far have we come in addressing the legacy of apartheid in relation to women's economic empowerment since we achieved political freedom in 1994?
In the Rivonia Trial, the first democratically elected President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, said:
Never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by the other.
I will equate this great quotation with the resolution of women - they want economic freedom in their lifetime, in this very decade, and that never and never again shall women be dominated by the opposite gender in terms of economic freedom or empowerment. [Applause.]
Yesterday we had a women's parliament and the women from the provinces, who are seated up there, expressed great concern over the absence of Ministers, who were invited but did not attend. [Applause.]
These women wanted to know what programmes and opportunities were available in the Ministers' respective departments for the economic empowerment and skills development of women that will enable them to put bread or food on the table.
Women make up just over half of the population of South Africa and there are 1,2 million more women than men on the voters' roll. In the poorest areas, such as informal settlements, rural areas and the black townships, there are more women than men. Just over half of women live in rural areas where there are few jobs or economic opportunities.
Access to land is a problem and support for small-scale farming is a major problem for African women. Over two thirds, between 67% and 68%, of the urban female population is in the 15-year to 65-year age group. In rural areas, women in this group constitute 55% and men 45%.
This justifies the call for drastic and radical changes to ensure women's economic empowerment without delay. We look forward to seeing more women in the Western Cape cabinet. The ANC-led government, in showing it is serious about addressing the issues of women, has established a women's Ministry.
As women of South Africa, we therefore call on the Minister of Economic Development to look into the New Growth Path to ensure that the strategy responds to these statistics. We acknowledge that the government has put legislation and mechanisms in place, but the pictures and graphs are still the same.
The women indicated yesterday that they still experience evictions on farms and still have no access to clean running water. As a result, they compete with cattle and horses to get water from the rivers.
We were told by the Northern Cape delegates that women over the age of 35 are declared unemployable and are also asked for evidence of their experience, whereas they have never been employed in their lives. This causes problems, as it is against the following clause of the Freedom Charter:
All people shall have equal rights to trade where they choose, to manufacture and to enter all trades and professions.
The appeal is for the Department of Labour to put mechanisms in place to ensure that women are not discriminated against.
Whereas government has introduced legislation, policies and regulations, holds izimbizo and has established parliamentary constituency offices and outreach programmes, a big problem or challenge regarding the flow of information still exists. The National Women's Parliament recommended yesterday that all avenues be explored, such as community radios, churches, schools, etc, to ensure that government and departmental information is made available.
Women also indicated that the information should be simplified and be in the language they best understand. This is in line with the Freedom Charter clause which says:
All people shall have equal rights to use their own language and to develop their own folk culture and customs.
Women see this as an opportunity for job creation.
The women yesterday also identified a challenge, namely that the departments are still working in silos. As a result, this causes delays as they have to move from one department to the other. The women indicated that whereas the programmes to develop skills are in place, the language of such programmes is too technical and ambiguous. This confuses them and leads to them dropping out.
They also raised the need for tracking how many women have been trained and in which field, as well as their whereabouts, so as to monitor, mentor and support them. Adult learning was emphasised as a cornerstone in job creation for women. As the saying goes:
When you educate a woman you educate a nation, but when you educate a man you educate an individual.
[Interjections.] [Applause.]
Yesterday women indicated that they also want to enter big business, the engineering domain, the mining sector and to export their products, such as traditional wear, beading materials, food products, etc. They also want to be linked to the international and local markets. They recommended that as and when there are festivals, let them also be invited to sell and showcase their products.
They want the Department of Trade and Industry not to deregister their companies without making an effort to support them. They also want thorough training in business skills so that they are able to sustain their businesses and co-operatives. The women also requested that departmental officials should be trained in all aspects of legislation so that they are able to explain it to communities, to support them and also enforce the implementation of the legislation.
In closing the debate, the women recommended that as well as having Football Fridays, we should also have Culture Fridays or Culture Wednesdays so as to promote our culture and traditions, as they see this as opening up job opportunities.
I therefore want to make an appeal that all issues which were raised by the Women's Parliament yesterday be processed by relevant Ministries, relevant portfolio committees and select committees for oversight purposes and monitoring, as women complained that they are tired of talk shops.
I thank you. Igama lamakhosikazi [the name of women]!
Hon MEMBERS: Malibongwe [let it be praised]!
Mrs S U PAULSE
Ms B V Mncube
Mrs S U PAULSE: Deputy Speaker, this government has recognised the vital importance of education as a primary aspect of human security and as a tool to empower women in South Africa.
Through this debate, we acknowledge that the wealth and well-being of our nation will be enhanced by economic empowerment of women. In order to achieve this objective, it is crucial that the opportunities and obstacles that exist are fully assessed and comprehensively tackled.
Despite the adoption of progressive quotas for women in leadership structures of government, women on the ground remain neglected and ignored.
Women working in the informal sector, however are likely to have less access to basic health care services, education, financial capital, political appointments, employee rights and land ownership.
This becomes aggravated by the escalating unemployment rate. Women in poorer South African communities often bear the brunt of the ripple effects of unemployment, which includes poverty, crime and various forms of social injustices.
August is recognised as Women's Month, but it is also the start of a series of awareness drives, leading up to the 16 Days of Activism Against the Abuse of Women and Children.
It is crucial that government and the society work together to curb violence and abuse against women, children and members of South Africa's homosexual community. I thank you.
Mr N M KGANYAGO
Mrs S U PAULSE
Mr N M KGANYAGO: Deputy Speaker, hon members, ...
Sepedi:
... mmago ngwana o swara thipa ka bogaleng. Ke a boeletša ke re mmago ngwana o swara thipa ka bogaleng.
Afrikaans:
In tye van gevaar, gryp die ma die mes aan die skerpkant. Dit is die Afrikaanse weergawe. Ek dink dit maak sin.
English:
Two minutes - don't worry, I will go beyond those two minutes. Literally translated to English, this means: In times of danger, the mother grabs the knife by the sharp edge. She is not afraid. This is what is actually happening in this country.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of the 9 August 1956 march, where approximately 20 OOO women across the political spectrum marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, protesting against pass laws. The events of that day are an example of the pivotal role played by women in the struggle for liberation. Women worked in tandem with their male counterparts in our liberation struggle.
However, sadly, in our country, as in many parts of the world, women carry a disproportionate burden of poverty. Research shows that women are more likely to be poorer than their male counterparts. This is attributable to the past systematic discrimination they faced in education, employment and leadership roles in society. It is estimated that women make up approximately 70% of the world's poor. In essence, political freedom is yet to be translated into meaningful economic freedom for women.
The UDM believes that if we are to successfully bridge the gap between women and their male counterparts in our country, thus reducing the burden of poverty, we need to assign more resources to the development of skills among even the most marginalised women.
We need to find ways to redress the past systematic discrimination of women in education and training. We need to develop system-wide incentives as a means to ensure that women become part of the economic mainstream by developing their skills through specific vocational training programmes.
While the many short-term government women's projects are noble attempts to eradicate the high levels of poverty among women, investment in skills development, already highlighted above, will go a long way towards creating long-term employment opportunities for women, aid their attainment of economic freedom and ensure continuous development, career growth and enhanced employability.
Thank you very much for the two minutes that I had been given to say something about women.
Sepedi:
Tšwelang pele basadi. Le bogale!
Mr P J GROENEWALD
Mr N M KGANYAGO
Mr P J GROENEWALD: Adjunkspeaker, getrou aan die tradisie, het die agb Minister hulde gebring aan daardie vroue wat diegang van die geskiedenis verander het.
Ek wil dan ook graag hier hulde bring aan daardie Afrikanervroue wat ook die gang van die geskiedenis verander het. Ek verwys spesifiek na die Voortrekkervroue wat net besluit het dat hulle nie langer onder Britse oorheersing wou wees nie. Waar die manne soms gewonder het of hulle moet terugdraai, was dit juis daardie vroue wat soos die agb spreker gesê het, die mes aan sy skerpkant gegryp het en gesê het: "Ons gaan nie terug na 'n Britse bewind nie."
As ons praat van die ekonomiese bemagtiging van die vrou, dan is die tyd lankal verby waar daar gedink is dat jy 'n vrou ekonomies bemagtig as jy haar haar man se kredietkaard gegee het. Ekonomiese bemagtiging van ons vroue in vandag se tyd beteken dat daar baie mans is wat eers ekonomies bemagtig word as die vrou haar kredietkaard vir hom gee. Daardie ekonomiese bemagtiging bring ook sekere eise.
Daar is 'n spreekwoord wat sê: "As 'n volk se vroue opgevoed is, het jy 'n opgevoede volk."
Die ekonomiese uitdagings vereis dat ons vroue ook in die werksplek moet wees. Dit is ook verblydend om te sien, wanneer mens kyk na die bemagtiging van vroue en na die top sakevroue in Suid-Afrika, dat daar verskeie blanke vroue, swart vroue, bruin vroue en Indiër vroue is.
Inteendeel, as jy kyk na die top 33 sakevroue van die Mail & Guardian, sien ons dat agt blank is en dat die ander swart is. Dit is ook 'n weerspieëling van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing.
Ek wil ook daarmee sê dat daar meer aandag gegee moet word aan die man en die vrou as dit kom by die opvoeding van ons kinders. Daar sal gekyk moet word of ons vroue by die werksplek hul kinders ook daar te kan hê, sodat hulle ook dáar aandag aan hul kinders kan gee.
As ons dit nie gaan doen nie gaan ons groter probleme in Suid-Afrika hê as wat ons al klaar het en ons sal dan nie die dissipline kan handhaaf en wedersydse respek vir mekaar kan kweek nie. Ek dank u. [Applous.]
Mrs S T WILLIAMS-DE BRUYN
Mr P J GROENEWALD
Mrs S T WILLIAMS-DE BRUYN: Deputy Speaker, hon Members of Parliament, and may I also greet all our sisters and women gathered here for the Women's Parliament on this the 55th anniversary of the great march to Pretoria.
It is with great humility and honour at being asked, that I share with you the personal experience of that momentous protest march to the centre of apartheid power in Pretoria in 1956. I count myself fortunate and privileged to be amongst the few who still live to tell the story as it happened at the time, so as to draw lessons for today's struggle.
I am indeed fortunate to have lived to bear witness to the freedom we have today - one of the consequences of that march. With pride we can say that this Women's Parliament is an outcome of a long struggle waged by women in their contribution to the national democratic struggle, of which the 1956 march was a part.
On this occasion of the Women's Parliament, it is befitting to celebrate the contribution that women have made in the history of our liberation struggle. The day, 9 August 1956, was a culmination of a long history of our women's struggle against colonial rule and apartheid oppression, as much as it became a catalyst to the future ones.
As early as 1913, the colonial rulers had attempted to introduce a system of passes for African and coloured women. This was fiercely resisted by women through civil disobedience in Bloemfontein.
According to reports at the time, hundreds of women were arrested and imprisoned throughout the then Orange Free State. The story was narrated by a chronicle of the African People's Organisation, APO, on 28 June 1913. I hadn't been born yet. It was reported and stated in this chronicle, and I quote:
Friday morning, 6 June should and will never be forgotten in
South Africa. On that day the native women declared their womanhood when they confronted the authorities and the police in demonstrations against the system.
This resistance followed the establishment of the Native and Coloured Workers Association and the APO's Women's League in 1912 in the Orange Free State under the leadership of the great Mama Charlotte Mxeke.
The Bantu Women's League, the mother body of the ANC Women's League, was founded in 1913 and a year after, the founding of the African Native National Congress was founded, which later gave birth to the African National Congress Women's League. From then on there were numerous events of resistance and women's struggles in many parts of the country, and especially in the remote urban and rural areas, against the many forms of oppression and apartheid laws that were being introduced at that time.
In the months preceding the march on 9 August 1956, intensive but isolated marches and protests against passes and Bantu Education, the Group Areas Act, forced removals and all the atrocities and acts took place.
Many struggles for basic rights had been fought by women under the leadership of the ANC Women's League, which was formed in 1943. The league had been active and had led the participation of women on the picket line of the 1943 Alexander boycotts, the squatter movement and the food struggle committees.
Women participated actively in the Defiance of Unjust Laws campaign, in which roughly half the volunteers were women, and they made up a third of the delegates at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. I must say to this House that women took part in all the campaigns that were waged by the African National Congress. There wasn't a campaign, big or small, that women didn't equally participate in.
The spark of the march on 9 August was the intensified implementation of the pass laws for women. It is historic, not only because of the magnitude of the event itself - more than 20 000 women marched to Pretoria - but also because of the degree and nature of this organisation, its inclusiveness based on the unity, its principles and the bravery of those who participated.
However, we sometimes wonder what kind of turn the great march to Pretoria would have taken if it were not for a woman who was a delegate in the conference, where the federation of South African Women came together to deliberate and discuss, and to find a way around the passé laws that were going to be extended to women.
If it wasn't for that one woman, Margaret Gaso, an ordinary delegate who didn't hold a position but was one of the delegates. As we were deliberating and debating, she piped up and said, not in the same words, of course, "But why should we be racking our brains. Why don't we do what the Black Sash women did and go and camp outside the Union Buildings? If this conference will accept this proposal, we will not do what they did and not invite them. We will invite them too.
And that is how the idea of the march to Pretoria came about, because Margaret Gaso, an unsung heroine, was the proposer of that motion. [Applause.]
Given the force that the government of the day was ready to unleash, you can imagine the enormous courage it took for the women to climb the steps of the Union Buildings and confront the oppressor in the citadel of oppression. It took the same courage to confront the magistrates in the small towns and villages as it did to confront the Afrikaner prime minister at the Union Buildings.
And so I want to say to this House that 9 August is a celebration of our victory over apartheid, of our transition into a nonracial, nonsexist democracy. There was the overwhelming spirit of the women of South Africa, as well as that of Africa's outrage against the injustices and oppression that was felt on behalf of all humanity. It is that spirit that we must learn from and take into today's struggle.
Our enemy today is not apartheid. Our enemy today is poverty, it is hunger, it is disease, it is homelessness, crime, corruption, and unemployment. That is our enemy! Following in the spirit of unity, in the action as displayed in the 1956 march, is it not incumbent upon us to stop the point-scoring among political parties and to unite as a nation against our common challenges and enemy, the common enemy? [Applause.]
A fitting memory and celebration of the gallant struggle of women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, would be for the Women's Parliament to rally all women, irrespective of political affiliation, to stand up and act on the challenges facing our nation today - unemployment, poverty and corruption. The Women's Parliament can honour those women by becoming a platform for nonracialism, nation-building and giving a voice to the masses of women who are yet to feel a part of South Africa today, under the theme of Working together to enhance women's economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms B L ABRAHAMS
Mrs S T WILLIAMS-DE BRUYN
Ms B L ABRAHAMS: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Malibongwe! [Let women be praised!]
It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me today to be speaking in the debate on Working together to enhance economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation.
I would like to take this opportunity to honour a very special woman and I am very honoured to followed in her footsteps today and to stand where she has just stood – Auntie Sophie De Bruyn or, as she is better known to me, hon De Bruyn.
It is because of people like Auntie Sophie, amongst others, who marched in the 1956 Women's March that 9 August is celebrated. Today I salute hon De Bruyn. May God bless you richly for as long as you shall live. [Applause.]
I would like to quote President Mandela:
Too many women continue to bear the brunt of social and economic deprivation, in the rural as well as urban areas. Domestic violence, rape and child abuse and the abuse of women remain disgraceful blots on the reputation of a country that is called a miracle nation in other respects. The suffering of children invariably impacts more greatly on women than on men.
According to statistics, South Africa's unemployment rate is more than 25% and women constitute the majority of this group. For every 100 unemployed men there are 113 unemployed women.
We need to create economic opportunities for all women in South Africa and not just for certain women. The government needs to form partnerships with the private sector to grow an economy ripe with opportunities for all women in South Africa. Millions of women are breadwinners but are unemployed. Job opportunities need to be created for women with different skills.
Women need to be developed to be successful entrepreneurs. Assessments need to be done before simply funding women, especially if their skills and knowledge have not been developed. Many women are denied opportunities because they did not have the opportunity to develop themselves. Being given the opportunity to develop themselves would improve their own lives and the lives of their children and their families. When you educate a woman you educate a nation.
I was privileged to attend the Women's Parliament yesterday. I don't know whether certain women declined the invitation to attend the Women's Parliament, whether they were not interested or whether they hadn't been invited, but the face of the workshop was definitely not a thorough reflection of all women in South Africa.
In order for government to succeed in the empowerment all women and to make sure it is sustainable, we need to be inclusive. Experienced women should be mentors to other women to also make them successful. Basic training should be given to women before they register co-operatives. Programmes should be equally distributed in rural and urban areas. All provinces should have programmes that benefit their women. Knowledge and skills must be developed throughout all programmes.
At the workshop many women addressed the need for government to create more opportunities and access to information for women in both rural and urban areas. Communication and information should be available in different languages.
Many women start co-operatives but do not have the skills to run a business and therefore do not succeed. They then simply register another co-operative. Government first needs to run programmes on skills development, how to run a business, how to market that business and how to align such co-operatives with existing business people who can mentor and guide them. These programmes are not sustainable because of the lack of skills development.
Women need to be economically empowered and not just left alone. A mentorship programme needs to be implemented for women in order for them to gain the necessary skills. Women need to be assessed and skills development needs to take place according to their needs. They need to be connected to with successful women who have already paved the way in the various sectors and who can inspire them to achieve more and have a successful business.
Specific interventions need to take place regarding disabled women in rural and urban areas. Disabled women need special skills and development and must be part of the mainstream. They should not be isolated. Disabled women must also be assessed and developed according to their abilities.
Many disabled people are part of co-operatives and companies, but are not actual beneficiaries; they are merely used for compliance purposes when registering co-operatives. Disabled women should be given the opportunity to lead their own businesses and should have a mentor for at least one year. Monitoring all programmes that assist women is essential as these programmes can be corrected before it is too late.
In conclusion, Deputy Speaker, I would like to say that women's economic empowerment and skills development is essential for nation-building and the eradication of poverty and hunger in South Africa.
The economy needs to grow, so let us empower and develop all women in South Africa. I thank you. Siyabonga. [Thank you.]
Mrs C DUDLEY
Ms B L ABRAHAMS
Mrs C DUDLEY: Chair, on the subject of enhancing women's economic empowerment, a new voice has entered the debate regarding prostitution. Former MP, Deputy Minister and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, says that, after studying the position of human rights activists on the subject, she came to the conclusion that –
Prostitution is the absence of choice and that it is inherently harmful and must never be regarded as work.
The recognition of prostitution as sexual exploitation and taking a policy stand on it began in 1999, when Sweden introduced legislation in line with its gender equality programme that regards prostitution as violence against women and, as such, decriminalised the selling of sex but criminalised its purchase.
Now Norway and Iceland have adopted similar legislation and, in recent years, the UK has also been considering the Swedish model.
Prostitution is illegal in South Africa and since 2007 the buying of sex is too. Men and women, however, with impunity continue to buy women's and men's bodies at sex clubs, massage parlours and on the streets. The prosecution of buyers is rare.
The ACDP agrees with the sentiment that South Africa should not become a pimp state by trying to address poverty by allowing exploitation of women through prostitution. Women want skills development and sustainable job creation, not more pressure to succumb to the sex industry – which makes billions for a few, at the expense of mostly women who feel trapped and without options.
In a study done in nine countries, including South Africa, 89% of prostituted people said they wanted to leave the industry, but that they had no other options for survival.
The ACDP congratulates Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, who is standing up for women and their families, offering hope and insisting on the right of women to choose to value themselves. She says, and I quote:
The only thing more disturbing than the oppression of women, is women who buy into their own oppression, whether it is women with economic power championing the rights of poor women to sell themselves or poor women demanding that right.
Prostitution can have no legitimate role in enhancing women's economic empowerment. Women must have choices through skills development and sustainable job creation. [Applause.]
Mrs M N MATLADI
Mrs C DUDLEY
Mrs M N MATLADI: Deputy Speaker and hon members, as a South African who has a chance to mix with women from other African countries, one feels proud when one sees the mammoth strides that South Africa has taken in the development of women. We have looked into the way the lives of women have been improved, be it socially, economically, religiously, traditionally or otherwise.
The South African Constitution has been hailed as progressive, especially where it concerns women's empowerment. Other laws, such as the Domestic Violence Act, the Customary Marriages Act, the Affirmative Action Act and many others that have been passed in this country, also add value and bear testimony to all that our Constitution says.
However, the struggle continues. We still have to address the following concerns: the fact that the majority of the 24% or more people who are unemployed are still women; and that those women who have jobs continue to earn less than their male counterparts doing the same work. It is absolutely sickening to learn that the average employed woman earns only 33c cents of every R1 that a man earns in a similar position.
In order to effectively solve the issue of economic empowerment pertaining to women, we ought to look at encompassing issues such as the glass ceilings that women face in the workplace. How many of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's listed companies are headed by women? In government and in political organisations, how many times has a suitably qualified woman been overlooked in favour of a male candidate?
I say again, the continued rhetoric on our progressive laws has somehow distracted our attention from the facts. For instance, if we are so progressive, has the number of women MPs increased or decreased in the current administration?
I was happy when the hon Minister gave us statistics for those that are still remaining and those that have dropped out, and I say, indeed, something has to be done.
How many director-generals are female? How many mayors are female? Why do we still have only two women in comparison to 11 males at the Constitutional Court?
We need to keep statistics and percentages of women's representivity in high decision-making positions, in legislatures, in Parliament and in local municipalities in order to check if men are not being used to replace women, especially where replacements have to be made. It has been found that many women, as we have referred to, in positions at the different levels of government have been replaced by men. This is negating the good work that has been done.
The UCDP salutes the beautiful women of South Africa, and says, in this month of August, halala, bomme! Halala!
Hon MEMBERS: Halala, bomme! Halala! [Praise be to the women!]
Mrs M N MATLADI: We thank you. [Applause.]
Ms T B SUNDUZA
Mrs M N MATLADI
IsiZulu:
Umntwana M M M ZULU: Phini likaSihlalo, malungu ahloniphekile aleNdlu, sekuyiminyaka engamashumi amahlani nanhlanu abesifazane baleli lizwe bamasha baya e-Union Building beyolwisana nemithetho yobandlululo eyayidalwe abantu abamhlophe.
Akuphelanga lapho ngoba ngeke ngisho ukuthi mhlawumbe ukukhuluma kwabantu besifazane kuqale ngo-1956, kodwa kwaqala emandulo lapho babelwa nobaba bebaqondisa endleleni ngoba bengafuni ukuba bayibone indlela. Leyo minikelo eyenziwa abantu besifazane, uma ngingabala abambalwa abanjengaye umhlonishwa uMama u-Winnie Mandela, uMama uMkabayi kaJama ngingambala naye ngoba kunendima ethile ayidlala umntwana wenkosi ekuqondiseni abantu besilisa ukuba bazi ukuthi nezwi labantu besifazane liyazwakala ezintweni ezithile.
Ngeke-ke sibheke ukuthi abantu besifazane badlala yiphi indima kungekho okufanele sikuhlinzeke siyi leNdlu. LeNdlu kufanele ikubeke ezinhlelweni ezicacileyo nezisobala ukuthi abantu besifazana kufanele benziwe njani emakhaya. LeNdlu kufanele ibe nezinhlelo ezicacileyo ukuvala lolo gebe oladalwa abacindezeli baleli lizwe zokuthi oseSowetho, oseNkandla noseMzimkhulu kungenziwa kanjani ukuthi alingane noseSanton.
Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe izinselele ezilikhuni lezi obhekene nazo ngoba kukhona abanye besifazane asebenikezwe amandla okuthi baphathe okuthile, uma ngingakutshela nje ukuthi kule nyanga efile kube khona owesifazane ophethe onamandla engingeke ngimphahluke ngegama ngoba ngeke akwazi ukuziphendulela, owenqaba kungcwatshwe isidumbu somuntu ngoba engayihlawulanga inkomo ethile endaweni yakho.
Kwaba yihlazo elukhulu lelo emphakathi ukuba kubekhona abantu abakwazi ukuvimba ukuba kwenziwe izinhlelo ezithile. Ukuze sikwazi ukuba uma sakha lokhu okuthiwa ama-Co-opt kufanele sibone ukuthi laba omama abasemakhaya abasahamba ngezinyawo benziwa njani ukuqeqeshwa ukuze bakwazi ukuficana nogebe oladalwa ubandlululo.
Ngithi-ke, kukhona okwenziwe uhulumeni ngoba kunemithetho eyenziwe eqinisekisa ukuthi wonke umuntu ngaphambi komthetho uyalingana. Namanje-ke Ngqongqoshe ngithi yonke iminyango kahulumeni obambisene kuyo yonke imikhakha kahulumeni kufanele ikuqikelele ukuthi abantu bakithi besimame bayacabangeleka ngokuthi nabo nibaqeqeshe ukuthi bayeke ukuthi lowo osenamandla bese ebona ukuthi kufanele alimaze abanye - ikakhulukazi emnyangweni wakho mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, Nyambose, kufanele ukubhekelele ukuthi ezinhlakeni lezi ezilapha emakhaya zomdabu akwenzeki lokhu kubonakale ukuthi lezi zinto ziyalungiseka.
Phini likaSihlalo yilezo zinsika ezibonakeleyo, kanti nezinsiza zokulima zidinga ukuthi umnyango lo wezolimo ukwazi ukuthi welekelele omama emakhaya ukuba bakwazi ukuziphilisa ngoba ngeze saphila ngemali kahulumeni ukuba sikwazi ukumaya njalo. Ukumaya kufuna ukuthi omama bajuluke nathi singamadoda sihambe siye kolima senze lokhu obekwenziwa obabamkhulu ukuze sikwazi isizwe ukuphila, ngoba akekho uhulumeni ezindaweni esengike ngazihamba oyokwazi ukondla umuntu aze eyongena ngaphansi komhlaba ngaphandle ukuba naye abe nethuluzi elithile lokuziphilisa.
Ngithi lezi zinselele yizinselele okufanele sibhekane nazo sibone ukuthi kwenziwa njani ukuba ziqedwe. Ngiyabonga Phini likaSihlalo.
Nk T B SUNDUZA
PRINCE M M M ZULU
IsiZulu:
Ms T B SUNDUZA: Malibongwe! Bomama phezulu ngiyanibulisa nonke, ...
English:
Ms T B SUNDUZA: ... Speaker and hon members, this day is a very special day when we are talking about the Women's Debate. As I start, I would like to honour all the women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956. Their legacy will never be forgotten.
As a child from Soweto, I would also like to honour Mama Winnie Mandela for always providing us with shelter when we, as young children, ran to her house during the apartheid struggles. She opened her house to us. [Applause.]
IsiZulu:
Sigijimela khona.
English:
I would like to honour her on this day. I also honour all the women who joined the rank of Umkhonto weSizwe because they were young women on that day. I salute them. I see Ayanda Dlodlo over there, the hon Deputy Minister and others as well.
Today as we celebrate this day, I would like to pose these questions as I have spoken about the legacy that has been left. I pose these questions as a young woman: What legacy, as a women, are you leaving society? What legacy are you leaving the community? What legacy are you leaving the country? Where are you developing young women?
Since it was founded, the ANC has been motivated by strong ethical convictions, especially moral values. The moral regeneration movement was an ANC initiative to re-examine its spirituality and morality as part of the social transition to a better life.
We must commend the moral regeneration movement for the initiative to bring back social morals and social cohesion in society, including interfaith and religious organisations.
As we also bring morality back to society, I want to speak about the history of women. I would encourage women to write books right now about their history and their experiences; because this is the legacy that they will be leaving younger women so that they should know where we move from as young women.
I recently issued a challenge concerning Robben Island because in referring to the history of Robben Island, they always speak about the males who were arrested there. How many women were arrested and taken there because as I did my research I found that Nongqawuse, the Xhosa prophetess, was also imprisoned on Robben Island? No one speaks about her, yet that is part of Robben Island's history?
The character of ... noba wayeyingxaki kodwa ke (even though she was a problem but) ... the history says that she was imprisoned there.
The characteristics of positive values are respect, human dignity and equality, responsible freedom, law and democracy, enhancement of sound family and community values; and honesty, integrity and loyalty, and showing respect and concern for all people.
What I want to speak about is the challenges that are faced by young women today. I know I have started a debate about Nongqawuse but I would love to be listened to. [Laughter.] The challenges that are faced by young women today include a high number of teenage pregnancies, a high rate of unemployment and a lack of good role models. It is with this view in mind that the ANC government continues to support the regeneration movement as a strategy to address the moral decay in our society.
The first step to address this issue is to love one another as women unconditionally. As women, we need to empower young women in our society. I challenge every political organisation and every association to have a young women's desk or a structure where young women will be developed, taught, groomed and given a platform to express themselves apart from leadership because they must leave a second layer of leadership.
Today I wear pantyhose because Mama Bertha Gxowa used to say to me, "Your attire is not complete when you are not wearing stockings." Therefore, moral regeneration is an important tool for building social cohesion. Part of education is to revitalise the curatorship of African women in teaching us, as young women, about African culture. It must not only be the work of the Kara Heritage Institute to do that.
We must enhance our family values. When last did you have supper with your family, your husband and children? That's the beginning of moral values decaying because we don't have time for our families anymore well. Education is the most important tool to address moral regeneration and that is why they say when you educate a woman, you educate the nation.
It is of concern that young women drop out of school because of teenage pregnancies and possible rejection by society. Many resort to illegal backstreet abortions; some die or damage their reproductive system.
I appeal to all young women who have dropped out of school to go back to school. Education is a lifetime tool. The ANC government has endorsed that no child will be turned away from school, whether the child has no money or anything else.
Attention has to be accelerated with regard to family planning focusing on the prevention of teenage pregnancies. This should go beyond the distribution of condoms but should include other options for young women and as well as civic education.
The type of postmatric education is that young women go and do typing courses and are exploited by private colleges. That is not equality in education and we must look into this matter. To have a typing certificate is not to have an education.
Speaker, the cultures brought together in our nation have a high ethical standards. Traditional African cultures are modelled on morals. These are the morals and high principles of Ubuntu that we should embrace and cherish, by working together.
With regard to those who conduct barbaric acts in the name of our culture, the law must take its course. Young men raping old women;...
IsiXhosa:
... bathi, bakhupha ifutha xa bebuya entabeni.
English:
They must face prison. For young women who are made wives in the name of culture, there is legislation on statutory rape.
IsiXhosa:
Bathwala abantwana sikhona thina sizintanga zabo. (Laughter.)
English:
Women in rural communities ... [Uhleko.]
IsiZulu:
Mabangasisabi mabeza la kithina. [Ihlombe.] [Uhleko.]
English:
Women in rural communities who face these challenges must be taught their rights. But with the pamphlets there is the issue of language. Leaflets, documents, and all government communication must be written in all official languages, not only English.
The majority of the pamphlets are in English, and rural communities face the challenge of understanding them. It must be ensured that they even reach the most distant nodal areas.
Moral regeneration can be achieved. The SABC and the media houses must assist us in achieving moral regeneration because they promote naked women in young women's magazines, and people think it is correct. Recently, there was a publication of the Sowetan showing us pornography. What are they showing to our kids? They could have written the story without the pornography. We do not need that.
I thought that women would rise up against it. It is incorrect and we are not going to support it. I do not care. Who are they to judge for us? I appeal to all women to stand up against that as that is pornography. Children cannot be buying pornography. [Applause.]
To the SABC, I say - and appeal to them on this - the music that they play insults women. All those lyrics are insulting. Because they are spoken in English they sound nice, but they are insulting to women. We must stand up against that because the SABC is a national broadcaster and is supposed to be uplifting African tradition, morals and values. [Applause.]
At this stage I would also like to congratulate Mr Sifundo Langusa, who is known as "Seven," from Sterkspruit, on closing down the most popular tavern in Sterkspruit because his conscience prevailed. He realised that his tavern was next to a school, young women were being raped and there were all kinds of physical abuse.
I also appeal to other tavern owners to follow this course, as young women get drunk and abuse alcohol and drugs in those places and are then raped.
There is this notion of corrective rape, on which I believe the law will take its course. The law must act harshly against this and all forms of physical and psychological abuse.
The police must also be taught sign language, as most people living with disabilities, especially those who cannot speak and are deaf, face a challenge when a crime is committed and the person cannot talk. So I think ...
IsiZulu:
... uBaba uNyambose ukhona la uyangizwa ukuthi ngithi....
English:
... Sign Language must be part of the education and development of the police. We must comment the ANC government for the criminal justice system and safety and security system that protects women, and for the launch of the domestic violence prevention measures. President Jacob Zuma has declared 2011 as the year of job creation and fighting unemployment and poverty. These are major contributing factors to moral decay in society.
The ANC is paying attention to improving women's access to job opportunities. We appeal that a certain percentage of jobs must go to young women. Young women must be prioritised even in government procurement processes. Morality enhances service delivery and it defeats corruption.
I challenge the private sector to increase bursaries and education opportunities for young women, and empowerment opportunities. We welcome the new growth path as it has a special focus on women empowerment, but even there young women are still saying it must be prioritised.
We must revive indigenous games as a tool for economic development - I thought the people in the gallery they would be happy about this - as these games are tools for social cohesion. Arts and culture has a role to play in spreading the message through music and through songs.
Our government has achieved success with a number of programmes, including women's co-operatives, women's and public community poverty programmes, women and business, and women at all levels of government.
In conclusion, a lot has already been achieved to enhance women's economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable jobs. The creation of decent jobs is also enhanced by the skills of women and that translates into a moral society.
As I was saying, when the society has morals, everything and everyone has morals. As I'm going to sit down, I'm still saying ...
Isixhosa:
... aba bathwala abantwana mabeze apha kuthi.
English:
Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr J J GUNDA
Ms T B SANDUZA
Mr J J GUNDA: Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chairperson, Speaker, hon members in the House and executive members: Yes, indeed, this August has marked the 50th anniversary of the historic women's march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Women gathered from all over our country to demand freedom, justice and equality. The demonstrations of 9 August 1956 by masses of women were the first steps to our freedom. Great strides have been made since the birth of a democratic South Africa in 1994.
Today we pay tribute to many strong women, who have passed away, like Arbetina Sisulu and Dorothy Nyembe, and many more, like Lilian Ngoyi, who were the pillars of our freedom. Women in the rural areas remain one of the challenges for development and empowerment in South Africa.
Unemployment, poverty, lack of skills, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies are often included in the challenges faced by women living in rural areas. Because of a lack of learning facilities and poor service delivery, these young women are yet to see the benefits brought about by the hard work of our heroines of 1956.
South African women have played a pivotal role in shaping this country and it is therefore of vital importance that education must be a primary aspect of human security and a tool to empower women in our country.
For a country that is rich in minerals and agriculture, women should be encouraged to participate in educational drives to enhance their skills, especially in the mining sector. As government, we should recognise and identify key areas where we can expand our human capital and create new industries and job opportunities where more females can be employed in top positions.
It is therefore crucial that inroads are made into rural areas and underprivileged communities where young women can benefit from our programmes and funds to enhance their skills and educational development.
By economically enhancing and empowering women in South Africa, we can achieve the desired growth rate for our economy. It will take hard work, planning and dedication from all role players to achieve these objectives.
A woman once said, and I quote:
To be liberated, women must feel free to be herself in the context of her own capacity and her personality.
I would like to say this to everyone in the House: In this world, there is no beauty without women, and we must also remember that behind every successful man there is a strong woman.
We always say that had it not been for the mothers, many of us wouldn't have been here today. They brought freedom to this country, yet we just keep on talking about men such as Nelson Mandela and Olivier Tambo. What about the women who supported them; what about the women who believed in them? It was because the women believed in them that they were so successful in what they were trying to do.
We have this freedom today because many of our mothers not only brought us up, but even taught us what it is to be free in South Africa. [Applause.]
Let me just say one last thing: The ID believes in order for women to be economically empowered, greater economic opportunities need to be created for them and patriarchal differences need to be abolished. [Applause.]
Mr R B BHOOLA
Mr J J GUNDA
Mr R B BHOOLA: Chairperson, in world history it has been an undisputed fact that women play a vital role in every facet of life. The women of 1956, who staged their protest march, had the courage, the persistence and the perseverance to bring about change. They made an incredible contribution to the liberation of this country.
Women do not seek happiness only for themselves, but for their entire family, the community and the society they live in. Whilst we celebrate the successes that have been registered in woman's emancipation, inequalities are prevalent in many forms of oppression.
The MF urges the Special Programmes Unit to do more in the economic and social spheres so that the disadvantaged groups benefit as much as the rest of the population. In some areas, there has been a continual undermining of women's efforts to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of women.
It is of paramount importance to place the emphasis on working together and going back to the basics of political co-operation with the different communities to which women belong. The reality is that women carry the heaviest burden of traditional beliefs and family values in the household.
The MF therefore believes that more budgeting should be directed towards investing in issues of morality such as religion, arts and culture. This is because if women are given the opportunity, first, to help themselves and then their families onto the high ground of morality and ethics, economic empowerment follows naturally.
Patricia Hewitt, the former UK Secretary for Trade and Industry, and who now chairs the UK India business council, says, and I quote:
India is one of the fastest growing knowledge economies in the world - with almost half its population under 25 and well trained. This means skills development is the key for advancing economic opportunities.
Women empowerment through legislation in the form of the Employment Equity Act, affirmative action and skills development, is absolutely crucial.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that if we have to teach world peace and wage a war against poverty, injustices and inequalities, we will first have to begin with the women and children.
It is now time to march forward, hand in hand, side by side, and never stop until we have delivered all women from the shackles of poverty into the light of economic opportunities and social improvement.
As the slogan so accurately says, if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. Wathint' abafazi! [Interjections.] I thank you.
Mr K J DIKOBO
Mr R B BHOOLA
Mr K J DIKOBO: Chairperson, hon members and dear guests, 17 years after the attainment of freedom in South Africa, the women of our land still find themselves at the bottom rung of the economic ladder.
Some of the rights that we take for granted are still out of reach for South African women. Laws such as the Employment Equity Act and affirmative action laws were enacted to improve the lot of women, but statisticians and analysts tell us that black women, and African woman in particular, have not benefited at the pace that was intended.
When we talk about unemployment, it affects women more than it does their male counterparts. In fact, we can safely say that the face of poverty is that of a woman, a black woman; hence, the topic working together to enhance women's economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation.
The reality is that for many women in our country, talking about the rights of women is a luxury because they are involved in the struggle for survival. They struggle to meet the basic needs ...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon Dikobo, can you just hold on a bit. I am appealing to all the members in this chamber to please be obedient and listen to the speaker.
Mr K J DIKOBO: They are still subjected to physical and emotional abuse, at times by people that they trust such as spouses - the very people who should be protecting them.
We have achieved parity in enrolment figures of boys and girls in our schools, but girls continue to be abused and sexually violated by some of the male teachers. We read of girls being forced into sexual relations with teachers, either by poverty or because they are told that they will not pass unless they have slept with the teacher or lecturer.
As we struggle with the backlogs and the legacy of patriarchy in South Africa, we should be working towards breaking the cycle of sexism by empowering our young girls and by educating our young boys that real men do not abuse.
Azapo salutes and pays tribute to the women of our land for the resilience they have displayed that despite all odds, we have women who have broken through the glass ceiling and therefore serve as beacons of hope and role models for the young girls. Malibongwe! Thank you.
Mr D B FELDMAN
Mr K J DIKOBO
Mr D B FELDMAN: Deputy Speaker, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, today, as we are again spending time in this House to reflect on the status of women in our country, under the theme, Working together to enhance women's economic empowerment through skills development and sustainable job creation, the majority of women, especially in rural areas, are still marginalised.
The proportion of women in the Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers is 28:60. This is praiseworthy when taking into consideration the Millennium Development Goal 3 for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Women are attending universities in ever-increasing numbers.
The female labour force participation rates, however, are still lower than those for men. Fewer women than men hold managerial positions in spite of their stepping on the career ladder and working hard. It is clear that women faced a glass ceiling in getting to the top.
The advancement towards women's economic development is not just slow, but it regularly stalls or even reverses in some sectors. For instance, government has failed to make the 50% representation of women in senior management positions.
The majority of women, especially in rural areas, lack assets, land and the right to own the very land they till, which limits their access to resources and credit. They carry heavier household burdens like walking long distances to collect water and then have to carry it on their heads. Travelling longer distances to collect water and fuel puts women and girls at risk of violence.
Women are occupants of structurally weak RDP houses that have a higher risk of collapsing because of the shoddy work done previously by companies who won the government tenders.
As Cope, we would like to salute all the unknown grandmothers who fought for freedom. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms L D MAZIBUKO
Mr D B FELDMAN
Ms L D MAZIBUKO: Madam Chairperson, on a day like today, and in fact course, throughout the course of women's month, I am mindful of the trailblazing women parliamentarians who laid the foundations for young women like me to participate in representative politics in South Africa.
Young women MPs, like me and my colleagues - the hon Natasha Micheals, hon Pat Lebenya-Ntanzi of the IFP, hon Luzelle Adams of Cope and our colleagues from the governing party side of the House, such as hon Thandile Sunduza and hon Stella Ndabeni, to name but two - are the daughters and granddaughters of the women of 1956, who had the courage to stand up for themselves and each other as many South African women have done before and since.
IsiZulu:
Singabazuzile kwimizamo nezinhlupheko zikaNkosikazi Helen Suzman, owalwa nobandlululo, kunguye yedwa owayeyizwi lenkululeko ePhalamende iminyaka eyi-13. UHelen Suzman ungomunye wabayisisekelo saleli qembu engilimele namhlanje.
Afrikaans:
Ons is die kleindogters van Mama Albertina Sisulu, moeder van die nasie, wat nie net haar hele lewe aan die stryd teen apartheid gewy het nie, maar ook deel was van die eerste demokraties verkose Parlement van 1994. Sy het 'n groot bydra gemaak tot die totstandkoming van die veelparty, grondwetlike demokrasie waarin ons vandag leef. [Applous.]
N AGB LID: Mooi!
English:
Indeed, we are also the daughters and the granddaughters of many of the hon colleagues alongside whom we have the privilege of serving today. Each of them, one of a 168 South African women who, like Mama Sisulu, formed part of our first democratic Parliament. They range from the now Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia De Lille, and hon Dene Smuts, to hon Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, hon Minister Naledi Pandor and many others besides.
IsiZulu:
Silapha namuhla ngenxa yezisekelo ezabekwa yilama khosikazi. Ayenesibindi kanye nabanye abaninginingi ababengaphambi kwabo basakhela iPhalamende, okungumthwalo wethu namhlanje hhayi kuphela; ukubeka imithetho, ukuqinisekisa ukusebenza nokwethembeka kukahulumeni kanye nokwazisa imiphakathi yethu ngemibono yethu, ngezwe laseNingizimu Afrika, kodwa futhi ukuba yizwi lemiphakathi yethu ehlukumezekile – kulabo abangenalo izwi lokuzikhulumela. sikhulume, sicabange, sijule ngezinto ezihlukumeza izimpilo zabo nsuku zonke.
English:
That is surely the legacy that has been passed down to us all. The question that must be asked during this women's month is: How will we champion these issues in Parliament?
Will we continue to wait for August to come every year before we have frank debates about how few young girls in South Africa have adequate access to the hard won rights and freedoms, which we in this House are able to enjoy?
Will it only be during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children once a year, that we debate the horrific levels of sexual violence and the oppression of the deplorable crime of the so-called corrective rape of lesbian women to the predatory abuse of young girls in our communities at the hands of men whom they are supposed to trust? This abuse will scar them for life and robs them of access to opportunities that will enable them to pursue their dreams and live out their aspirations.
When will we take a stand against the casual sexism pedalled by those in leadership positions, which makes it all the harder to tackle these social ills?
Most importantly, what are we going to do to ensure that women MPs are not the only champions of these crucial issues that affect more than half of the population of this country? How will we make gender activists and agitators for equality out of every single one of our male colleagues in Parliament?
I would humbly suggest to the leadership of all political parties represented here today, that we begin by asking male MPs to deliberate on these issues when next we have a parliamentary debate on Women's Day. [Applause.]
For now, between today and the next time we have a debate on women's day, let us remember that women's rights are also human rights. Let us ensure that as Parliament, we defend them as such. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms M G BOROTO
Ms L D MAZIBUKO
Ms M G BOROTO: Deputy Speaker, provincial delegates present here, hon members,...
Sepedi:
... magoši a rena le bommakgoši ba ba lego gona mo, le baeng kamoka ba ba lego mo mannong a ka godimo, re a le tamiša...
English:
… ladies and gentleman ...
IsiNdebele:
Ngiyanilotjhisa,
English:
… the courage and determination of more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, in protest against the hated pass law system, have in many respects resulted in victory.
Today, South Africa prides itself on having a national Cabinet consisting of a women's representation of 43%. This puts South Africa at number 10 out of the 130 Parliaments in the world, in terms of women's advancement in governance.
This says to me, hon Robinson, when you told us that we should have a woman President, maybe you should be reminded that it is this government of the ANC that had a woman Deputy President, and that had the first woman Speaker in this very House.[Applause] This is the Parliament that has women leaders.
When we do things in the ANC, we do not just follow the theory about putting women in positions, we do it practically. For example, just go back to the province that we are in. We will not stop talking about it because that is not happening. You come from that part of government that has that problem.
IsiNdebele:
Bab'u N M Kganyago,
Sepedi:
Mohl Kganyago, o thomile gabotse mokgalabje wa gešo wa re basadi ba tshware thipa ka bogaleng. Ge ke lebelela mo o tšwago gona le UDM, le ba bararo, ga se le tswake le ka mosadi o mo teenyana gore go tle lentšu la mosadi ka fa. A re boleleng se re se dirang.
IsiNdebele:
Asikhulumeni lokho esikwenzako.
English:
The number of women holding senior management positions in this government has increased steadily since the start of democracy and is currently recorded at 35%. This demonstrates the collective determination to recognise women as critical players in the development of society across the spectrum.
The month of August offers us an opportunity to take stock of what women have achieved and reminds us of how far we have travelled with regard to the economic empowerment of women.
Indeed, the SADC Gender Protocol 2011 barometer reminds us that women invest upwards of 90% of their earnings in their families, in health and in education as well as in their communities. Yet they continue to be sidelined in accessing opportunities for significant economic empowerment and continue to largely exist on the periphery of economic decision-making. This is just because we don't have that economy in our hands.
In this regard, it is quite appropriate that at this stage I extend my congratulations and continued support to the women like Pinky Moholi, the recently appointed chief executive officer of Telkom South Africa, and Nicky Newton-King on her appointment as the first female chief executive officer of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, JSE.
With Newton-King at the helm of the JSE, I hope that South Africa will realise the call for gender diversity as a mandatory requirement for all companies listed on the JSE.
It is however, the rural women in South Africa - coming from the rural areas myself - that we need to focus on.
IsiNdebele:
Ngithemba kobana ngibo labo abakhona lapha phezulu, nalabo ebakhona izolo ePalamendeni yaBomma.
English:
Because it continues to be a story of isolation and female-headed households, it is the story of poverty, of human rights abuse and of increasing levels of violence. It is true that the story of rural women in South Africa is still a story of a high prevalence of HIV and Aids, the lack of access to economic opportunities and basic government services, and most importantly, the lack of access to land.
Hon members, women entrepreneurs face many obstacles such as limited institutional capacity; complicated procedures for business start-ups; collateral requirements and limited potential for networking; and limited access to information, technology and financial services.
Sales, bookkeeping, business process consulting and on-the-job training are available to a large proportion of women living in the urban areas. It is, however, in the rural areas where women still struggle with even the most basic infrastructure in order to set up and maintain profitable businesses.
This says, as the hon Manjobe said, that the illiteracy rate is still high. Let us be honest and say that since the governance of the ANC in 1994, we have many projects that are working towards the elimination of high illiteracy levels.
This government initiated Kha Ri Gude. We also have adult basic education as one of our priorities - that never happened before. Hon Groenewald, you may say that we are biased towards girls. Yes, we must be biased towards girls.
We must bring back that confidence to our girls because of what happened in 1954, when Verwoerd did not want the girls to go to school. We are reversing what has happened and we will be biased towards the girl child. We will make sure that the girl child does not go through the difficulties that our parents went through.
Connectivity through telephone and the internet, in order to link up with potential clients and markets to have access to information, is largely nonexistent in the rural areas of South Africa. Regulatory frameworks therefore need to be put in place to ensure that investments are directed to rural areas, in order to build productive capacity of women entrepreneurs to access bursaries, ICT training and finance.
In this way, we can pull women out of poverty, increase their efficiency and empower them to engage in international markets.
Several factors still hinder access to women's empowerment and financial services. These factors include financial illiteracy; not illiteracy in general, but financial illiteracy. It also includes limited awareness among our women of how to access financial services. There is also limited awareness at the banks of the benefit of providing women with financial services, without their always needing property as security for business or personal loans.
It is our responsibility, as women in government, to do the lifting as we climb, so as to make women power visible and to rise together with our rural women.
I am going to be biased.
IsiZulu:
Umama uMhlonishwa u C N Z Zikalala ...
English:
Hon Zikalala said we must come here today to report on the progress made. Coming from the rural province of Mpumalanga, I am just going to give one example of the things that have shown progress.
The strides that provinces are making towards job creation should be noted. We need to note especially, the provincial job creation initiatives that take into account local dynamics. I must talk of the current advances of comprehensive rural development programmes in my province.
It is worth noting that the provincial government has set aside R1,1 billion for job creation and infrastructure creation during this very financial year. Remember, I come from the NCOP; I represent the provinces, so I will talk about the provinces.
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, CRDP, focuses on enabling rural people to take control of their destiny with the support of government; thereby dealing effectively with rural poverty through optimal use of the management of natural resources.
The three-pronged strategy is followed and includes the following: land reform, which ensures that people have ownership of the land through land restitution and redistribution of land tenure programmes as agrarian transformation is the second part of the programme, facilitated through programmes that seek to increase agricultural production for food security, thereby improving the quality of life for rural households.
Improving the economic opportunities for women needs must be addressed at various levels in South Africa. It is moving into the right direction by looking at ways to eliminate gender gaps in the work place, developing opportunities for women to start their own business, supporting women in access funding, as well as looking at the livelihoods of women.
While the policy matters are largely addressed, more can however be done in looking at the soft issues of creating an enabling environment for women to take up opportunities and by changing the mindset of our people towards the unpaid domestic jobs that women do.
As this gathering works hard to make recommendations that will ensure that South Africans enjoy prosperity and are able to walk tall, I am reminded of the words of President Jacob Zuma, during his inaugural address when he said and I quote:
We made a commitment to our people and the world that, for as long as there are South Africans who die from preventable diseases, for as long as there are workers who struggle to feed their families, who battle to find work and for as long as there are communities without clean water, decent shelter or proper sanitation, for as long as there are rural dwellers unable to make decent living from the land on which they live, for as long as there are women who are subjected to discrimination, exploitation or abuse, for as long as there are children who do not have the means or an opportunity to receive a decent education, we shall not rest.
We dare not falter to deliver on the eradication of poverty and as women I call upon you. It is time to throw our hat into the ring. The circle is big; let us fill the space. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!]
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION
Ms M G BOROTO
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Speaker, hon Ministers present, Deputy Ministers, leaders of the opposition, members of the NCOP, the Legislature, and Parliament, comrades, as the last speaker, let me just quickly make an effort to respond to and show my appreciation for some of the comments that have been made by members.
Member Robinson, seeing as it is Women's Month and I am in a good mood, I do not want to get into debates on what women leadership is, because we are not talking about "woman", we are talking about "women". I want to agree with you; you are right. As women, we need to unite and, at least, as women, unite around women's issues and rise above our political divides. I agree with you there.
I think it will also help you to understand one single thing - that women's struggles are not about a woman. In my language, there is a saying that if you wear one single bangle it does not make any sound. It is when we get a critical mass of our women up the ladder that, as women, we can pride ourselves on making a difference.
However,if you are going to see a woman who parades herself as the only woman who cannot trust any other woman with responsibility ... [Interjections.] [Applause.] ... then, you have a problem.
The 1956 March demonstrates to us that united as women, we can succeed and not as a woman paraded as the only one who knows better and who cannot trust any other woman. We cannot succeed under those circumstances. So, let the DA show confidence in women by giving them responsibility and not parading them on their posters during elections and saying that that is women empowerment. It is more than that. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Ma Njobe, I fully agree with you that rural women are really on the receiving end, and, if we are to make any progress, we should support those women. They are the ones who run the homes whilst others have gone to urban areas and also to greener pastures. So, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that, indeed, we support rural women.
I think it is disingenuous not to acknowledge or recognise that social welfare has been put alongside social development by this government. It is not as if we are running a welfare state without thinking about all the problems.
We are saying it is with social development, and you should be quite aware – we work together on many other programmes - that there is a process and a programme of social development. So, it is not like social welfare, and that is the solution that we have presented to women.
What we need to acknowledge, working together as women, is to ensure that women take advantage of the empowering environment which has been created by this government. Never in our history has there been such space created for us as women for our voices to be heard. Never!
IsiZulu::
Sigcwale sibe ngaka, kugcwale umuzi, oHelen Suzman. Bengicabanga ukuthi umhlonishwa uMazibuko ukhuluma ngoHelen Joseph, waye yedwa lapha ezabalaza yedwa
English:
However, it is under this government that our voices are heard, that that platform is there. We shall work together to ensure that it really empowers more women besides ourselves. There has never been a time in our history where there was a deliberate, conscious effort made to put in place progressive institutions and legislation to support women.
No-one is denying that there is a long way to go, and that is why the struggle continues. However, we have to acknowledge that for the first time, space has been created for our voices to be heard like never before. There is a platform for us to grow, and we have to work on it, rather than ...
IsiZulu:
... sidonsadonsane ngoba labo baba bayajabula uma besibona sidonsana ngoba ngeke sifike lapho siya khona.
English:
Perhaps in the next debate ...
IsiZulu:
... singabe sesixoxa kona lokhu ngoba sesiyaziphindaphinda.
English:
I am sure we are saying the things that we said last year. Maybe next year, we should really say ...
IsiZulu:
...masifika lapha...
English:
... every constituency ... because we have all been entrusted by our constituencies to say what it is that we have done.
IsiZulu:
Mhlawumbe senze umbiko, sisho ukuthi lapho siphuma khona siwenzelani amakhosikazi.
English:
Perhaps that will be useful as part of the work that we do, also.
To Aunt Sophie, it is, indeed, a privilege for us, as this generation, to have you amongst us. A legend, a hero, and hearing directly from you is so inspiring. [Applause.] It is before people like you, Mama Njobe, Mama uWinnie, and all other veterans, that on this day, we bow and say thank you very much for having defended our dignity, for having created space for us to grow.
On this day, we honour all our veterans and thank them very much for the sacrifices that they made for us in the face of a very difficult struggle with very limited resources. On this day, we thank all of you. [Applause.]
Member Abraham, I agree fully with you about the importance of ensuring that we have inclusive development, so that, as women, we do not leave out other women who are less privileged than ourselves. I do hope that the Minister, who really has the responsibility of both Ministries, has taken that. I agree fully with you, because it is quite easy to neglect and forget the plight of women with disabilities. It is very useful for us to remind ourselves about that.
I also want to agree with the speaker from the ACDP about sex workers. I fully support the stance that sex workers are victims of a lack of opportunities. No woman chooses to be a sex worker. In all the interviews we have had with them, none of them wants to be in the situation that they find themselves in. It is for us, as women, to work with them and to embrace their dignity.
It is for that reason, also, that the Women's League took up The Sowetan on the picture published. We think it was in bad taste and uncalled for. We are not condoning adults putting themselves in a compromising environment. We should not be misunderstood. However, we are saying that we live in a harsh, patriarchal environment which judges women harshly. Between the two people, the most compromised is going to be the woman, because we stay in a very hostile, patriarchal environment. I am sure many women have found themselves so compromised ...
IsiZulu:
...ebezokuya eyoxolisa ekhaya.
Sesotho:
Ke kgopilwe hle Mme, ke kopa tshwarelo.
English:
... but I spoke to many women.
It is on that basis that we are saying that we think it was in bad taste and should be condemned. We are sending them letters, because we are told that the SABC is willing to, or the programme, 3rd Degree, wants to, run with the story tomorrow!
Again, we think it is irresponsible, because those people have families and the children of that woman are going to be judged even more harshly than the children of that man.
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: So, just on the basis of patriarchy, we say it is in bad taste. It should not happen, and if they do not stop it, we are ready to interdict them in court tonight so that they should not continue with what they want to do tomorrow. [Applause.] We are ready; we have served papers on them. [Applause.]
Member Matladi, it is quite true that despite the progress that we have made in the area of women empowerment, much more still needs to be done. When different parties formed the Progressive Women's Movement in 2006, one of our key resolutions was around skills empowerment for women.
It is quite clear that we are not making any progress. Perhaps the next conference, which they are preparing, should look at where things are stuck and why we are not making any progress in terms of skilling women. We need a critical mass of women in order to begin to feel the impact of women mobility. Without a critical mass, ...
IsiZulu:
...ukusebenza ngamaconsiconsi
English:
... you cannot feel any of the progress we are making. It is indeed so. I agree with you that we really have to look at skilling women so that we can feel the impact of the upward mobility of women.
I also want to thank members Dikobo, Bhoola and Gunda for their appreciative words towards women. Those words are not said lightly; they are very important. They go a long way towards inculcating a positive self-image in women who, through negative stereotyping, are often subjected to bad and cruel treatment.
You should continue to honour women and uphold their dignity and standing in society. It is incumbent upon all of us as a society, as we socialise our children, not to neglect defending and protecting the dignity of women.
It is these negative stereotypes of women which fans patriarchy and creates so many problems for women that they sometimes find themselves victims of lynch mobs and witchcraft. It is really all these negative stereotypes around them which present women as objects to be disliked and disrespected.
I thank all the men who participated in the debate. It is indeed important that we respect and uphold the dignity of women.
Speaker, before I proceed, I would, on behalf of the ruling party and the women in this House, start off by expressing our most sincere condolences to the Tolo family, their friends and colleagues. May the soul of hon Tolo rest in peace.
Each year, it is this month that we mark as national Women's Month. It is a cause for celebration as it presents us with an opportunity to recall the 1956 heroic march of women. It reminds us of women's resilience, integrity, patience and strong will.
It is also a month that reminds us that, despite all the progress we have made, the historical gender injustice still wreaks havoc in women's lives in spite of the many advances that have been made to improve their lives. Every year, and rightfully so, when August comes, we pay special attention to voices of women who yearn for a better deal, for gender equality and for real women's emancipation.
Politically, it is a good time to pay tribute to the gallant women of our country and continent. I repeat that we honour Mama Njobe and Mama Winnie's heroic deeds. We celebrate Charlotte Maxeke, Lilian Ngoye, Ida Mtwana, Ruth First, Helen Joseph, Mama Cachalia, uMa Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo, uMama Gxowa, yourself, Aunt Sophie, Comrade Winnie, Ma Njobe, Mama Ruth, Ma Shope wherever they are – the list goes on.
The following achievements came about simply or mainly because of the contributions they made through their sacrifices.
As a country, we can boast that we have achieved gender parity at the basic level. The ruling party must talk about the Millennium Development Goals, MDG. As a country, we have indeed achieved MDG 3, which targets access to education. [Applause.]
We can proudly report that we are making progress in addressing the primary health care needs of women and girl children. Combating violent crimes against women and children has been identified as a priority. There are progressive amendments to the Sexual Offences Act.
The feminisation of poverty is being tackled through a comprehensive antipoverty strategy. As a country, we should pride ourselves on the fact that we are making great strides in political decision-making levels.
Mr J J MC GLUWA: Speaker, may I ask the hon Minister a question? [Interjection.]
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: What for?
The SPEAKER: Minister, will you take a question?
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: No. When I'm done I might consider taking questions.
Mr J J MC GLUWA: Thank you, Speaker.
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Challenges abound. A look at the 2011 UN Women Report will show that in many countries the rule of law still rules women out.
Mr J J MC GLUWA: Speaker, I will ask the hon Minister a very easy question. [Interjections.]
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: I have agreed to take questions when I am finished.
The SPEAKER: Hon member, Minister is not going to take a question until she is finished. Please take your seat. [Interjections.]
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: They are gong to disturb my train of thought!
[Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Order! Hon members. Order! Hon Minister, please continue.
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: we are saying that, whilst there is progress to dismantle the master's house, the roots of gender inequality or injustice still prevail. The centre has not moved adequately. This has been confirmed by the report that I have just read. It is time for us maximise our efforts.
In the document that we, as the Women's League, presented to the ANC's National General Council, NGC, we noted some of the following points.
Regarding education, the gender parity index for school enrolment of Grade 1 to Grade 8 pupils indicate that gender parity – which is MDG 2 – has been achieved, and this is a significant success. Studies conducted in many countries show that there is a strong correlation between women's education and the improvement in their quality of life, including the education of their children.
Literacy and empowerment of rural women are essential if the quality of their lives is to improve and they are able to access justice and economic empowerment.
We have also noted that, despite progress in addressing the primary health care needs of all South Africans, particularly women and girl children, there are still major challenges; the main ones being the area of HIV and Aids and the increasing maternal mortality rates.
We have also noted challenges around gender-based violence. Despite the fact that there are specialised courts, that staff has been trained and that there are progressive amendments to the Sexual Offence Act, the link between gender-based violence and HIV has not been adequately and sufficiently addressed.
There continues to be human trafficking of girl children which still needs to be targeted. As the women in the ruling party, we are saying that the ruling party has to make addressing this part of the work that we want them to do.
We have noted that data on poverty has not been disaggregated by sex. The disaggregation of such data by sex is important as it will enable us to track whether we are making progress or not in fighting the poverty affecting men and women, which is MDG 1.
I want to leave some time for the hon member's easy question, so I will skip some of the questions.
As the Women's League, we note and acknowledge that SA has made great strides in the representation of women policy-making processes but there are still lots to be done. As women we have to take a stand like those women who stormed the beer halls of apartheid. It is time to demand a nonsexist society because we come far and we have to repeat that...
IsiZulu:
... ukuthint' abafazi ukuthint' imbokodo. [If you strike a woman, you strike a rock.]
English:
If you don't want it to get any closer you have to do something about it. What must be done?
We need to guide women so that they can benefit from the favourable climate created by the current legislative and constitutional dispensation which favours women.
The environment has been created; let's do things together. We must grasp the nettle of historical gender injustice. Amongst other things, we must revisit labour legislation, well aware of the claims that our labour terrain favours organised labour. We have to assess the efficacy and the enforcement of legislation like the Employment Equity Act, especially in the private sector.
During this debate, we have to mobilise women towards women's empowerment because the stakes are high. Our failure to proceed with speed as women threatens the right of other women to fully enjoy their hard-earned freedoms and this right ought to be extended to women through the gender-sensitive Constitution and the entrenched Bill of Rights.
Nobody in our country can enjoy their full freedom unless women are also part of it. Issues like poverty continue to haunt and undermine women's ability to enjoy the freedom that has been fought for so hard.
The problems of women are also aggravated by gender-based access to social resources and opportunities. This year's focus on skills development and sustainable job creation is, therefore, key in the emancipation and development of women.
The agenda of empowering women and mainstreaming the gender perspective properly will lead to a prosperous, nonsexist society in which gender equality flourishes. We want to reiterate as a Women's League that the 50-50 parity target must be actively pursued at all levels, by all of us, and by both sides.
It should not be a struggle for certain parties only, while others relax. This time we have to talk as women. Maybe we have to discuss this in our caucus as I don't want men to answer because this is about them. After all, if they don't want 50-50 parity it might be - but I'm not sure – because they are defending their privileges.
The progressive Gender Equity Bill must be fast-tracked to speed up the 50-50 gender parity in the private sector and in the corporate world. When people feel a change and their privilege starts shifting, they start howling and misleading others. So, women from other parties should not be scared; there's nothing wrong. They must join us in the fight for 50-50 gender parity as it is in our interest as women. [Applause.]
The underlying causes of discrimination should be identified and addressed on an ongoing basis to give women and men equal opportunities. We are not against men, but we do want equal opportunities.
Lastly, we must escalate our commitment to address the gender question like we are addressing the national question. We must mainstream gender in every aspect of life. Gender, race and class intersect as in any other excolony. Women have the power; it just needs to be channelled better. In The Voice, by Gabriel Okara, it is women "who blow the embers to living flames", who keep the fire burning. Together, we must end the historical gender injustice. In this way, we can accelerate women's opportunities for economic empowerment. As women, liberate all women from all walks of life and all parties! Malibongwe! [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Speaker of the National Assembly adjourned the Joint Sitting at 16:46.
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