The first speaker will be hon Minister Mayende-Sibiya. [Applause.] May I ask permission from the House to let her speak from where she is seated? Is that acceptable?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
Thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Deputy Chairperson and hon members of the House, I am once again very honoured to be addressing and participating in this debate of the NCOP, which has allocated time for a debate on Women's Month, under the theme: "Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women". This session takes forward the process of engagement that has been happening in various provinces, looking at the progress we have made as a country in improving the status of women and working towards a truly nonsexist South Africa.
Over the past 16 years, we have seen our country taking major steps aimed at improving the status of women in socioeconomic, political and cultural spheres of life. Representation of women in the legislature increased from 25% after the first democratic elections in 1994 to 44% after the April 2009 elections. South Africa proudly stands at number three amongst the countries of the world with the highest number of women in Parliament. The number of women members of Cabinet, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, increased from 18% in 1994 to 40% after the 2009 general election.
The ruling party, the ANC, adopted the principle of 50-50 gender parity at its last national conference in Polokwane in 2007. The Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is taking action to ensure that this resolution, which is also in line with the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, is realised.
We are currently developing the Gender Equality Bill, which is going to serve as an overarching Act to ensure gender equity throughout our society. We have to ensure full participation by women in all spheres of life. It should encourage the culture of gender equality throughout our society. It will strengthen the legislative basis for promoting gender equality and seek to reduce gender-based discrimination in all areas of life in South Africa. Such a Bill will be a major tribute to the pioneers of our struggle for gender equality and democracy in our country. These are the courageous women whom we remember this month. On 9 August 1956, these 20 000 women, carrying 100 000 petitions, descended on the Union Buildings, the seat of the then mighty apartheid government. These women protested against the inhumane act of having to carry passes in the urban areas, something their white sisters did not have to do.
They delivered the petitions to the office of J G Strijdom. Women throughout the country had put their names on these petitions, indicating their anger and frustration at having their freedom of movement restricted. These women of South Africa sent a strong message that they would not be intimidated and silenced by the unjust laws of the time.
Fifty-four years later, the famous women's march phrase, "You strike a woman, you strike a rock; uzokufa, Strijdom; wathint' abafazi!" ... [You will die, Strijdom; you strike women!" ...]
HON MEMBERS: Wathint' imbokodo! [You strike a rock.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: ... has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa. As a group that had been marginalised, women rose to question the barrier and fought for their emancipation and freedom for all. Since 1994, this day has been commemorated every year to recognise and recall the bravery of these women who risked arrest, banishment, forced exile and even death, to have their voices heard. This day on our country's calendar serves to remind us that we need to review the path we have travelled and find solutions for the challenges facing us now. Like our mothers did in 1956, we, the women of South Africa, must today continue the struggle against a system of patriarchy and sexist stereotypes, the underlying factors that hinder progress towards gender equality and perpetuate gender-based violence.
Our country can show many gains and achievements in promoting women's rights and advancing gender equality. However, many challenges persist and need to be overcome if we are to achieve a truly democratic and nonsexist state. The key issues include the intensification of poverty eradication, rural development, economic empowerment of women, and an effective response to the major challenge of violence against women and girls.
Our programme for this month is a dynamic one. It seeks to reach women of different social backgrounds in their localities. We are taking an approach of reaching out to women in rural and urban areas - employed and unemployed, rich and poor - seeking to address the various ways in which patriarchy affects their lives and limits their development.
We have met with young women from universities to discuss issues of education and the critical role they have to play in transforming the gender demographics of our economy through the careers that they choose. We gathered with women from various churches and prayed together for a society free of all forms of abuse of women and children. On the historic day of 9 August, we gathered with thousands of women in East London, where we received a visionary address by the President.
We also saw many activities around the country celebrating this day in August. We have met with influential women in the private sector to discuss issues of the glass ceiling put on women and engaged with working-class women through the Women's Day event organised by Cosatu last Sunday. We have debated issues affecting women in the National Assembly and in provincial legislatures. I had the honour of participating in a debate a week ago in Mpumalanga. Today we are debating this issue in this august House of the NCOP.
We are also paying attention to the particular challenges faced by women with disabilities. On 27 August, we will pay special tribute to women with disabilities who have made significant progress in their chosen fields of work. We hope that this event will serve as an encouragement to other women who are faced with the double challenges of gender inequality and various limitations that our society still places on people with disabilities.
The outcome of all these activities should inform the strategic approach we take in addressing the various challenges facing women in our country. We will be reflecting on all our engagements at the closing event for Women's Month, which is being planned to take place in Limpopo, and at the national gender conference scheduled for October this year.
All of these discussions should culminate in a clear programme of action that enables all of us to respond to the many challenges facing women in all provinces. That programme of action should also guide our endeavours to ensure that South Africa makes significant progress towards the attainment of commitments such as the Beijing Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals that come under review at the United Nations, UN, next month.
A lot of effort has gone into ensuring full participation by all sectors in this year's Women's Month celebrations. We are, indeed, satisfied that this month is becoming a period when all of us as South Africans reflect on advances made and recommit ourselves to address the many challenges on our path to creating a truly nonsexist and democratic society.
Let us work together for equal opportunities and progress for all women. Let us make the period from 2010 to 2020 a truly prosperous decade for all African women on the African continent. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister Mayende-Sibiya, hon members, referring to the theme that the Minister has alluded to, I think it is a fitting theme as we mark the 54th anniversary of the commemoration and celebration of the women's antipass march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956. This historic march led to 9 August being declared National Women's Day after 1994. Women's Day is a celebration of the struggles of women for a nonracial, nonsexist and democratic South Africa.
The sacrifices made by women over the years, in fact, for decades or centuries, provide the way forward on how we should be dealing with issues of women empowerment in our democratic order. Women have stood up to say: "Nothing about women without women". However, often we find that there are still tendencies to delay the advances made by the democratic movement in recognising the rights of women as equal citizens in our democracy.
Today, women are involved in a different terrain of the struggle. While their rights to participate in decision-making are entrenched, they are still the worst affected when it comes to poverty, diseases, violence and other social ills. As a result, the girl-child is the most vulnerable in society. This is indeed a concern because, in this way, the challenges that the mothers faced and are still facing are being visited upon the girl- child. This threatens to delay the struggle for the total emancipation of women.
At the centre of the challenges facing the girl-child is education. This is one of the reasons that education remains one of the key priorities of the ANC. To facilitate the emancipation of women, we must make sure that we reduce illiteracy levels amongst women so that they are able to partake in opportunities being made available under our democratic government. Without education, women will continue to rely on others for their own survival and development. They will continue to be subjects of abuse.
NgesiNtu sithi: Ukufundis' umfazi kuluncedo kwisizwe siphela, kuba abafazi banendlela yabo abazijonga ngayo izinto eziza nenkqubela. Banemfobe yendalo kuba badalelwe ukuncancisa isizwe. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[In isiXhosa we say: To educate a woman is helpful to the whole nation, because women have their unique way of looking at things that bring about progress. They have natural compassion because they have been created to nurture the nation.]
Education for women is, therefore, very important, and it must be used as a tool to address the social inequalities resulting from apartheid laws and policies. It is our responsibility to also ensure that women are taught about their rights as enshrined in the Constitution and other legislation.
So far, we are proud that South Africa has done very well in expanding the access of women to education at all levels of the system. In higher education, women are a majority, but they are not a significant presence in science and engineering. Education and training must meet the economic, social, cultural and political needs of women in South Africa.
Government has made important interventions towards empowering women on other fronts. Some examples of government's strides towards women empowerment include, amongst others, the establishment of the Ministry for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, which consolidates our programme to continue the development of women in our country; the Women's Empowerment Fund and the Employment Equity Act, which continue to ensure appointment of and support for women in top leadership positions in government and the private sector; economic empowerment programmes for women; and initiatives by the Department of Trade and Industry in areas such as access to formal finance. There are many other areas of intervention, some of which the Minister has already referred to.
Hon members, remember that it is us, the public representatives and women leaders, who carry the hopes of vulnerable women and children, especially those in rural areas. We have to give them hope that indeed they have a future in the South African democratic order.
We are proud of the fact that today, as a result of the struggle that the masses of our people waged - including women - our country's Constitution includes the objective of the transformation of our society into a nonsexist society. This constitutional provision means that our country as a whole, including the government, has an obligation to ensure that this objective is realised.
It is an undeniable fact that women's access to political influence and to decision-making in Parliament has improved significantly since the country's first democratic elections in 1994. However, this is not enough since equality, logically, means 50-50. This significant desire to improve women representation was further entrenched in Polokwane, where the ruling party resolved that we needed to gear ourselves up to meet the new target of 50-50 representation.
Deputy Chairperson, may I take this opportunity to congratulate women of this House, Wendy Makgate and Elizabeth van Lingen, for their work and for reaffirming the 50-50 policy of representation even when they were abroad. That is good progress. This achievement reflects true empowerment of women across all races and class barriers, particularly black women. However, we need to ensure that this intended target is realised through, among other things, capacitating women meaningfully.
With regard to provincial progress and achievements, the Gauteng provincial government has launched 200 women-only co-operative schemes across the province since 9 August. Furthermore, in Gauteng, private and public sectors will support the Take a Girl-Child to Work initiative on 19 August.
The Office of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal - my province - continues to co- ordinate the promotion of human rights empowerment, the protection of women committed to social programmes, and the development of women and other vulnerable groups. In the Eastern Cape, the department of agriculture and rural development has honoured the women of the Eastern Cape who have worked tirelessly to ensure that they participate in economic development, food security and job creation in the province.
In the North West, housing delivery received a major boost as the National Women Build 2010 was launched on 30 July. Therefore, the North West province will construct 1 956 houses by the end of August. The 54 units will mark the 54th anniversary of the Women's Month. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, my hon colleagues, all distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman, our topic today is: "Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women". I must be honest and admit to you today that I was surprised but not too excited to have been asked to make this speech.
I have not been a strong proponent of the women's movement simply because I did not believe in being treated differently just because I am a woman. I believed, rather, that a person should progress according to merit and ability. Personal opinions aside, however, I also cannot turn a blind eye to the reality that is still around us, even after all the progress women have already made towards equal opportunity.
I will always remember how my own mother was never allowed to sit and eat with us at the dining table; how she always had to keep quiet and be submissive at any family gathering; and how she never had the opportunity to pursue an education and, as a result, had to raise her three children doing hard labour and manual work. Despite all the adversity my mother had to go through as a woman, she never made us feel inferior as daughters, or that we were not worth the stuff dreams were made of. That is why I found the strength to always strive for more and reach higher, rather than feeling like all women are born to suffer. My mother's struggles made me realise that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
It is undeniable that women have become invaluable assets in the economy as they bring different qualities to any organisation. Traditionally being carers and keepers, women possess a deep understanding and empathy for others, have good communication and multitasking skills, are inclusive leaders who are open to suggestions, and are skilled at resolving conflict and handling stress.
Although women have made headway in entering the economy, the scale is still vastly unbalanced with most economic sectors still dominated by men. At grass-roots level, even more inequality against women continues to exist. In many parts of the world, including South Africa, women, especially those in rural areas, are still being deprived of an education and opportunities of employment. Worse still, they are not even aware that they have rights and choices about their lives.
Startling statistics from the SA Institute of Race Relations indicate that more than 72 000 girls aged between 13 and 19 did not attend school in 2009 because they were pregnant. Something is very wrong with our country if we are encouraging girls as young as 13 to become mothers.
Let this year's Women's Day not be just another public holiday, but one that makes a difference. Let us actively do something to change our current situation. My colleagues in the National Assembly have raised a number of ideas.
In conclusion, I want to echo my leader, Helen Zille, when she said that parents have two most important jobs to do: to raise sons who value women, their choices and their capabilities, and to raise daughters with a belief in the validity of their voice and in themselves. Parents, therefore, need to be informed and educated about individual rights and responsibilities, for both children as well as adults.
We need a culture that values education and respects equality, and to instil this in our future generations. We will then ensure that our children, both girls who become women and boys who become men, have access to, receive, and go on to complete a quality education. This will be the foundation of open opportunity for all. Equal opportunity and progress for women also means equal opportunity and progress for all. This is not only the responsibility of women, but the responsibility of society as a whole. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, I thank you for the opportunity to participate in this debate today. Life is about opportunities. Opportunities arise in life for every person to utilise or make use of. There are no glass ceilings for women. In the South African Constitution, women and men are regarded as equal. It is then up to you and me to ensure that opportunities are grabbed with both hands. We need to enable and prepare our women to make choices that will enable them to realise when and where in their lives there is an opportunity to take advantage of. The Bill of Rights in section 9(1) of the Constitution states:
Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
Furthermore, section 10 of the Constitution states:
Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
Die Grondwet bemagtig op papier, maar wat gebeur in die werklikheid? Watter ondersteuningsmeganismes word van die regering se kant af gedoen om werklik ons vroue te bemagtig en diskriminasie, wat steeds bestaan, teen te staan? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The Constitution may be empowering on paper, but what happens in reality? What support mechanisms does the government have in place to really empower our women and to oppose discrimination when it occurs?]
The questions we have to ask today are: What do we, as government in all spheres, do to promote the equality defined in the Bill of Rights? What do we do about the Millennium Development Goals set out by the UN?
Hierdie doelwitte is die volgende: om uitermatige armoede en honger uit te skakel; om primre onderwys vir almal verpligtend te maak; om geslagsgelykheid en bemagtiging van vroue te bevorder; om die gesondheid van vroue te bevorder; om kindersterftes te verminder; om HIV/Vigs, malaria en ander voorkombare siektes te bekamp; om seker te maak dat die omgewing die nodige ondersteuning kan bied om die verlies aan natuurlike hulpbronne, wat so noodsaaklik is vir oorlewing, teen te werk; en om 'n wreldwye vennootskap te stig vir die ontwikkeling van 'n oop finansile stelsel. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[These goals are as follows: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to make primary education compulsory for all to promote gender equality and empower women; to promote the health of women; to reduce the child mortality rate; to combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other preventable diseases; to ensure that the environment provides enough support to counter the loss of natural resources that are so essential for survival and to establish a worldwide partnership for the development of an open financial system.]
Where do we stand today in relation to these goals? If these issues are not addressed, we in government fail the women of South Africa.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, called for greater investment to ensure the health and wellbeing of women. She stressed that healthy women can lead to better families and societies and can help achieve the globally agreed development targets for 2015. She said:
We need to tell people that it pays to invest in women - that investing in the health and rights of women triggers greater progress for all. We must meet our obligations to the world's women and children ... Healthy women are the answer to solving many of the world's complex and pressing problems: poverty, hunger, disease, and political instability. Healthy women are the foundation upon which all of the Millennium Development Goals stand.
Through violence, women are taught to know their place and not to put themselves first.
Hoe dan kan ons ooit verwag dat di vroue sal ontwikkel om leiers in die samelewing te word? Hoe kan sy uit haar groef wegbreek en genoeg geloof in haarself opbou, om haarself te bevorder en om nuwe geleenthede aan te gryp?
Daar is beslis 'n direkte verband tussen Suid-Afrika se grootste knelpunte en die grootskaalse verbrokkeling van huwelike en gesinne in ons land. Slegs een derde van ons kinders word groot in 'n normale gesin van twee biologiese ouers.
Krisisse soos gesinsgeweld, armoede en swak skoolprestasie is daarom nie die grootste probleme in ons land nie; veel eerder die skrikwekkende gevolg van die verbrokkeling van die gesin in Suid-Afrika.
Die groot trek van die vrou vanaf die huis na die werksplek het talle voordele meegebring, maar het ongelukkig ook negatief op gesinne en kinders begin inwerk. Die stootfaktor is die stygende lewenskoste, en die trekfaktor is dat daar soveel meer geleenthede vir vroue is om hulself in die beroepswreld te bewys.
Die oplossing l nie daarin om die vrou weer huis toe te stuur nie. Die probleem is eerder dat die samelewing nie genoeg aangepas het om die werks- en lewenswyse te hanteer nie. Die ekonomie plaas 'n ongelooflike druk op die vrou om 'n vierdubbele rol te speel. Sy moet vroulief wees, huisvrou wees, sy moet ma wees n sy moet voltydse werker wees. Dan moet sy dit alles balanseer.
Kan ons te alle tye met alle sekerheid s dat ons genoeg gedoen het vir ons plattelandse vroue en dogters deur, onder andere, ons skole en ons klinieke te besoek? Is ons publieke vervoerstelsel van so 'n aard dat dit vir haar maklik is om die skool, die kliniek of selfs haar werkplek te bereik? Dit is van die faktore wat daartoe bydra dat veral ons plattelandse dogters en vroue dikwels toegang tot basiese onderwys onts word, en dus ook die geleentheid om 'n aktiewe rol in die ekonomiese wreld te speel. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[How then can we ever expect these women to develop into leaders in society? How can she break free from her rut and summon enough self- confidence to improve herself and to grasp new opportunities? There is a direct correlation between South Africa's most pressing issues and the large-scale disintergration of marriages and families in our country. Only one third of our children are growing up in a normal family of two biological parents.
Therefore crises such as domestic violence, poverty and poor school performance are not the greatest challenges in our country; on the contrary, they're rather the result of the deterioration of the family in South Africa.
The great migration of women from the home to the workplace resulted in many gains, but unfortunately also had a negative effect on families and children. The push factor is the rise in the cost of living and the pull factor is that women now have many opportunities to prove themselves professionally.
The solution is not to send women back home. Rather, the problem is that society has not made enough adjustments to handle work and the way of living. The economy places unbelievable pressure on women to play a fourfold role. She must be a wife, housewife, mother and full-time worker. She has to balance everything.
Can we always say with certainty that we have done enough for our rural women and daughters by, for instance, visiting our schools and clinics? Is our public transport system of such a nature that she finds it easy to reach the school, the clinic or even her place of work? These are some of the factors that contribute to the fact that our rural women and daughters in particular often have no access to basic education. Hence they do not have the opportunity to play an active role in the economic world.]
Where opportunities, even modest ones, are provided, the results are gratifying. Women have demonstrated the multiplier effect of passing on the benefits of empowerment to their families and communities. It is a potent weapon against poverty and provides role models for some and inspiration to others.
We must acknowledge that no single government department can address the glaring inequalities that deny women - especially rural women - the rights of economic development to which they are entitled under our Constitution. I believe that a good education is everyone's birthright; but rights come with a price tag of responsibilities. We need to instil the notion in our students and learners that, when you are responsible towards yourself and your community, you start accumulating rights. Educational investment leads to job creation. Show someone how to fish and there will always be food on the table. Only education can free people from the shackles of poverty. Only education can drive back and stop the onslaught of poverty. Only education can build a wall against and contain the erosion that threatens to devour our communities.
We as women need to dispel the myths and act on the truths. We should have faith in our abilities. Only the strongest, fittest and toughest will get somewhere.
Do we make sure that a deaf woman has an interpreter when she attends court? Does a blind person always have the notes in Braille at the end of a meeting? Does the person in a wheelchair have easy access to a building? Marlene le Roux of Artscape in the Western Cape showed the world that, though she has great difficulty walking, she can dance, and is teaching other women to do the same.
Let those of us privileged to be in government lead so that others might follow.
Laat ons bou aan 'n geleentheidsamelewing wat vir almal tot voordeel sal strek. Die ekonomiese sukses en vooruitgang van 'n land hang nie van sy grootte, ras, natuurlike hulpbronne of geskiedenis af nie. Ja, dit help. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Let us build an opportunity society that will be to the advantage of everyone. The economic success and development of a country does not depend on its size, race, natural resources or history. Yes, they do play a role.]
However, it depends primarily on whether the country has the rule of law, an open society and equal opportunities. If it does, it will be successful and lift people out of poverty. The state must understand its role and fulfil it. South Africa, in particular, with such limited capacity, must focus on the functions that facilitate economic growth - an effective criminal justice system, an excellent education system and infrastructure.
The DA recognises that some people are so poor that they need help to enter the economy. However, the purpose of these measures is to promote equal opportunities. We want to see all government departments working toward the good of our women.
There has never been a moment in history when all countries and all people within those countries have enjoyed exactly equal wealth and advantage. But the best way - indeed, the only way - of reducing these inequalities is through an open society and equal opportunities for all, where all people are free to realise their own gifts and hopes and contribute to society with their own skill and energy. This is the fundamental philosophy of the DA, and it's the only way to overcome poverty and underdevelopment. I would want to make it known to every woman and girl-child in South Africa today: Own your own future, and own your own success. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon colleagues, once again South Africa is commemorating Women's Day. All South Africans are reminded to pause and remember the 20 000 women, from all walks of life, who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956.
When we talk about the women's march of 9 August 1956, four women who led the march and handed over the petition protesting against the pass laws to the then Prime Minister are mentioned. Today, as Cope, we would like this House to join us in acknowledging and paying tribute to the role played by Ms Bertha Gxowa and others who organised this political and historic day in our country.
As we are spending time reflecting on the milestones achieved in women development in our country under the theme "Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women", women development is still a pipe dream, despite legislation and the establishment of the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. Absolute poverty, feminisation of poverty, unemployment, increasing fragility of the environment due to climate change and continuing violence against women put emphasis on the need to continue the search for women development and gender equality.
One of government's key priorities is the reduction of poverty by empowering women economically through income support structures. We have witnessed the Minister of Social Development launching the Hemp Project on 19 October 2009 in Soweto. Guess what? The majority of people participating in the Hemp Project are rural women from the Eastern Cape, one of the poorest provinces in South Africa.
The Hemp Project has economic benefits; the potential to contribute to human nutrition, which gained worldwide recognition; and the potential for poverty reduction in the impoverished rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities should facilitate and speed up the legislation of hemp to be grown in South Africa for mass production and exportation, joining 27 other countries, like Russia.
Yes, it is time for celebration, but it's also time to reflect on the violence against women. Women in South Africa are six times more likely to be killed by their male partners than elsewhere in the world. This means that four women are killed every day by their intimate partners. This is unacceptable and as Cope we believe that more should be done to change the status quo.
Violence against women is an injustice that is putting them at higher risk of being infected with HIV. The department needs to ensure that violence against women is integrated into HIV prevention. HIV has a negative impact on the growth rate of the South African population. It is estimated that the growth rate of females is 0,94% lower than that of males.
The growth rate for females is not the only thing that is lower, so is the female labour force, according to the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement released recently: fewer women hold managerial positions; women's income level has dropped to a fifth compared to the peak of 2008; and women's positions in the workplace in South Africa also declined. Cope believes that the new Gender Equity Bill proposed by the Minister will not speed up the slow progress of gender equity in South Africa.
We, as Cope, propose that the Ministry should continually implement legal amendments designed to eliminate discrimination against women. We also propose that the Ministry should learn lessons from India - a country with a gap between policy and practice and one that is home to some 500 million women faced with discrimination. According to the MasterCard survey, women made the most gains there.
In conclusion, women play a critical role in the family. The family is the basic unit of a society and should be strengthened. Women make a great contribution to the family and to the development of society. Much of the progress can be made by increasing women's access to education and a greater awareness of their constitutional rights. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, the struggle of women in South Africa has its roots in the struggle against colonialism and slavery. Women have fought not only because they were brutally oppressed but for their children and for the integrity of their families.
For centuries, black women of our country have been subjected to all sorts of unimaginable degradation: a lack of proper education, a lack of health facilities, semi-slave labour and countless other inequalities. Many of them have suffered harassment and brutal torture, but they did not succumb. Women suffered as part of the exploited black labour force, as impoverished mothers and as members of an oppressed community.
They were expected to accept the extension of the pass laws to African women because the perpetrators of apartheid grasped, in some insidious way, that the foundation of the system finally rested on the subjugation of the African woman by isolating her in the reserves, where she became conditioned to bearing and raising children as well as caring for the old and ill.
The Land Act of 1913 legalised the dispossession of the South African people of their land. While our people were driven off their land to work for the maintenance of the white economy, the pass was used to permanently control the movement of black people and curtail their development as a nation.
The late 1940s and early 1950s witnessed an intensification of the people's struggles. The regime had devised a unique form of institutional racism through the application of over 2 000 pieces of legislation designed to restrict the work and destroy the family life and, indeed, the very existence of the black majority.
In 1950, an impending amendment, which would enable government to introduce passes for African women, galvanised women into protest on a national level. The Women's Charter of 1954 was part of this broader campaign, and it was at this point that the ANC Women's League identified a need for a broader women's struggle to ensure total emancipation.
Passes were first issued in 1956 in the Orange Free State in the town of Winburg, where many women were arrested when they burned their passes. In Lichtenburg, more than 1 000 women met government officials to protest when they arrived to register them. In Nelspruit, women attacked the car of the magistrate when he announced that passes would be distributed. In Pietermaritzburg and Polokwane, 2 000 women stoned officials who came to register them. Cato Manor in Natal became the site of large-scale protests when the municipality attempted to end all illegal liquor stills. Beer brewing was an important source of income for African women. In June 1959, women marched and organised a beer boycott, which led to wide-scale uprisings all over Natal.
In 1977, the apartheid government announced that Crossroads would be demolished and the 20 000 residents would be sent to Transkei. The women organised the Crossroads Women's Movement with their rallying cry: "We are not moving." This caused the regime, under massive international pressure, to announce that it would not force the residents to leave the Cape Town area.
The burden became too heavy to bear, and the women's section of the ANC started mobilising women throughout the country to take a bold stand. The determination born out of anger united them even more. United we stand, divided we fall.
Fifty-four years ago, on 9 August 1956, South Africa saw more than 20 000 women of all racial groups and from all parts of the country converging in Pretoria. Most of them carried their babies on their backs and were led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Fatima Moosa and Sophia Williams.
Siyabonga bomama besizwe. [Thank you, mothers of the nation.]
That was the beginning of what was later to be observed in many parts of the world as "South African Women's Day", in support of the South African women's struggle for liberation and fundamental human rights.
Women were prosecuted and persecuted on a wide variety of political charges, reflecting the range of their involvement in the struggle against apartheid. Among those who were serving jail sentences were women of all colours, ages and religions; young girls; and many mothers and grandmothers, some of whom were older than 70 years.
The oppressed women of South Africa, since the turn of the previous century, emerged as primary catalysts for protest against and challengers of the apartheid regime and colonialism. They were forced to shoulder a greater share of the burden of apartheid and they became increasingly conscious of the fact that the road to their emancipation was going through the destruction of apartheid and the creation of a nonracial, nonsexist, democratic society.
As we observe the 54th anniversary of that historic march to Pretoria, we, the women of South Africa, look back with a sense of achievement over the 100 years of our relentless participation in the national liberation struggle against colonial subjugation and oppression in South Africa.
Former ANC president, Albert Luthuli, wrote about the women's actions:
Among us Africans, the weight of resistance has been greatly increased in the last few years by the emergence of our women. It may even be true that, had the women hung back, resistance would still have been faltering and uncertain.
National Women's Day is about women in South Africa, the social conditions and the laws that affect them in their personal lives and in their wider field of education and conditions of work.
It is also about the way in which women have organised in the past and their struggle to overcome disabilities and difficulties under which they lived. It is about the part they played in the struggle for the liberation of the people of South Africa.
Remembering the beer boycott of 1959 in Natal, we can today rejoice in the fact that African women are standing strong in the liquor industry, with more than 1 000 tavern owners - traditionally women - having significant shareholding in the wine industry. After so many years of struggle, it is good to see recognition of economic benefits for women who labour in the wine and spirit business.
Furthermore, looking back to the 1956 pass law marches, we can rejoice that we have a new form of identification that does not discriminate against or subjugate women but allows them to actively participate in South Africa's civilian, social, legal and economic rights. The current form of identification assists women in registering their children, applying for employment, receiving social benefits and pensions and travelling without hindrance.
The National Women's Month must, therefore, be more than just a month of remembrance. It should be a tribute to our history of struggle, as well as a reminder of the work that lies in the months and years ahead.
In conclusion, I wish to pay homage to Comrade Ntswaki Lephuthing, provincial treasurer of the ANC Youth League in Gauteng, who tragically passed away recently. I also wish to congratulate the Gauteng ANC Youth League, led by Lebogang Maile, for the successful conference and for electing three women to serve on their five-member executive. [Applause.] We pledge to continue along the path of the 9 August occasion charted by Lilian Masediba Ngoyi, the great heroine of our people. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!]
HON MEMBERS: Igama lamakhosikazi! [The name of women!]
Long live 9 August, South African Women's Day, long live!
HON MEMBERS: Long live! [Applause.] Ms L L ZWANE (KwaZulu-Natal): Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, members, in South Africa the month of August is dedicated to celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of all women, irrespective of their political preferences, socioeconomic status and religious affiliation.
Celebrating the strides that women, from all walks of life, have made is a sentiment close to the heart of our icon, Nelson Mandela, who is a world- celebrated leader and father of the nation. We all actively participated in the International Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July 2010 by doing something to uplift the spirits or the lives of the less fortunate.
We can all attest to the fact that that kind of self-giving activity was self-fulfilling. It is the kind of activity that we need not do on this particular day only, but it should be something that, as women, we do every day of our lives by caring for those women who are less fortunate. One of the effective ways of taking forward this legacy left by Tata Mandela and other women, whom we are celebrating as heroines today, is to do good to everyone, every time, anyway, despite the challenges and obstacles that we always face as women in the daily activities of our lives. I subscribe to Mother Teresa's thinking when she says: "We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."
Coupled with celebrating the sacrifices of former President Nelson Mandela, this month we are remembering and learning from the stories of ordinary women who made history. They are indeed great women who have pioneered the change that we see today in different aspects and facets of life. They themselves became the change that they wanted to see. Many have contributed in ensuring that the world that we live in today transcends gender limitations and often women themselves have pioneered these changes.
If we go far back in the history of KwaZulu-Natal, even during the precolonial era, we can remember great women like, for instance, Mkabayi kaJama, a woman who contributed greatly in the formation of the Zulu nation. When things did not go well in KwaZulu-Natal at that time, Mkabayi decided not to keep quiet about it. She had to take very tough decisions to call things to order even during that era.
When I look at the actions and decisions that she had to take, I sometimes say to myself, even at that time, Mkabayi kaJama was a Member of Parliament. When things went wrong, she did not keep quiet. She was brave enough to face even the king who was ruling at the time, and went further to actually orchestrate his assassination because she wanted to deliver people and wanted justice to prevail. It is such women that we are looking for today. It is such women that we need to support - women who are not afraid to speak out when things do not go right. If, for instance, we could refer to what other speakers said earlier on by way of remembering the heroines that contributed to the struggle, now that we are here today, there are people who went before us and sacrificed their lives.
However, the struggle, as it was explained earlier on, did not begin in 1956. Around 1913 there were already marches led by different women who were fighting the injustices of the government of those times. For instance, women were not quiet about the Land Act, where the whole Act was actually meant to disadvantage blacks to the extent that blacks were given only 13% of the land. Women were not quiet about that. It is only that maybe they did not approach that whole issue in an organised fashion.
Around 1948 and 1950, women organised a potato boycott. I suppose you remember that boycott, when women took a firm stand and said that they were not going to buy potatoes because prisoners were used by the government of the day to plant those potatoes, and, in the process, some of the prisoners were killed and were buried there.
Bathi abesifazane ngeke sisawathenga amazambane, ngempela kwama nse ukuthengwa kwamazambane ... [The women said, we will no longer buy potatoes, and indeed people stopped buying potatoes ... ]
... for a long period.
Ngoba bengafuni ukudla ukudla ekubeni umhlabathi wakhona uvundiswe ngezidumbu zezingane zamanye amakhosikazi. [Because they did not want to eat food which was grown in soil fertilised with the corpses of other women's children.]
Women stood firm and fought for that. It is women in KwaZulu-Natal -the previous speaker alluded to that - abaya kwalihhoko, ehholo labhiya, kwamayemaye [who went to lihhoko, a beer hall, in Mayemaye].
The men were busy drinking beer and had forgotten their duties. They had even forgotten their bedroom duties as men ... [Laughter.] ... because they were so glued to and so hooked on drinking this beer that was actually killing the systems that they need to use to procreate. So women went there and said enough is enough.
Bachitha utshwala bafaka isibhaxu. [They spilled the beer and beat them.]
And then men had to come to their senses and take their responsibility of providing for and protecting women in their own homesteads. It was women. Women can bring about change if they want to.
Uma besathule bathule ngoba besafuna isu ... [When they are quiet, they are actually devising a strategy ...] ... not because they are afraid. It was women who actually organised the strikes against the dips.
Isiteleka samadiphu. Izinkomo zamadoda zifa, kodwa ezabelungu izinkomo ... [The dip strike. Men's cattle dying, but cattle of the whites ...]
... were not dipped in the same dip where the other cattle were dipped. There was something fishy about that because it indicated that there was some poison that was put in to kill black people's livestock. Women stood up and actually closed the dips. It is women who brought about that kind of change.
Nango-1980 siyabakhumbula abesifazane abanye babo abakwaZulu-Natal ... [Even in the 1980s we remember women, some of whom were from KwaZulu-Natal ...]
... who actually remained in their homesteads when their husbands were away in exile. These women had to take decisions and run the homesteads on behalf of the husbands who were away.
Siyamubonga umama uSizakele Zuma,umaKhumalo.[We thank Mrs Sizakele Khumalo- Zuma.]
Today, her husband is the President, but she had to remain and actually run the homestead, faithfully, until the President came back. [Applause.]
Ngakho-ke siyakubonga ngomnikelo owasenzela wona, namuhlanje sinoMengameli ngoba wahlala wabekezela ezimweni ezinzima. [We therefore thank you for your contribution, for today we have a President because you remained and persevered in dire conditions.]
There are other women who contributed to the struggle, women like Dorothy Nyembe, Margaret Mncadi, Tryphina "MaMboxela" Njokweni, Florence Mkhize, Busi Mhlongo, the artist, and Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Those are the women who made men's contributions. As we are here today, we will be making a grievous mistake if we don't mention their names. We may not mention all of them because they are so many, but at least we should mention some of them.
Siyababongela omama abanjengo ... [We thank women like ...]
... Ellen Sirleaf, who is the Liberian president. I think she is the first woman president on the African continent.
Ungowokuqala, baningi abanye abazolandela. Uhlahle indlela ... [She is the first; many more are to follow. She led the way ...]
... and I want to believe that it was not easy for her to reach the stage where she is, but women are learning from that and are going to assume those positions very soon. We are not making threats, but we are going to assume what is rightfully ours because we have the gift of leadership.
We do want to applaud the progress that has been made by the democratic South African government ever since its inception.
Siyababona omama ... [We thank the women ...]
... in the decision-making bodies of government and the parastatals.
Siyababona oNgqongqoshe abakhona kuzwelonke. Kodwa, ikakhulukazi kwisifunda sakwaZulu-Natali, siyakuthanda lokhu esikubona kwenzeka khona. IsiGungu sakhona esiPhezulu sinabesifazane abayisihlanu kanye nabesilisa abayisihlanu. [We thank the MECs throughout this country, especially in the province of KwaZulu-Natal - we like what we see happening there.]
In the legislature we have struck the 50% balance. In the chairpersonship of portfolio committees we have struck a balance of 50-50. So, there is progress.
Kodwa-ke, kuyasixaka ukuthi kunezifundazwe ... [But then, it is surprising that there is a province ...] ... where there is only one female in a sea of males, yet those provinces hope to govern the country. The ANC still has a lot of work to do in terms of educating and giving lessons to other parties in order to reach where the ANC is today.
KwaZulu-Natali sibe nePhalamende labesiFazane elibe yimpumelelo, ... [In KwaZulu-Natal we had a women's parliament, which was a success ...]
... where we created a platform through the Office of the Speaker, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni, and brought women from rural areas.
IPhalamende labesifazane laKwaZulu-Natali kulo nyaka beliseMkhanyakude, ... [This year the KwaZulu-Natal women's parliament was in Mkhanyakude ...]
... right in the deep rural areas ...
... lapho bakhale khona ngogesi namanzi, bengenalutho [... where they complained about electricity and water, because they have none]
We promised that we will see to it that the government of the day, be it nationally, provincially, or locally, addresses those issues because if you address the issue of electricity ...
... uthinta umuntu wesifazane nokuhlupheka kwakhe, angavuki ekuseni aye ehlathini. Uma ukhuluma ngodaba lwamanzi wenza ukuthi angayi kowasha emfuleni ashaywe yizinyoka. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[... you are relieving women from the hardship of waking up in the morning to go to the forest. If you address the issue of water, you are saving women from going to do laundry in the river and being subjected to snakebites.]
Many other issues were addressed at that platform. So, we really are celebrating this month and the office of the premier - as hon Magadla said - is full of a series of activities that are taking care of women in various sectors of the community. Thank you very much, Deputy Chairperson. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, Ministers present here, ...
... bahlomphegi ba Ntlo ye kgolo ye, ke lethabo le legolo go rena lehono go tla ka mo re tlo abelana le lena ditaba t?a go t?wa go basadi Palamenteng ya basadi ya Limpopo ... [... hon members in this august House, it is a great joy that we are gathered here today to share with you matters arising from the women's parliament in Limpopo ...]
... the only province of peace in the country. [Applause.]
Chairperson, before I get to the issues of the day, I would like to remind this august House, particularly the opposition benches, that the ruling party has an age-old slogan that says: "The people shall govern". It isn't saying members of the party shall govern, but the people shall govern, meaning all people in the country.
Secondly, whoever defies a mirror? When one stands in front of a mirror in the morning and the mirror reflects that his or her tie or skirt needs to be adjusted in a certain manner, one complies; when one goes out, one wants to impress. This is to say that we, as the ruling party, are capable of listening. Opposition for us is but a mirror. We hear what is being said.
In September we will be converging in Durban to introspect and to blend all that we have heard. The whole country and the whole world will be watching - they will be paying attention. When we come back and go to the communities, we are going to impress.
I have heard, in this august House this afternoon, some people expressing some dreams of some new majority. When people dream during the day, what do we say? We say they are daydreaming! [Interjections.]
Mokgatlo wo o bu?ago naga ya Afrika Borwa ... [The ruling party in South Africa ...]
... the only organisation that is almost a century old - not only on the continent, but in the whole world - is listening.
Ons gaan regmaak, mense. [We are readying ourselves, people.]
Watch this space.
Chairperson, thank you very much for allowing us this opportunity to relay to this august House issues raised in our provincial women's parliament that was held recently. Sixteen years on since our democratic dispensation, and 55 years on since the gallant women marched to the Union Buildings, we are not here only to lament and to characterise problems. We are here to propose solutions as well.
Political liberation without economic liberation does not count for much. On behalf of the rural women in Limpopo and other provinces, we would wish to share some experiences with this august House. Also, just to remind the House that, when one listens critically to what opposition benches are saying, they are saying, "ANC, implement your policies and stick to your programmes correctly." And that's what we are going to do.
Opportunities and economic progress for women are closely linked to service delivery in general. Demographic statistics of our country indicate that women are a majority. Due to the labour system of the past, this majority is in the rural areas. The fact is that services like electricity and water provisioning are still very much in short supply in the rural areas. For women to participate in economic activities of the country, electricity and water are critical.
It is commendable that this administration of hon President Jacob Zuma has identified rural development as one of its focal areas. For women to participate more meaningfully in the economy of the country, we still have some hurdles that need to be removed.
Over and above the issue of electricity and water is the question of language. The language used in government programmes and in documents is not always user-friendly to the majority of women in rural areas. We therefore suggest that information for opportunities be given in local languages of rural areas. Radio can also be utilised as a means of disseminating information because the majority of households in rural areas do listen to radios.
An added burden is that some concepts are expressed in an unfriendly language. I am referring to concepts like "per cent", and concepts like "compound interest". These are some of the subtle hurdles which women have to grapple with before they can meaningfully participate in the economic activity of the country. For those women who, due to no fault of their own, are not conversant with these concepts, it is very difficult to participate meaningfully in economic activities. We, therefore, propose that those who craft modules for adult basic education and training, Abet, should find a way of packaging these concepts in such a way that women are able to utilise them and, therefore, enter the mainstream of economic activity in South Africa.
To add insult to injury, commercial banks call for collateral - a very tall order, indeed, for women in rural areas. One of the former first ladies in our country used to preach the gospel of a community or village bank. Bangladesh has proved that a properly managed community or village bank does work.
Therefore, we appeal to the relevant departments in this administration to facilitate the establishment of village banks where rural women can access affordable loans for their businesses. Other than making less costly loans available, a village bank will not only liberate rural women from the moneylenders, but will also create jobs in the villages. The foundation for these village banks already exists. A lot of money is circulating in these villages in the form of stokvels, burial societies, megodisano [informal community financial empowerment schemes], etc. We propose that the state, with all its expertise, should facilitate the establishment of the community or village banks in rural areas.
We do have good policies but the implementation falls short. Some scorecards in some companies may not be quite honest with regard to gender equity. Policies intended to uplift women do not always have the intended results because sometimes women are used as fronts. We therefore propose that a mechanism to verify actual and meaningful participation by women in some of the economic activities in the country is necessary.
In conclusion, it's not only doom and gloom in the lives of women in rural areas. Those women in rural areas who have access to water and electricity, as well as some land, do produce food for their families. Some of these women, as evidenced by awards such as the Female Farmer of the Year, are already farming commercially.
The message is, for the majority in rural areas, participation in the economic activity of the country is still pie in the sky, and impatience is growing each day. Some creative intervention would be most welcome.
Services are not being delivered, and this must be made clear. It is not because of a lack of money. Our country, South Africa, has enough resources for all its people; it's a matter of management. The probe announced by our President, we hope, is going to help the delivery of services to arrive speedily in the rural areas. I thank you. [Applause.]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo weNdlu, amalungu ahloniphekile, uNgqongqoshe obhekene noMnyango wezabesiFazane, iNtsha, iziNgane nabantu abaPhila nokuKhubazeka, ngithi iNingizimu Afrika kufuneka ibabongele omama ukuthi bakwazi babhekane nemisebenzi enzima.
Babhekane nemisebenzi kuyo yonke indlela njengoba eseshilo udadewethu. INkosazana yesizwe samaZulu, uMkabayi kaJama wayekwazi ukuphephisa isizwe ebunzimeni ngoba nesikhundla esihlezi kuso uma ngabe uMkabayi kaJama wayengekho uyise uJama wayengeke asakwazi ukuthola ukusithola. Yingakho waze wazala indodana yakhe okuthiwa nguSenzangakhona. Lokho kwakungumcabango kaMkabayi kaJama.
Akuqala-ke nangaye uMkabayi kaJama kuqale ngoMthaniya uqobo. UMthaniya wabusa njengenkosi yomZulu, waphatha izwe. Kwaye kwalandela iNdlovukazi uNgqumbazi, naye wabusa njengenkosi yomZulu eshayela amadoda umthetho kuleliya likaMthaniya. Indlovukazi yokugcina unina kaDinizulu lapho aphendula khona isidwaba wasibuyisa ngangxanye, amaBhunu namaNgisi sebezothatha uDinizulu okokugcina bemyisa le e-St Helena.
Nguyena owaphaka amabutho, waphinde wabutha ibutho "UDakwa Ukusutha", yiNdlovukazi-ke leyo. Angeke ngikuphike mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe ukuthi kukhona okhalweni lwethu lapho omama siyaye sibabukele phansi khona. Kodwa indoda ebukela phansi umuntu wesifazane iyinkinga ngoba phela ebusuku uma ngizohlaba inkomo ngixoxa naye ngaphambi kokuba ngiye kubafowethu. Ngoba uma ngingexoxe naye ngizohamba ngiyohlaba inkomo esibayeni engazi; ayikho leyo nto.
Ngithi lapho sengikhulile sengimdala iNkosazane kaDinizulu iyona eyafika yazobeka iNdlu. Ubabomkhulu uSolomoni wahamba emhlabeni engazilamaniselanga ukuthi izindlu zakhe ziphathe kanjani. Kodwa ngoba kubalulekile noma bekhona obaba bengamadoda, nabafowabo, noyise kepha balanda iNkosazana. Inkosazana yafike yasho ukuthi le Ndlu imi kanje nakanje, ibeka umthetho.
Ngithi omama besizwe bayisizwe, ngithi asikho isizwe ngaphandle komama ngoba masingathi siyisizwe ngaphandle komama singakhuluma imfeketho; into engekho. Okukahle uhulumeni wentando yeningi usekwenze kwaba ngumthetho ukuthi bathathwe njengabantu ababalulekile ezintweni zonke, iminikelo eseyenziwe ngosopolotiki ngeminyaka yawo-60 kanye nama-50. Kodwa kusukela le babenezwi abalishayayo emthethweni. Ngazi lo mlando ngoba ngawuthola kogogo ababegane inkosi yasoSuthu, iNkosi uDinizulu.
Yizinto esizaziyo lezi, ngithi ngibonga kakhulu ukuthi bonke odadewethu nabafowethu abakhulumile, abakakhulumi okutshekile ngesifazane sesizwe ngoba yilapho esiphumula khona, esincenga khona futhi yilapho esibonelelwa khona. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson of this House, hon members, the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, South Africa should commend women for their ability to perform difficult tasks.
They are faced with duties all the way, as the hon Minister has said. The heiress of the Zulu nation, Princess Mkabayi kaJama, could keep the nation safe during difficult times. The position that I am occupying would not be available if Mkabayi kaJama's father, Jama, had not existed. That is why he had to bear a son named Senzangakhona. And this was Mkabayi kaJama's idea.
This caretaking of the Zulu Kingdom by women did not begin with Mkabayi kaJama, but started with Mthaniya herself. Mthaniya reigned as the ruler of the Zulus and ruled the land. Then followed Queen Ngqumbazi - she also reigned as the ruler of the Zulus, giving orders to men in the land of Mthaniya. The last queen to rule was King Dinizulu's mother, who turned her traditional hide skirt, or isidwaba, inside out when the Afrikaners and the English soldiers came to take Dinizulu to St Helena for the last time.
She is the one who commanded regiments and also founded a regiment called Udakwa Ukusutha. These are the queen's credentials. I will not deny the fact, hon Minister, that somewhere in our nature there is a tendency to undermine women. But a man who undermines a woman is a problem because as a man, when I want to slaughter a cow, I first discuss it with her during the night before I tell my brothers. Because if I don't talk to her and just slaughter a cow without telling her, that is not acceptable.
When I was old enough, it was Dinizulu's princess who gave a ruling as to which royal house should rule because my grandfather, King Solomon, did not give a ruling as to which house should rule in terms of their seniority. And although other male relatives, like his brothers, were available, they consulted the princess. She came and gave directives as to which house should do what - she gave them directives.
The women of a nation are the nation - a nation does not exist without women because if we said we were a nation without women, we would be talking nonsense. And what is good is that the democratic government has entrenched it into law that they be regarded as important people in every aspect - these are the contributions of the politicians of the 1960s and the 1950s. And as from then they had something to say about the law. I know this history because I got it from my grandmothers, who were married to the king of Osuthu, King Dinizulu.
We know these things. I am very grateful to all my colleagues - my sisters and brothers who have spoken here - because they have not spoken ill of the nation's women for they help us to relax, breastfeed our young and take care of us. Thank you.]
Hon Deputy Chair, hon Minister, special delegates from the provinces, of course, it is true that the theme is directing us to a particular point in understanding exactly what it is that we need to do, namely work together for equal opportunities and progress for all women. But, perhaps, the fundamental question that we need to ask is: To what extent are we or can we be in the position to work together for equal opportunities and progress for women without a proper understanding of the challenges that women have been confronted with in our country?
For instance, it is easy to talk about an open society and equal opportunities, and simplistically think or assume that once you declare that there are open or equal opportunities, women will be free and equal to men. Therefore, it is important for all of us to understand, including our colleagues from the DA, that once we talk of equal opportunities, we also need to appreciate the historical oppression that women faced. That particular historical oppression was characterised as triple oppression.
Firstly, women were oppressed because of their gender. Secondly, they were oppressed because they were black, and, thirdly, they were oppressed because of the class orientation or characterisation of the economy that we were faced with. So, to what extent can we then begin to talk about equal opportunities for women now, if we do not address those three things? The first fundamental question for me with regard to triple oppression is: Has the males' attitude towards females changed? How do we see women today? Do we see women as equal to men in terms of their capacity and ability to do certain things in our society?
With regard to issues of race, to what extent have African women, in particular, been able to be positioned in society to play the strategic role that they are supposed to play? In class terms, where do we place women within the realm of our economy? How do we ensure that we locate their role in such a way that they are playing a very significant and constructive role in growing the economy of our country?
Therefore, it is important that we also caution our colleagues from the DA that they cannot speak of opportunities in class terms when, in actual fact, their liberal policies are walking against the very same objectives of creating equal opportunity. [Applause.]
If one has to reflect, as a result of the very same liberal or neoliberal economic policies that are espoused so aggressively by the DA, let us not forget that it is these policies that, in actual fact, led to a situation in which our country's economy was opened up. It is the liberalisation of the South African economy which led to a situation where the import barriers or the restrictions were lowered or even removed. As a result, the South African economy was then undermined by the external economies. What was the result of that? It resulted in key industrial sectors in our economy suffering greatly, such as your textile industries. Who were the people who were most affected in the textile industry with the closing of factories, and so forth? It was women. Therefore, it would be quite disingenuous and dishonest to begin to speak about equal opportunities, whilst in your policy framework you vigorously and aggressively advance policies that - and you know that very well - will undermine the very same progression of women in the economy as a whole.
It is within that understanding that it is important that all of us must begin to appreciate the struggles and challenges those women are faced with. Equally so, as the prince has said - and this is the first time that I have spoken after him and agree with him - the history of the struggle of women and how women have progressively played a strategic and important role in our liberation does not necessarily start in the 1930s or 1940s, but way before that.
Let us look at the Anglo-Boer War and the role of women in it, in particular how our African women were used to support the two imperialist factions that were fighting for our own economy, land and resources. Our very own African women were used to feed the soldiers who were fighting against each other. What happened immediately after the Anglo-Boer War? They were again subjected to the very same conditions, hence their political consciousness and their capacity to rise led them to mobilise and organise themselves to a point where they rose against the declaration of the 1910 Union of South Africa. It is through that process that we could see the mobilisation of women and their progression in fighting against the injustice system at that particular stage.
In the 1930s and 1940s, there were many instances of mass protest, demonstrations and passive resistance campaigns which women participated in. Of course, we can also reflect on the First World War and the Second World War, during which the imperialists on our land fought for our land, resources, and the little that we had. Women were again used to feed the imperialists, as well as look after them and their kids. They were even used for medical supplies.
It is now on record that during the Anglo-Boer War some African women were used as spies for the benefit of the imperialists. That is the extent to which women have played a very important role. However, some of the women, those who were more intelligent than the imperialists, fed the imperialists wrong information. [Applause.]
The main movements through which women expressed their growing political awareness in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were greatly influenced by the then Communist Party of South Africa and the ANC.
We would remember, comrades, that with the gradual transition of the South African economy from a predominantly mining and agricultural economy to the flourishing industrialised economy and our secondary industries, women played a very strategic and important role. Black trade unions grew rapidly and were influenced by the growing numbers of urban workers. They became increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo and a number of major strikes and boycotts were held in the 1940s, notably the strike of African mineworkers.
Women were not slow to play their part in this climate of unrest. Within the trade union movement, one can mention the names of militant workers, women in particular, such as Frances Baard whom today ... I do not know how many members of this august House have seen her statue in the centre of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Kimberley, as part of the Northern Cape province, honoured Frances Baard, who hailed from there. You must go to Kimberley to see the big statue there of our fellow revolutionary, Frances Baard. These are some of the women, like Lilian Ngoyi and Bertha Mashaba, who played that particular and important role.
In Cape Town, food committees that had links with the trade unions and the Communist Party of South Africa were formed and they demonstrated in Parliament against the inadequate food supplies. In Johannesburg women formed the People's Food Council in 1943 in an effort to improve ...
The 1956 march - this is the point I'm trying to make - was the culmination of a process that began long before and was led by women in South Africa. We know of the role played by the Federation of South African Woman, Fedsaw, and so forth.
Today we can ... but, Chair, I still have seconds left.
Your time has expired.
In conclusion, may I put a challenge to all of us as Members of Parliament, MPs, and say that we should not only fight for equal opportunities concerning this theme, but we must fight or develop a campaign that is aggressively biased in favour of women. [Applause.]
It should not be about equal opportunities; it should be about bias onfavour of the upliftment of women. It doesn't matter whether this would be in the form of co-operatives or construction co-operatives or co- operatives in mining, agriculture, etc. As we do our oversight, the first and last question should be: How has this benefited women or how will this be of benefit to women? [Time expired.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Deputy Chairperson, I wish to thank the members for the vibrant debate that has taken place this afternoon in this august House. Furthermore, I also want to appreciate the historical context that was given in terms of tracing back the struggles of women, thereby proving that women can do it. I believe that, in this particular era, all of us as women - together with men - must unite to address the challenges that members have spoken about; challenges of poverty, unemployment, HIV, etc. We also need to ensure that women access opportunities, and so on.
However, I just want to make one point. The hon Chen made an input about the challenges faced by women. I would wish that the input that was given here should be given to the leader of the DA, who is also the Premier of the Western Cape, so that they too recognise that women have got a role to play in decision-making structures of political parties, organisations, and so on.
What we saw in the provincial government of the Western Cape was a reversal of the gains that were made by women in this particular province. So I just wanted to make that point and ask hon Chen to make this input to her own party so that we can see a conscious effort by all of us in our resolve to ensure that women are empowered, participate in all respects, and also make their input with respect to the challenges that are facing us.
What has also come out is the fact that we need to focus on rural areas. That has come out in different ways in terms of inputs made by different speakers today. Rural development remains a priority of our government. Whatever we do in the next four years of this administration, if we don't make a difference in the lives of our people then we would not have achieved much in rural areas. So all of us have got to unite and ensure that women in the rural areas are empowered. I have also noted the suggestions that members have made. We will look into those suggestions.
As I step down, hon Deputy Chairperson, I would like to say that we are going to have izimbizo, and I invite the NCOP to join us in that regard. We will be interacting, first and foremost, with women on day one, children and their representatives on the second day, people with disabilities on the third day and the communities on the fourth day.
So we are going to be crisscrossing the country, going to rural areas as government and as this new department. We will be doing this in order to interact and also ensure that we listen so that we empower ourselves in terms of responding to the needs of our people. We are going to be embarking on that programme. We will start with KwaZulu-Natal and then move to other provinces. I just wanted to let the House know that there is such a programme which will take us to provinces.
In October we would like to have a national conference or indaba of women where women of all political persuasions - women from all backgrounds of our country - will come together under one roof to deliberate on the challenges and receive reports from the UN, the Commonwealth, and SADC. We will also be talking about how far we have come as a country in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
All I am saying is, let us work together for equal opportunities and progress for all women. Let's make the period from 2010 to 2020 truly a decade for all women of our country and Africa. South Africa cannot be truly free if the rest of the continent and its women are facing serious challenges. We've got to lead this process to ensure that whatever we do impacts positively on the lives of women on the continent as well. Thank you very much, hon Chairperson and hon members. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.