Deputy Chairperson, hon Lees, government welcomes the statement of His Majesty King Zwelithini which calls for the broadening of medical male circumcision as one of the measures to combat HIV infection. We also welcome efforts by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who - working with his provincial Cabinet - has mobilised traditional leaders in the province to rally behind His Majesty's call that young men should undergo medical male circumcision to complement the ABC message to prevent new infections. But, hon members will ask: Why this approach?
Strong evidence from clinical trials undertaken in South Africa - at Orange Farm in Gauteng province - Kenya and Uganda have demonstrated that males who are circumcised have close to 60% less chance of acquiring HIV during sexual intercourse. This means that medical male circumcision is partially protective, and should be promoted as part of a comprehensive package of preventive activities. Already, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, UNAIDS, are promoting this intervention based on scientific evidence.
Accordingly, government has decided to include medical male circumcision in the basket of HIV-prevention interventions. Other measures include HIV counselling and testing - knowing one's status helps to influence behaviour change - sexual and reproductive health education and advocacy for consistent condom use as well as the management of sexually transmitted infections. All these initiatives complement our message to young people in general - abstaining, being faithful and condomising.
Finally, I am pleased to inform this House that the SA National Aids Council, Sanac, is finalising clinical protocols and auditing health facilities to assess their readiness to provide medical male circumcisions as demand is rising, which is already the case in KwaZulu-Natal. However, this demand is being managed, thanks to the support of nongovernmental organisations and the Department of Health's integrated service delivery model. Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chairperson, could the Deputy President tell us whether it is not possible that government's support for widespread male circumcision will lead to an increase in the already high death toll associated with male circumcision.
Deputy Chairperson, my response to the follow-up question asked by hon Lees is in the negative. This will not increase any deaths. Last week on Thursday, I went to visit one of the sites in KwaZulu- Natal, which is a clinic in KwaCaluza in uMgungundlovu, Pietermaritzburg, where a team of doctors from Malaysia were training health personnel. They have invented a simple device which makes this a really painless operation. They insert the device, and it trims exactly where it is supposed to. [Laughter.] The person who is being circumcised keeps the device inserted and after three days or so that particular person is completely healed.
I'm also pleased to share with the House that at the same clinic there was also a delegation from the Eastern Cape sharing experiences and learning this new method. I must say that the method - I myself observed it - is totally painless. A person who is circumcised through this method is able to urinate and go to work, as long as he keeps that little device in for three days or so. Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, I would like to say I agree with the Deputy President. For example, I have a five-year-old boy who went through that process. It's harmless. On the second day my boy was up and running. Therefore, I agree with the Deputy President.
In fact I will agree with any measure that will curb this scourge of HIV. However - you will agree with me, Deputy President - it will remain the responsibility of everybody in the House to see to it that this type of enemy never catches up with himself or herself. Does the Deputy President agree with that? Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, yes, I agree that in fact prevention and prevention and prevention is the answer. That is why the message of the SA National Aids Council, Sanac, on World Aids Day was "I am responsible". Thank you.
Deputy Deputy Chairperson, could the Deputy President say whether government has any evidence that all men who died of HIV/Aids weren't circumcised? Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chairperson, my response to the hon member's follow-up question is in the negative. I don't think we did any such research. However, the research that I'm referring to is research which, as I said earlier, was conducted in Uganda and also here in South Africa in the Orange Farm community to assess the value of circumcision towards prevention. Of course, it doesn't totally eliminate the risk, but at least it reduces the risk by 60%. That is what the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS have been able to establish. That is also the message that the champions are spreading.
It is for this reason that we really thank and appreciate the leadership of His Majesty King Zwelithini because the Zulu nation has not been circumcising for a period of 200 years. However, because of the gravity of this problem that we are dealing with, the Zulu nation, under the leadership of His Majesty, has decided that they would now do it in order to assist in the country's response to this epidemic. Thank you.
Sekela-Sihlalo, ngiyabonga kakhulu, ngibonge noSekela Mongameli ukuthi le ndlela ezokwenziwa ngeke ilimaze muntu kodwa ngiyacela ukuba ngiphinde lokhu ngesiNgisi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr R A LEES: Thank you very much, Deputy Chairperson. I would also like to thank the Deputy President because the measures to be followed are not going to harm anyone. Can I please repeat this in English?]
Could the Deputy President tell us whether the government has put measures in place to protect men from being coerced or forced by traditional leaders or others to be circumcised against their will. This has been reported to be the case in the past. Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, well, this is like all other aspects of a voluntary process. People do experience deaths; if not in their families, in their communities. I think there is an understanding and acceptance that whatever measure is necessary to prevent this epidemic from spreading any further and taking more lives, they will subject themselves to that.
I'm not aware that there is coercion on anybody. When I was in KwaCaluza the queue was very, very long. These were people who had come willingly and freely without coercion. I didn't see anyone being escorted there. Thank you.
Details regarding Deputy President's statement that no political organisation will be allowed to disrupt school activities
5. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Deputy President:
(1) Whether, with reference to his statements that no political organisation will be allowed to disrupt school activities, any action has been taken to ensure that this does not occur; if not, why not; if so, what action;
(2) whether any action has been taken against any organisation which has disrupted school activities subsequent to this statement; if not, why not; if so, (a) what action and (b) what are the further relevant details? CO83E
Deputy Chairperson and hon Worth, yes, clause 9 of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill that will be tabled this year seeks to amend the SA Schools Act, Sasa, of 1996 by prohibiting noneducational activities during school time.
The Bill further supplements the regulation for safety measures at public schools that create a framework for political office bearers and public representatives to have a right to visit public schools in the interests of public accountability. Although these regulations specify that such a visit may not disrupt the school, the proposed amendment makes matters tighter by stipulating that the teaching time of learners may only be used for educational activities.
Political organisations whose members visit schools may, therefore, not disrupt teaching and learning during regulated hours. I'm not aware of any action that has been taken against any organisation as yet. The amendments to the law that I have spoke about will, once passed, empower authorities to take action against those robbing our youth of their valuable learning time.
Let me conclude by saying that this is not a matter of law; it's a violation of effectiveness. It is a matter of society in general and stakeholders in particular to value and protect the inalienable right of learners to access quality education without interruption. We owe this to our children and future generations. Let us not disappoint them. I thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, I would like to thank the hon Deputy President for his reply. I am very pleased to see that this clause 9 is going to come into operation because two political organisations - and I would like your comment on that, Deputy President - have been active throughout the country at schools disrupting scholars during the period of learning. I'm going to mention the organisations; one is the SACP and the other one is the ANC Youth League under the leadership of one Mr Julius Malema. It has been reported on in a lot of papers. I would like your comments on that. Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, I would like to thank hon Worth. The message and plea has been very clear since 2009 - that teachers must be at school, on time and teaching. At the beginning of this year, three teacher federations issued a joint statement committing themselves to doing that. We now focus on the learners themselves and the school management teams to ensure that they should never ever allow anyone to disrupt learning.
With regard to these organisations you have alluded to, I know that the ANC Youth League president, for instance, went to a school in Westonaria. I went to the meeting of the national executive committee, NEC, of the ANC Youth League. I said to them that no one is allowed to disrupt learning, and that we will not make any exception to that rule under any circumstances.
The account they gave me was that, indeed, they also commit that they shall never disrupt learning. The account they gave for their visit to Westonaria was that the school was in a totally chaotic state on the day they went there. The principal of the school apparently reported for work at 10:00. He only rolled into the schoolyard at 10:00. The teachers pleaded with him to get the learners to settle down and learn because they were, from the account, jumping on desks and so on. So I said to them that that must be the very last time they go and play that kind of role. If there is any need to motivate any learner, they should do that on a Saturday, not during school hours.
So there is a commitment to that end. I am not aware of the SACP visiting any schools to disrupt any learning at any time, but I can speak about the ANCYL in the specific instance when they visited a school in Westonaria. I can account for that because I did engage them on it. Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chair, I would like to thank the Deputy President. I'm so glad to see that at least the Deputy President has teeth for Mr Malema.
I would like to know if we, as Members of Parliament, when visiting schools in our constituency work to see if we can help the schools that struggle, also fall under this. We are not actually disrupting, but are trying to help. We do visit schools when doing constituency work to hear where we, as Members of Parliament, specifically the Select Committee on Education and Recreation, can perhaps help and find out where these schools have problems. The school principals do appreciate seeing us coming to visit and to see where we can help and assist them. I would like to know. Thank you, Mr Deputy President.
Deputy Chairperson, yes, the Act will allow for political office bearers and public representatives to visit schools. Of course it will tighten up this matter very clearly - that no disruption of learning must ever take place. So whatever you are going to deliver, or if you are being allowed by the school management team to teach for one session, that's a horse of a different colour. But if you are going there just to supervise and so on, there should be no such disruption whatsoever. That is why we insist that any other intervention must take place outside of the hours of learning. Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chair, I would like to ask the Deputy President if he would agree with me that, in the event where certain MPs go to visit schools and certain teacher unions disallow them entrance to their organisations, the teacher unions don't have the authority to disallow them to visit schools.
Deputy Chairperson, the authority at any school lies with the school's management team. That is the body that is properly authorised to manage the school. Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chairperson, let me thank the Deputy President for the intervention at Westonaria. That is great. With regard to the principal who was delinquent, may I ask if any action has been taken against him to correct his behaviour or implement whatever corrective measures are needed.
Deputy Chairperson, the hon member will recall that this is a school that suffered when that community was resisting fiercely its transfer into the North West province. Schoolchildren were used in that regard. Therefore, it's a school that needs to be mentored, including the principal.
I do know that the Department of Basic Education sends mentors to assist those kinds of principals to restore order in the schools because some of the best performing schools are schools that are well managed, where the principals keep time and lead by example. Indeed, that was reported to the Gauteng provincial MEC for education. Thank you.
Undertaking of lifestyle audit and details relating thereto
6. Mr D B Feldman (Cope) asked the Deputy President:
Whether the government will ensure that a lifestyle audit of all (a) Cabinet members, (b) Deputy Ministers, (c) directors-general and (d) directors is undertaken in order to assuage the disquiet of the citizens regarding the unexplained wealth of persons high up in government; if not, why not; if so, how is the government planning to drive this so that public confidence is restored?