Order! Order, hon members!
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: ... was the original demand of women at International Women's Day 100 years ago. It remains the fundamental right ...
Hon Minister, on that happy note, your time has expired. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: ... and demand of the women of South Africa. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, goeiedag [good day], molweni nonke [I greet you all], Dumelang [I greet you all], today we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first International Women's Day and review the political and social achievements of women. One hundred years ago, only two countries allowed women to vote.
Some of the reasons given by the Equal Suffrage Association of North Carolina for women having the vote were: Those who obey the laws should help to choose those who make the laws; laws affect women as much as men; laws affecting children should include the women's point of view as well as the man's, because public-spirited women make public-spirited sons.
The General Assembly of the United Nations cited two reasons for observing Women's Day: Securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and the development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security. This is also an opportunity for us as women to network and mobilise for meaningful change. That is why I'm delighted to have so many DA activists in the gallery. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Applause.]
Can you see how many we have on our list? Look at the changes. We are still struggling to build a society that is fair in which there is diversity, tolerance, justice and equality between men and women. We have a constitution that guarantees human rights and dignity. Yet our society is beset by heinous crimes like rape at the rate of 150 women per day.
Numerous lesbians have been raped by self-righteous straight men applying what they claim to be corrective rape to cure them. Why does it take more than five years for the trial of nine men accused of murdering a lesbian woman, Zoliswa Nkonyana, to take place? Even now, another postponement has been granted by the court in Khayelitsha.
South African law does not recognise hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation. Should this not be reconsidered? For every 25 men accused of rape, 24 walk free. Why are so many serial rapists given bail? The implementation of our justice system needs to be reviewed. The chronic shortage of social workers, prosecutors and magistrates needs to be addressed so that justice can be seen to be done.
All of the topics of the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, held recently at the United Nations, should be on our Minister's agenda. These are the economic and educational empowerment of women; getting women into the "green" fields: into nontraditional jobs like construction; providing financial literacy programmes for women; keeping girls at school; and enabling mothers to provide education for their own children.
They also focused on trafficking and prostitution; access to reproductive health rights and medical services to reduce maternal mortality; the specific needs of LGBTI - lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender - people, especially corrective or curative rape; and the needs of the marginalised like disabled women and women living in rural areas.
More attention needs to be paid to HIV and Aids, the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, working with stigma and disclosure; and to comprehensive sexuality education, starting at school, to reduce the number of unwanted and teen pregnancies. More information about birth control should be given to prevent the abandonment and murder of innocent, unwanted babies - a blight on our human rights record. The way women are presented as commodities or sex objects in the media needs to be reviewed. The feminisation of poverty needs to be overcome. Hunger is a huge problem. Giving women better access to land, technology and agricultural resources is crucial to fighting famine.
In conclusion, I quote Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile and the first Executive Director of UN Women: "Women's strength, women's industry, women's wisdom are humankind's greatest untapped resource." Women have achieved much, but there are still gaps. Let us, South Africans, resolve to tap into the wisdom and strength of our women, to band together to heal the nation of its social ills, to secure harmony and a human rights culture for all. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, hon members and fellow South Africans, allow me on behalf of Cope to join other political parties in saluting all women of the world in recognition of International Women's Day. In dealing with the topic before us, let me pledge solidarity with and highlight the plight of specific groups of women, who directly or indirectly are affected by lack of access to education and training. By saying this, I by no means seek to exclude those other women who deserve equal attention.
I salute women from ematyotyombeni [informal settlements]. I salute women whose homes are the streets. I know that the Minister of Human Settlements is hard at work trying to fix this. I salute women who are looking after our homes, whom we call maids; I salute women of mineworkers who remain at home hoping for that uneven and unpredictable trickle of money from the bank; I salute the widows of miners who suffered untimely deaths because of exposure; I salute women with no access to information, and I salute women without choice. What can we, even as women, tell you about your plight without us feeling guilty? How much of your lives do we as women genuinely know about? How many of you are aware of International Women's Day? What does that do to change your lives? This is the guilt I genuinely express.
Yesterday, Mr Speaker, you said that if one wished to raise an issue, you either raised your hand and not your voice. Mr Speaker, allow me today to raise both hand and voice, as I point out sharply the issue of a group of young women, or shall I call them a group of young girls, caught up in the ritual "ukuthwala" [abduction or child brides.]
These are only children, children who are not allowed to grow up like normal girls. As girls, we used to dream about what we would be when we grew up. We used to dream about what cars we would drive one day. We used to dream about our wedding days. These are normal dreams of young girls allowed to grow up normally in a normal society. But these girls who get abducted are not allowed, sometimes even by their parents, to determine what their future can be. They cannot determine, even in the face of a constitution such as ours, who they want to marry and when they want to marry.
Decisions to marry them prematurely - or is it really marriage - are decisions made for them through this ritual. Who is served by this decision of abduction? It's men. Why? Because they want to. Why? Because they can. A few weeks ago I watched on television with horror an expos on the plight of these young girls. It was unbelievable listening to men justifying this act as tradition. A 60-year-old man taking a 15-year-old girl as his bride - and you call that tradition. It never was tradition; it is never tradition. [Applause.] It was and it still is a deplorable practice. Even then such a practice was never condoned. Tradition never harms its children; it is practice that does. [Applause.]
Hayini boomama, hayini ngentsana zethu, thina singoomama saziwa ngenimba. Ngoku ke asinakho ukuthula. [No, women, no! We cannot let this happen to our children. Women are well known for their compassion. Therefore, we cannot afford to be silent.]
Women were never quiet in 1910 when they waged an anti-pass campaign in the Free State. They never kept quiet in 1956 when they marched on the Union Buildings. Let us march, this time around, in defence of our children. Keeping quiet is colluding with this practice.
Sithi kurhulumente, kumama uXingwana, nakumama uMotshega, kuSihlalo owongamele iGqugula labaseTyhini apha ePalamente nakwiKomiti ejongene neMicimbi yabaseTyhini,-uLutsha, aBantwana kunye naBantu abaKhubazekileyo, mayiqwalaselwe nzulu le meko kunokuba kusenzeka. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[We are saying to the government, to Mrs Xingwana, Mrs Motshega, the Chairperson of the Women's Caucus in Parliament and the committee responsible for the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, you must pay even more attention than you are doing.]
Let us rally round our little flowers and protect them. It can never be, it must never be that our children are raised this way. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, may I address you on a point of order? My point of order is this: The ANC has always encouraged public participation and of course we are glad that the opposition parties also bring their members here to Parliament.
But there is a very clear agreement in the Chief Whips' Forum that party symbols should not be displayed in the Chamber. Obviously, the public gallery is part of the Chamber. I just want you to make a ruling in that regard. [Interjections.]
Order, please! I think that, as Members of Parliament, we do not wear symbols of our parties in this House. So we cannot allow members of the gallery to do so, either. I thank you. [Interjections.]
Madam Chair ...
Before I take your point of order, Mr Ellis, I've just been informed, and I do apologise, that apparently we, as members of this House, are not allowed to wear party symbols, but those in the gallery are. [Applause.]
May I address you on another point of order, Chair? I accept the ruling, which I believe is correct, but could you rule on whether members of the gallery are allowed to participate in the proceedings of the House. [Interjections.]
In terms of Rule 2, regarding visitors in the public gallery, I would just like to say the following: We welcome the presence of visitors here, but I would like to appeal to you to neither approve nor disapprove of what is said on the floor of the House. You are most welcome here in the House, but in order for me to maintain the order, I would appreciate your kind co-operation. However, I would not like to make you feel unwelcome in this House. So, please, I would appreciate your co-operation. Thank you. [Applause.]
Madam Chair ...
Could we continue with this very important debate?
Madam Chair, may I say that I actually welcome your ruling. I think that you have been very responsible, if I may say so, in the Chair. It's right that members in the gallery should not participate fully in debates. I think you are absolutely right.
But, I rise on a point of order, Madam Chair. The hon Gaum stood up and appeared to be reading from a book when he was making his particular point of view. [Laughter.] I think that he was misleading the House from the point of view that he claimed. He appeared to suggest that he was actually quoting from a Rule book. [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
What he had in his hands was anything but a Rule book. I suggest that he was really misleading the House. [Interjections.] [Laughter.] And we would very much like to know what the book really was about. [Laughter.]
Mr Ellis, thank you very much for your point of order, but can we please get back to a very important topic? Thank you.
Hon Chairperson, 2011 will see International Women's Day celebrating its 100th year after it was first celebrated on 9 March 1911, and the IFP joins the international community and all other political parties in paying homage to the women of the world on this International Women's Day. In its first year, it was celebrated and commemorated by only four European countries. Today, 100 years later, it is celebrated annually by all member states of the United Nations.
The theme this year focuses on the fundamental aspects and rights of women being allowed to enjoy equal access as their male counterparts to education as well as to training within the fields of science and technology. One of the main hindrances within sub-Saharan and the South African context to a woman achieving prominence in the above fields is poverty. Young women are being sent out to work by their parents in order to secure additional income for the family. The result is that they are unable to complete secondary schooling and, as a direct consequence thereof, tertiary training. Science and technology are fields in which tertiary training is a prerequisite, and young women should be encouraged by all means necessary to progress to tertiary education.
Gender inequality that hinders young women entering the fields of science and technology must be eliminated. These mindsets must be changed and be brought into the 21st century in order to create the necessary space for a young woman to pursue whatever career path she chooses.
In Africa, for instance, women produce approximately 80% of the food, yet only own 10% of the land. Crime against women is out of control. When it comes to domestic violence, rape and human trafficking, too many perpetrators of these crimes are not ever prosecuted and convicted. It is issues such as these that must be addressed if we wish to pay more than just lip service to uplifting one of our most precious resources.
The eradication of poverty, as well as the commitment of parents to their daughters' education, inclusive of tertiary education, will go a long way in enabling the young women of this world to pursue lucrative careers within the fields of science and technology which, in turn, will pay handsome dividends for the homes of those families whose daughters have been so educated.
The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation.
Whilst the IFP acknowledges that International Women's Day is celebrated on one day during March of each year, we as the party stress the need that women of our country and of the world should be honoured each and every day of the year and that the values that are celebrated on International Women's Day must be promoted unceasingly each and every day, and that the women of the world should be treasured and cherished for the women they are. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, 8 March 2011 marks 100 years of the day when women all over the world were united by the bonds of sisterhood. International Women's Day, since its inception in 1911, has seen the strides women have made to change the face of the political, economic and social structures of a world that once saw us as the inferior sex.
Speaker, geen vrou moet onderdruk voel in haar omstandighede nie. As 'n nasie het Suid-Afrika die wetgewende raamwerk in plek. Ons het die Grondwet, gelykheid - soos vervat in die Handves van Regte - en talle internasionale konvensies wat ons onderteken het.
Hierdie regte word egter nog steeds meestal geniet deur vroue in die boonste vlak van die samelewing. Ons moet erken dat die meerderheid van die plattelandse vroue en arm gemeenskappe nie voordeel trek uit hierdie regte nie. Hierdie vroue kan net hulle regte eis as hulle dit geleer is en dit verstaan. Dit is waar ons, as regering, ernstig in gebreke bly en 'n onreg doen teen vroue wat nie hierdie regte geniet nie. Rassistiese en stereotipe uitlatings wat op sommige vroue geteiken word, veral die onlangse neerhalende en omstrede verklarings gemaak deur Kuli Roberts, wat grootliks vernederend is vir die sogenaamde kleurlingvroue van hierdie land, moet uitgeroei word.
AGB LEDE: Hoor, hoor! (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Speaker, no woman should feel oppressed in her circumstances. As a nation, South Africa has the legislative framework in place. We have the Constitution, equality - as enshrined in the Bill of Rights - and many international conventions which we are signatory to.
These rights are still mostly enjoyed by women in the upper echelons of society. We have to admit, though, that the majority of rural women and poor communities do not benefit from these rights. These women can only claim their rights if they have been taught them and understand them. This is where we, as government, are found wanting and are doing an injustice unto women who do not enjoy these rights. Racial and stereotypical statements that are hurled against certain women, especially the recent derogatory and controversial comments made by Kuli Roberts, which are extremely humiliating towards the so-called coloured women of this country, should be eradicated.
HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear!]
Such ridiculous comments are bound to sever the bonds women of this country have established over decades, dating back to the march against the dompas. Die OD doen 'n beroep op alle bemagtigde vroue om saam te staan in solidariteit en vroue te help wat nog nie bevry is nie. Ek dank u. [Applous.] [The ID appeals to all empowered women to unite in solidarity and to help those women who have not yet been emancipated. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Madam Chairperson, hon members, 8 March 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the celebration of International Women's Day. This milestone presents us with a rare opportunity to reflect on the ground we have covered thus far regarding the current status of women, first and foremost as citizens of the world, and then of our country.
We ought to establish if, as a country, we have taken good enough strides to further the causes of women in general, and on gender equity in particular. As a country, we have done well to dispel old and appalling social conventions about the role of women being in the kitchen.
Our observance of the rights of women, as outlined in the Constitution, is an essential starting point for paving the women's path to decent work. Indeed, our struggle for liberation would not have succeeded without the monumental role played by women.
However, today, as we reflect on these successes and failures, we ought to be mindful of the ever-changing global needs that demand a different set of skills for one to survive.
In our celebrations of International Women's Day, we must consider the millions of women across the world and South Africa who live in abject penury, with no access to education. We must think about the many women, both young and old, who, as early as the age of 13, were forced into arranged marriages to serve the pleasures of men. They are still seen as inferior to their dominant male counterparts.
We must double our efforts to increase the number of young girls and women who have access to education as a priority. While women are in the majority in South Africa, not enough is being done to address their underrepresentation in fields such as science and technology. Government needs to create incentives such as bursaries, learnerships, etc, for young girls and women who wish to pursue studies in science and technology.
Today, we must also evaluate those areas in which we fail. Among the victims of crime, especially of sexual and domestic violence, women are in the majority. In a whole range of social problems, women constitute the majority of sufferers. On the question of poverty and unemployment, it is once again women who make up a disproportional section of those affected. As a society, our failure to address these issues is an indictment. The struggle to establish democracy would not have succeeded without the support of women, and would have lacked credibility if it was not explicitly aimed at achieving a nonsexist society. Therefore, we are morally and legally obliged to pursue gender equality. Thank you, hon Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Agb Voorsitter, as ons praat oor Internasionale Vrouedag, dan is dit uiteraard gepas om hulde te bring aan ons vroue. Die VF Plus wil vandag hulde bring aan daardie vroue wat 'n groot rol gespeel het in die geskiedenis, nie net van die Afrikanervolk nie, maar ook van die wreld.
As ons terugdink aan die Voortrekkers, was dit die vroue wat ges het dat hulle eerder kaalvoet oor die Drakensberge sou loop as om in daardie tyd onder 'n Britse regering te wees. Hulle het die voortou geneem. Hulle het die leiding geneem. As ons teruggaan na die Anglo-Boereoorlog van 1899- 1902, dan moet ons ook daaraan terugdink dat ongeveer 27 500 vroue en kinders in die konsentrasiekampe gesterf het.
Dit was egter Suid-Afrika en die Suid-Afrikaners wat in 1913 die eerste en enigste vrouemonument in die wreld opgerig het. Dis 'n monument ter herdenking van die rol wat vroue en kinders gespeel het. Dis die enigste in die wreld. Eers hier in die laat 1970s is 'n soortgelyke monument vir vroue in die Verenigde State van Amerika opgerig. Die geskiedenis van ons land toon dat ons graag hulde bring aan ons vroue in terme van hul prestasies en dit wat hulle opgeoffer het vir hul land.
Dit gebeur ook in vandag se moderne tyd. Ons dink aan Santie Botha wat verlede jaar aangewys is as die sakevrou van die jaar. Ons dink byvoorbeeld aan Susan Vosloo wat die hoof is van die kardiologiese afdeling van Groote Schuur-hospitaal, wat aan die voorpunt is van die mediese beroep en aan die sakefront. Al daardie vroue speel nog steeds hulle rol. Ook in vandag se tyd is daar soveel vroue wat die broodwinner is en wat die gesin aan die gang moet hou. Daarom bring ons hulde aan hulle en ons gee graag erkenning vir dit wat hulle doen.
Voorsitter, die woorde van die agb Minister is hol woorde as hy hier kom praat en vertel van die prestasies van die ANC en wat hulle vir vroue gedoen het. Hoekom s ek dit? Ek wil vir die agb Minister s solank hulle toelaat dat Jimmy Manyi s dat wit vroue nie deel kan wees van regstellende aksie nie, mislei u uself. [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson, when we speak about International Women's Day then it is, naturally, appropriate to pay tribute to our women. The FF Plus would like to pay tribute today to those women who played a significant role in the history of not just the Afrikaner nation, but also of the world. When we think back to the Voortrekkers, it was the women who at that time said that they would rather walk barefoot across the Drakensberg Mountains than be subjected to a British government. They took the initiative. They took the lead. When we go back to the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, then we also have to bring to mind the nearly 27 500 women and children who died in the concentration camps.
It was, however, South Africa and South Africans who erected the first and only women's monument in the world in 1913. This is a monument in commemoration of the role that women and children played. It is the only one in the world. Only in the late 1970s a similar monument for women was erected in the United States of America.
The history of our country shows that we readily pay tribute to our women in terms of their achievements and what they have sacrificed for their country.
It is happening even in today's modern times. We think of Santie Botha, who was named the business woman of the year last year. We think, for instance, of Susan Vosloo, who is the Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital, which is at the forefront of the medical profession and on the business front. All these women are continuing to play their role.
Nowadays there are also many women who are the breadwinners and who are responsible for the upkeep of the family. Therefore, we pay tribute to them and we readily give recognition to them for what they do.
Chairperson, the words of the hon Minister are hollow words when he comes here to talk about and relates the achievements of the ANC and what they have done for women. Why do I say this? I would like to say to the hon Minister that for as long as they allow Jimmy Manyi to say that white women cannot be part of affirmative action, you are misleading yourself. [Interjections.]]
You are misleading yourself. The ANC doesn't stand up for women's rights because you still allow him in your government. Thank you.
Hon Chair, Deputy President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, I feel honoured and humbled to be part of this very relevant and important debate. Women are like volcanoes: When they offer their experience and assistance to humankind, all maps change and new developments emerge as the truth. It is important that we take note that in this women's debate, it does not necessarily mean that only women must participate. Men can also participate, because this is not just an issue about women, it is an issue for us all.
Before the 1970s, women's history was an underreported topic with little public education concentrated on women's history, but that did not mean women had not made history worthy of exposure or honour. Progress in science and technology has been a key driver of human societal development, vastly expanding the horizon of human potential, enabling a radical transformation in the quality of life enjoyed by millions of people. The harnessing of modern sources of energy counts as a major accomplishment in the past's scientific and technological progress.
In South Africa, this is not the case, especially when considering the fact that our country has been divided through racial policies for some decades. This, however, does not limit the fact that women's participation in science and technology remains a powerful force in transforming the socioeconomic ills that dominated the history of oppression of women in South Africa by the previous regime, more especially of black women generally and Africans in particular. This became a reality when the first ever democratic election, won by the ANC in 1994, changed the apartheid laws that were oppressive. As a matter of fact, thousands of women are today employed in factories, private companies and government institutions, while others are self-employed or hold top positions in political parties, for instance in the ANC.
Rural survival strategies demand that young women fully contribute to meeting the livelihood needs in their households from an early age. Consequently, youth, as a transitional stage, barely exists for a large majority of rural girls, and the poor in particular. Rural households and gender-divided labour are such that full control of the production process is virtually impossible for women. It is in that context that the Department of Science and Technology established the Information and Communication Technology Research and Development and Innovation Strategy, targeting rural and other marginalised girls for development.
One of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution is the right to education. It is important that young girls in rural areas are prepared for productive lives in both rural and urban environments. This will enable more girls on our continent to access education and training and to play an active role in politics in general. The benefit of women's education can be seen both in terms of their own human capital, job remuneration and the ability to contribute to the economy, as well as in terms of the next generation. Evidence indicates that female education improves infant survival rates and nutrition directly through the quality of care women provide.
The right to education will increase achievements in parity in education at secondary and tertiary levels, increase retention rates for girls and increase literacy levels of women through adult education. On its own, this is already a sufficient reason to celebrate the centenary of International Women's Day. Today, we will be celebrating our successes in terms of empowering women in science and technology. In March 2004, Nomathemba Kontyo, a Grade 11 learner at the Fezeka Senior Secondary School in Gugulethu, represented South Africa and Africa at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She was a finalist in an international essay writing competition on the topic: "Mars and Other Celestial Bodies". This, indeed, showcases the potential that women have in representing our country internationally.
The proportion of women students increased significantly from 2004 to 2009, with female students making up 48% of the total number of students. In 2009, out of 418 postgraduate students, only 199 were female. The capacities in our Departments of Basic Education and of Higher Education and Training will need to be strengthened in order to mitigate the challenges of women's access to education and equality.
It is very important that we take note that it is only the ANC that has elevated this progress of women in our country, and you find yourself becoming surprised when the hon Groenewald comes here and claims that they recognise women, whereas here in Parliament they don't even have a single woman representing them in the FF Plus. [Laughter.]
Mr Radebe, just take a seat, please.
Chairperson, is the hon member prepared to take a question? [Interjections.] It is a very simple question, a very easy one. [Interjections.]
Mr Radebe?
No!
Did he say yes?
No!
Chairperson, I want to ask the hon member ...
No!
... if the ANC only had four members, would they be women?
N-O!
Mr Radebe said no. [Interjections.]
Chair, in conclusion, I would also like to appeal to the DA not to continue to oppress women - to come and claim here that they represent the marginalised people of our democracy. Thank you, Chair. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Agb Voorsitter, namens baie mans wil ek vandag erkenning gee aan die belangrike bydrae wat vroue in ons lewens gespeel het en nog steeds speel. Ons moeders, eggenote, susters, dogters, vroulike kollegas en vriendinne help om ons en ons gedagtes te vorm. Ons onthou met groot dankbaarheid daardie grondslagfase-onderwyseresse wat ons geleer lees en skryf het.
Ons eer vandag ook vroue se bydrae op soveel ander gebiede. Die visie van 'n oop geleentheidsgedrewe samelewing is een waarin elke individu se talente vrylik ontwikkel, maar dan ook ten volle benut sal word. Beide onderwys en vroueregte is daarom belangrike aspekte in 'n oop geleentheidsgedrewe samelewing.
Ons Handves van Regte het baie gedoen vir die bevordering van vroueregte en, soos my kollega die agb Denise Robinson vroer ges het, vroueregte is essensieel menseregte.
Tog kan ons nie ontken dat onbillike geslagsdiskriminasie nog elke dag rondom ons plaasvind nie. Die debat rondom vroueregte kan ons baie help in die groter debat oor regstellende aksie ten opsigte van ander verdruktes. Hier het ons nie te doen met 'n minderheidsgroep of 'n groep waarvan ons kan s dat hulle op taal- of kultuurgebied ver van ons af staan nie. Alhoewel die debat oor vroueregte in die verlede soms warm verloop het, is daar deesdae in hierdie debat 'n nugterheid wat van groot waarde kan wees, ook vir ons ander debatte oor vorms van onbillike diskriminasie in ons land.
Wat ons met hierdie regstellende aksie-debat help, is dat vroue nie op grond van hul skoolprestasies enigsins as die swakker geslag beskou word nie. [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr A P VAN DER WESTHUIZEN: Hon Chairperson, on behalf of many men I would like to acknowledge today the important role women have played and are still playing in our lives. Our mothers, spouses, sisters, daughters, female colleagues and girlfriends help us in shaping ourselves and our thoughts. We remember with real gratitude those foundation phase teachers who taught us how to read and write.
Today we also honour the contributions of women in so many other areas. The vision of an open opportunity-driven society is one in which each individual's talents will develop freely and be fully utilised as well. The rights of teachers and women therefore are important aspects in an open opportunity-driven society.
Our Bill of Rights has done a lot for the promotion of women's rights and, as my colleague the hon Denise Robinson said earlier, women's rights are essentially human rights. Yet we cannot deny that unfair gender discrimination is still taking place on a daily basis around us. The debate around women's rights can really assist us in the greater debate regarding affirmative action in respect of other oppressed people. Here we are not dealing with a minority group or a group of which one could say that they are far removed from us regarding language or culture.
Although women's rights were at times in the past hotly debated, nowadays there is a soberness to it which can be of great value, also regarding our other debates around forms of unfair discrimination in our country.
As regards this debate about affirmative action, it is helpful to realise that women are not regarded as the weaker sex based on their academic performance. [Interjections.]]
Chair ... Chair ... Hon Chair ...
Hon Van der Westhuizen, could you take your seat, please.
Would the hon member take a question about the Western Cape cabinet, Chair? [Interjections.]
Hon Van der Westhuizen, will you take a question? [Interjections.] Let him answer for himself, Mr Ellis!
Thank you for the invitation, but it's declined.
Op die lys van die eerste 27 posisies van die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Onderwys se matriekulante wat verlede jaar presteer het, was 22 van daardie posisies gevul deur meisies. [Applous.] Die gekombineerde statistiek van 'n aantal van ons goeie townshipskole wys dat meer meisies as seuns tot in matriek vorder. Die statistieke van daardie skole se matriekklasse wys dat 60% van daardie klasse deur meisies gevul word.
Ingeval die kabinetwoordvoerder, mnr Manyi, dalk sal wonder of hy ook hier moet ingryp, wil ek s dat daar nie 'n oorkonsentrasie van vroue in die Wes- Kaap is nie! [Gelag.] Dit wys bloot net wat vroue kan doen wanneer hulle gelyke geleenthede gebied word. [Applous.]
Onbillike geslagsdiskriminasie is steeds 'n realiteit, ook in 'n beroep soos die onderwys. Die tipiese beeld van 'n skoolhoof is vir baie mense nog di van 'n man. Vroue as skoolhoofde en as senior onderwysbestuurders is nog ver in die minderheid. Eeue se diskriminasie en vooroordele word selfs in die 100-jaarherdenking wat ons vandag vier, nie uitgeskakel nie. Die DA glo dus dat spesiale stappe nodig is om sulke diep gevestigde ongelykhede uit te skakel. Die posisie van vroue in die gemeenskap moet gedurig gemeet en gedebatteer word.
Agb Minister, die DA bly gekant teen kwotastelsels, veral omdat ons gesien het dat die afdwing van kwotastelsels juis lei tot die skending van menseregte. Ek gaan een voorbeeld noem. Ons vind dit jammer dat die SA Polisiediens dit verlede jaar nodig gevind het om te appelleer nadat die Arbeidshof in die guns van 'n vrou, kaptein Renate Barnard, beslis het. Hierdie appl is beslis 'n terugwaartse stap vir vroueregte. Dit is ook nog 'n voorbeeld dat die laaste woord in die stryd om vroueregte nog lank nie ges is nie.
Mag ons volgende jaar, wanneer ons weer Internasionale Vrouedag herdenk, terugkyk en sien dat Suid-Afrika in 2011 wel nog verder op die pad van vroueregte gevorder het. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr A P VAN DER WESTHUIZEN: Twenty-two positions on the list of the Western Cape education department's top 27 matriculants who excelled last year were occupied by girls. [Applause.] The combined statistics of a number of our good township schools show that more girls than boys are progressing to matric. The matric class statistics of these schools show that 60% of those classes are attended by girls.
In case Cabinet spokesperson Mr Manyi is wondering whether he should intervene here as well, I wish to state that there is no overconcentration of females in the Western Cape! [Laughter.] It merely goes to show what women can do when they are afforded equal opportunities. [Applause.]
Unfair gender discrimination is still a reality, also in the teaching profession. For many people the picture of a typical headmaster remains that of a male. Females as headmasters and in senior teaching management are still by far a minority. Centuries of discrimination and bias will not even be removed by today's 100-year commemoration.
The DA therefore believes that special action is called for to remove such deep-rooted inequalities. The position of women in society should be continually measured and debated.
Hon Minister, the DA remains opposed to quota systems, particularly because we have witnessed how the enforcement of quota systems in fact leads to the violation of human rights. I will mention one example. We find it a pity that last year the SA Police Service found it necessary to appeal against a Labour Court decision in favour of a woman, Captain Renate Barnard. This appeal is indeed a step backward for women's rights. It is another example of how the last word on women's rights has not at all been spoken as yet.
May we look back next year, when we once more commemorate International Women's Day, and see that South Africa has indeed made progress on the road to women's rights. I thank you. [Applause.]]
Chairperson and Deputy President, the ACDP commends women as pillars of society who need greater support in their difficult and crucial role as mothers and breadwinners and who maintain the labour force and inspire the right values in children.
There are many challenges that hamper the furtherance of decent work for women. Traditional perspectives of gender roles that would seek to discourage women from reaching their full potential in more diverse areas of work are but one of them. The changing social, economic and political roles of women should serve to ensure that they, too, have equal access to employment opportunities and the same wages as that of their male counterparts.
In terms of access to education, last year's Gender Parity Index showed that girls do not experience significant discrimination in access to school. As an example of what access to good education can do for girls, I want to applaud an able, brave and courageous woman who has made South Africans proud and more confident in her office. This courageous woman is the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, who is a qualified human rights and constitutional lawyer.
The ACDP is delighted that she is neither afraid nor intimidated by even top policemen when discharging her constitutional mandate. We commend her for conducting all investigations, whether big or small, with fairness and justice as she endeavours to entrench good values in public administration.
When it comes to science and technology there is still a serious disparity between boys and girls. We need to encourage girls' interest in these subjects from Grade 1 and ensure that they have enthusiastic and skilled educators who are able to teach the curriculum in a way that will inspire girls to take, enjoy and pursue these subjects.
Surveys point out that science and technology teachers are mainly men, accustomed to teaching mostly boys and men. But this trend must shift and be adapted to target and include girls too, as we need more women scientists and technicians. The ACDP urges government to find funding for the national plan for teacher education and development and accelerate its implementation. I believe that there are thousands of girl learners who are capable of higher education.
Sadly, this ideal will not be reached unless serious intervention is made. Social surveys cite teenage pregnancy as the number one reason for the dropping out of school of girl learners, of whom few return to school or to their studies. Those who drop out for other reasons are 10 times more likely to become pregnant than those who are still in school, so school has a protective function.
In this regard, our young people need guidance. There is a desperate need for interventions such as the Silver Ring Thing, a project which transforms the attitudes of young people and celebrates sexual abstinence and safe living. The ACDP believes that, given the opportunity, many women can do a better job than men. We believe in our women, that is why women are in the majority on the ACDP national executive council. [Time expired.]
Madam Chair, this day comes a few weeks after we had gathered here to listen to and absorb the state of the nation address. Not long ago, our country had the admiration of many countries for the progressive steps it has taken in order to emancipate women. But today I am not sure that we still do. I certainly do not feel that I am in a place committed to gender equality.
Being a woman still means being vulnerable here at home and elsewhere in the world. Every 90 seconds of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or due to childbirth-related complications. The World Health Organisation reported that 358 000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth in 2008. Ninety per cent of that number comes from sub-Saharan Africa. Little or no resources have been channelled towards expanding birth control to males and, as such, the burden of birth control still rests primarily with the woman.
Globally, women are more likely to be jobless than men and bear the biggest brunt of poverty.
Today, here and elsewhere, boys are more likely to be at school than girls. Two out of three illiterate adults are women. In the entire world, there are only 28 women holding positions as head of state, and women only make up 19% of all legislatures.
More shocking to learn is that, as the rest of the world celebrated and commemorated International Woman's Day yesterday, Sudanese women activists were arrested and beaten by police as they protested that authorities cease violence against women. Can we therefore sit idly by and just commemorate the day? This suggests to me that we cannot afford to be idle and celebrate the progress made. [Time expired.]
Hon Madam Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, March 8 is the celebration of International Women's Day globally. On this day countries around the world are called upon to participate in the celebration of the centenary of International Women's Day.
In terms of the theme "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women", my area of focus will be celebrating the organisational lessons of the life and work of Charlotte Makgomo Manye Maxeke, an organiser of the principles and values of International Women's Day.
Historically for South African women, locating women's oppression both nationally and internationally takes place in the context of the struggle against colonialism, racism, classism and gender oppression. Madam Speaker, allow me before I attend to the gist of my address, to spend a few minutes reflecting on why the United Nations deemed it fitting to celebrate and honour women's advancement and also to remind us to continue to be vigilant in ensuring that the gains we have made in the equality and empowerment of women are not lost, but maintained in all aspects of life.
When women in New York marched in 1908, demanding shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights, and a fire in 1911 caused the tragic death of 129 working women, this led to attention being given to the working conditions of women and to labour legislation which protects women. We, in the House, outside and beyond, never imagined that those two events would lead to a global day that confronts the entrenched complexities of patriarchy.
The life and work of Charlotte Maxeke is truly a celebration of the contribution she made in every aspect of our lives: in the home, in a job, in the community, and as a mother, worker, citizen and leader. Our great patriot and international leader Charlotte Maxeke first organised the events in celebration of International Women's Day in the 1930s as the President of the Bantu Women's League which she founded in 1918.
There she was joined by trade unions and the Communist Party of South Africa. She established co-operatives and also empowered women. What would Charlotte Maxeke say or do on this day? She would have used her extraordinary intellect, diligence, determination, courage and dedication to teach. Her love for the arts, and music in particular, cannot go unnoticed. Her choir, with her as a soloist, performed all over the world in the 1870s. Charlotte Maxeke was offered a church scholarship to Wilberforce University, the African Methodist Episcopal, AME, Church University in Xenia, Ohio, and she accepted the offer. She was the first black South African female to obtain a degree.
As a mathematics teacher, she would have demystified the subject and made it simple for all to understand. She would have been at the forefront in ensuring that we did better in mathematics as a country and encouraged girls to take up the subject and excel at it.
She was the co-founder of the Widow's Home and the Foreign Missionary Society and the founder of the AME Church Widow's Mite Society. These two organisations were responsible for funding and educating thousands of young Africans in South Africa, the USA and Britain, and also for caring for the sick and indigent Africans. What a dedicated social justice advocate she was.
She was one of the first female members of the ANC. As an activist, she would have said: It is a violation of human rights when women and girls are sold into slavery; it is a violation of human rights when women are raped in their communities; it is a violation of human rights when women are raped as a tactic of war; it is a violation of human rights when women are subjected to violence in their homes by their own relatives or partners; it is a violation of human rights when women are denied the right to plan families and forced to have abortions or are sterilised against their will. Lastly, she would have said that it is a violation of human rights when babies and children are denied food, suffocated or drowned just because they are girls.
Charlotte Maxeke would herself have challenged even my own party to break the silence and speak from the rooftops to change the gender imbalance at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, in state-owned enterprises and in the private sector in general. She would have challenged all women to write and be outspoken supporters of human rights and dignity.
We are told that Charlotte Maxeke gave uplifting speeches which were described as electrifying, passionate and fiery, yet not inflammatory. Let that be a lesson to us in the House and to all South Africans.
As we celebrate this day and honour the contributions of the many women in South Africa and the world at large, let us remember that we have made strides in that we have more women in the boardrooms of state-owned enterprises, but unfortunately not in that of the private sector. We have greater equality in legislative rights and impressive role models in every aspect of life, but women are still not paid equally in comparison with their male counterparts. Women are still not present in real numbers in business and politics.
Regarding the principles and values of International Women's Day, this day represents the progressive values and principles of internationalism. It inspires human solidarity and a sense of interrelationship between national women's struggles and the struggles of women globally. These struggles have been forged with the understanding that the question of women struggles cannot be waged outside of other popular struggles. This has led to women being at the forefront of mass and militant struggles.
The principles of democracy, nonracism, nonsexism and gender equality are rooted in this day. Human solidarity has resulted in the growth of the international women's movement, rallying around specific national and local needs. The struggle to resolve race, class and gender contradictions and their interrelatedness has been a prominent feature of International Women's Day celebrations.
Regarding achievements, our government played a critical role in the adoption of the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development with its programme on gender equality and commitment to having women making up not less than 50% of all decision-making structures in SADC countries by 2015. South Africa is currently ranked 49th, the third country in Africa out of the 102 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, countries in terms of the social institutions and gender index which represents advances within the continent and the region.
The world is gradually changing regarding its attitude to women. We view this as an achievement, and South Africa is part of this momentum. For instance, our country is a signatory to international instruments that seek to improve women's lives, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Cedaw. We also look forward to women participating in the implementation of the new growth path.
South Africa has made significant progress in the number of women it has appointed to Parliament. A report on the representation of women in the 2009 South African elections indicates that South Africa has moved up from 17th to third position in the world rankings of women in Parliament. This is the largest increase since the 1994 elections.
Post the 2009 elections, women constitute 40% of Ministers and 39% of Deputy Ministers. These figures are a decrease from the 2004 elections in which women constituted 43% of Ministers and also comprised 50% of Deputy Ministers. Following the 2009 elections, women won 45% of the seats in Parliament.
Regarding organisational lessons, on this day different societies have mounted courageous struggles using their local experiences. Historically we organised our communities into organs of people's power. We should continue to strengthen our structures to take up issues affecting poor women, particularly in rural areas and farming communities, to ensure that they are empowered through equal access to education, training, science and technology.
The evolution of the women's movement organisationally taught us the power of collective struggles. Our struggles must uphold the principles of unity, selfless service, collective leadership, humility, hard work, constructive criticism and self-criticism, discipline and mutual respect as part of the rich legacy of Maxeke and the traditions of our organisations.
Going forward, we note advances made by women globally. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon members and guests, as we celebrate International Women's Day in 2011 under the theme, "Equal Access To Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women", I want to focus on the April 2000 Dakar Framework and take two points from the Education for All declarations.
In the first declaration, Asian and African governments undertook to expand and improve comprehensive childcare and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Most of our ECD - early childhood development - centres are still run by unqualified ECD practitioners who do not have standardised or uniform conditions of service. While we know that the minimum qualifications for a person to be a teacher after April 2008 is REQV 13 or REQV 14 - Relative Education Qualification Value - there is no minimum set for ECD practitioners.
Their work cannot be referred to as decent work. They are paid irregularly. Some of them are paid once per quarter. Many ECD practitioners, needless to say, are women.
In villages and rural areas that have no electricity and water, it is the girl-child who has to collect firewood and water, at times early in the morning before going to school.
As a country we have done reasonably well in eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education. Our statistics show that there is parity and, in some instances, girls outnumber boys. But the Dakar Framework also talks about access to quality education, not just education.
The other challenge that we still have to deal with is access to opportunities in the work environment. This is because it does not help to have parity and equal access to education while there is no equal access to opportunities. Azapo salutes all women. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Hon Chairperson, the first woman to make a substantial contribution to the development of mathematics was an African. Around 400 AD Hypatia of Alexandria, Egypt, taught mathematics, philosophy and the movements of the planets. It is believed that she co-developed the plane astrolabe, the graduated brass hydrometer and the hydroscope, the forerunners of many scientific instruments that facilitated astronomy, celestial navigation and much scientific endeavour.
By all accounts, she was a feisty and assertive woman who would not be bound by the conventions of her day. She drove her own chariot and exerted considerable political influence in her home city.
But this stretching of boundaries to seek verifiable truths was seen by a group of religious fanatics as a threat. So, in the year 415 AD they killed her. She was stripped naked, her flesh was ripped from her bones, her body parts were scattered through the streets, and some were burned in the local library.
Interestingly, these zealots didn't murder her father who was also a mathematician, philosopher and teacher, neither did they murder the many male scientists with whom she collaborated. It was just Hypatia who was singled out as a threat.
Luckily, women scientists are not treated so harshly today. They are accepted by most of their male peers as equally contributing colleagues. Many have made exceptional strides in all fields and in wining top accolades, such as Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine.
There are many government and private-sector sponsored awards worldwide that single out women achievers in these fields. These are essential in creating role models for young women whose ideas of future careers are formed during childhood.
Our Department of Science and Technology plays a positive role by giving a number of awards to women scientists who are active in both academe and industry. This public acknowledgement seeks to help redress deep-seated prejudices about women's ability to do maths, physics, science and engineering. Research by the American Association of University Women found that social and environmental factors, not the intelligence and reasoning capabilities, contribute to the underrepresentation of women in science and engineering. They don't lack ability, but they are often starved of opportunity, resources and support.
What does hamper women scientists is biology. Research published last year by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States said that underrepresentation of women in science is due primarily to issues of family formation and child rearing, lifestyle choices and career preferences, many of them made before young women leave school.
Women's current underrepresentation in maths-intensive fields is often attributed to gender discrimination by grant agencies, journal reviewers and research committees. However, this research shows that women fare as well as men in securing jobs, funding and publishing their research in scientific journals, as long as they have comparable resources.
Given the same research resources as their male counterparts, women scientists are as innovative and as productive, but most of them work in underresourced teaching posts. While this gives them the flexibility of working hours to raise their families, it allows little time for original science. Choosing to raise a family usually clashes with that stage of their careers when academe expects them to make their greatest intellectual contributions. This is not a career-limiting milestone for most men. To liberate women scientists to fully exploit the opportunities their ingenuity and education afford, our research institutions, universities and commercial enterprises must, as an economic strategic imperative for our nation, devise nonlinear career paths for our scientists.
We must bring innovation to the way the scientific workplace operates to ensure that our women scientists can unleash their full potential. I look forward to the day when we no longer need to use gender to draw attention to the exceptional contributions women make to the world of science, technology and engineering. [Applause.]
Chair, the Deputy President, Ministers and members of the House, I would like to start by acknowledging and responding to some of the comments that were made by speakers. I agree with hon member Vukuza-Linda that, indeed, "ukuthwala" [abduction] is nothing but a criminal, heinous, callous, evil act and all self-respecting South Africans should look down on that practice.
I am told by the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities that, working with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, they have commissioned the SA Law Reform Commission to work towards formulating a Bill to declare "ukuthwala" [abduction marriage] a serious crime and a serious offence. [Applause.]
I am also told that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development will soon be tabling a Bill on human trafficking, focusing on women and child trafficking. So, I do hope that some of these pieces of legislation will enable us to address some of these heinous crimes that are committed against women and girl-children in particular.
I want to remind the House again that, in addition to this year's theme of "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women", the UN has declared the decades of 2010 to 2030 decades for mobilising at a grass-roots level the emancipation of women. With that theme in mind, I ask members - especially members of the parties on my left - to pull themselves together because we need them. They can't continue this overturning they are doing because ... Unzima lomthwalo. [... there is lots to do.]
We need all of them, and not this story of having the opposition, when they have to take the responsibility globally, saying it is ANC this and the ANC that. As women, we need a plan. What is your plan? You need a plan as the opposition of what you are going to do to join the world in the battle for emancipation; and not the plan that you have, of an overturn for expedience. When there is a dying party, you want to take the remnants thereof, and then have one token woman in the executive committee. That can't work. We need a plan. [Applause.] One to ten is just pathetic; it's not good enough. Also, regarding a plan in which women will be kept in the gallery, we want them here, not in the gallery. [Applause.] We want them here and we want them in your exco.
Mr Groenewald, if you were a member of a party informed by principles like those of the ANC - nonracialism, nonsexism, a democracy that is underpinned by human rights values - you would not speak with a forked tongue like you do: rightfully acknowledging the role of Afrikaans women who have played a noble role historically and then end up opportunistically throwing in Mr Manyi's name where it doesn't fit. [Interjections.] This is because it is not Mr Manyi who said that the FF Plus should only be represented by men. This is patriarchy and has nothing to do with Mr Manyi. It is about the principles of the party. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Agb Voorsitter ... [Hon Chairperson ...]
I'm not going to take any questions; don't worry.
... is die agb Minister bereid om 'n vraag van my te beantwoord? [... is the hon Minister willing to take a question?] It will be an easy question, hon Minister. Are you prepared to take a question?
Nee! [No!]
Why not? It is an easy one.
The Minister does not wish to take a question. Will you please sit down. [Interjections.]
I rest my case, hon Chair. The previous speaker from the ANC said no. If they were only four members, there would be no women. [Interjections.]
She said no, and I am saying will you please take your seat. Thank you.
Moruti [Reverend], I come from a party which respects nonracialism and nonsexism - principles that we have always lived with. That is nothing new; it's policy. Reverend, Ms Madonsela was schooled in the ANC. That is why she behaves the way she does. She was not schooled in church or elsewhere.
As I said, the decade is for the mobilisation of women, Ms Ditshetelo, not for moans and complaints. The call is for action from all of us. Re tlo etsa eng ... [What are we going to do ...]
... with other women in the world? It is an international day. It calls upon us as women of this country to ask how we can participate in this global phenomenon of women oppression, and not only complain and come up with nothing. We need a plan. So, in the Women's League we continue to organise ourselves as women because we are very mindful of the negative effects of patriarchy on women's progress.
For once, as women and patriots, let's remember that women's struggles are international struggles. Women oppression respects neither age nor race, and it has no borders. Therefore, as global citizens, we are all called upon to join hands against this evil patriarchy. Let's not mention poor Manyi's name opportunistically where it does not belong. And don't blame the people where it does not belong. Deal with the one out of 10 - and don't raise things - because one to 10 is a crisis.
It is a distinct honour for me to address this House on the occasion of International Women's Day, which this year is celebrated under the fitting theme of "Equal access to education, training and science and technology".
Moving on from what the preceding speakers have said, one thing that is very clear, at home and abroad, is that the question of gender equality and the emancipation of women remains unresolved and therefore begs serious attention; not 1:10, or Manyi.
Patriarchal power, which is evil, has dominantly kept many of the world's women outside the mainstream of economic life, while relegating others to minor and junior roles in the economy. It is this untenable state of affairs that prompted former Chilean President and the inaugural Executive Director of the United Nations' UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, to say during a luncheon they held in February that:
The neglect of women's rights means the social and economic potential of half the population is underused. In order to tap this potential, we must open up spaces for women in political ...
... 50:50, not 1:10 -
... leadership, in science and technology.
It is in this context, as we celebrate the heroic struggles of women of the world, that we also reflect on the global pathway we seek in building a new African and global agenda in which decent work for women can become a reality. Tapping into the untapped resources of women is, therefore, not only the right thing to do - and taking them off the gallery and bringing them here - but a political and economic imperative. Over the years, unequal power relations of male-dominated societies have relegated women to this hidden economy, thus preventing women from fully making a meaningful and vital contribution to human development and economic growth. It is this that gave rise to the decision to launch International Women's Day 100 years ago to expose the conditions under which women live and work.
This debate on International Women's Day is very crucial for our women in Africa and the world. The evils of gender inequality and economic exclusion are alive and well, and are so stubborn that they require of all of us as women to be magnanimous. For once, let's work in unison to confront patriarchy as an evil that affects all of us across the political and even the racial divide, including your economic or class divide.
In an article celebrating International Women's Day, Kanya D'Almeida recalls a milestone on the global path for the attainment of gender equality. I quote:
In 1945, more than half a century ago, the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco wrote women's equality into its canon, creating an indisputable commitment to gender equity in the post-World War global order.
In June 1981, the people of this continent adopted the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, which called for the elimination of every form of discrimination against women and for the protection of the rights of the woman and the child, as stipulated in international declarations and conventions.
Kanya D'Almeida said, and I continue:
Women continue to struggle, far below the level of their male counterparts, in every single aspect of human society. Only 11 of the 192 heads of state are women ...
... no Manyi or anybody; it's just patriarchy -
... one in three women in the world will experience rape or sexual assault in her lifetime.
All these problems, as I have said, are the evils of patriarchy that requires magnanimity and unison.
The challenges facing women globally include occupational segregation, the gender wage gap, joblessness, abject poverty, gender-based violence, underrepresentation in political and economic decision-making processes and racism. Clearly, this state of affairs has necessitated, rightly so, the need for more concerted efforts to better advance the agenda of gender equity and women's empowerment. All is not lost. We have cause to celebrate the great strides that we have made so far in the battle for gender rights.
I have to say again that in South Africa we achieved equal access to education for boys and girls many years ago, as consistently reported in the Unesco - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation - Education for All Global Monitoring reports. As we moan, let us also tell the truth that, as a country, we have made strides. Girl- children make up the majority of students at higher education institutions. This marks a very positive increase, especially noted last year, in female graduation rates in medicine and engineering in South Africa. More needs to be done, but there is also cause for great celebration as we commit ourselves and move in unison around the emancipation of women.
As South Africa, we pride ourselves that, indeed, we are one of those countries - as Minister Xingwana has said - that is leading in terms of women representation. Why? We don't keep women in galleries, but we bring them to the House. As women, as the ANC, we have brought about more women representation. As it stands now, we are targeting 50:50. Watch this space. [Applause.] I don't know what you'll say when you are still at 1:10. Watch this space; we are going for 50:50 now. We have an opportunity, in May 2011, to advance gender parity in the local sphere and to lay the ground for the creation of more decent jobs and more opportunities for the advancement of women. Women worth their salt will come here, knowing that this is where opportunities are and this is where opportunities exist for women to uplift other women.
We know that statistics on employment show that more men are employed than women and that men occupy more top management positions than women. As South Africa, we welcome the establishment of UN Women by the UN General Assembly - done this year under the leadership of Michelle - which must serve as the penultimate body on women's empowerment and gender equality. We believe that this new agency, UN Women, with the necessary support and co-operation of member states, will raise the profile of gender and women issues on a global scale. UN members, including South Africa, have a duty to ensure that this UN entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women works effectively and takes to greater heights the global agenda of gender equity.
In this way in the long run, through focused and strong leadership, we can and must turn the creation of decent work for women into a reality, and thus improve the lives of millions of women and girls throughout the world. In this way, we can transform "the unpaid care economy" and "the informal and hidden economy". The creation of UN Women, which began its work in January 2011, shows a global commitment to a central focus on the goal of gender equality and the emancipation of women.
Lastly, what we really need is gender mainstreaming in every single aspect of human society, coupled with accountability and a proven commitment we only see in people-centred and nonsexist organisations, such as the ANC, which have undertaken, as a starting point, to work tirelessly for 50:50 gender parity. That is why I am saying one out of 10 is going to leave you far behind. It is a fact, and a first for South Africa, that the ANC-led government has affirmed the political and human rights of women.
For South Africa, the centenary of International Women's Day could not have come at a better time. It comes two months before the local government elections and less than a year from the centenary celebration of this great and noble organisation.
Expanding equal access to education, training, science and technology, as part of the international theme, is one way of securing decent work for women. We need to probe what has been achieved at the recent 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, at which our country was represented.
Lastly, as we celebrate International Women's Day, we must not lose sight of the need to accelerate progress in our goals of gender equality and the emancipation of women. Men shall not be free until we have secured a better life for women - all of them, not sitting in the gallery, but here making decisions on behalf of the nation. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR PERMISSION IN TERMS OF RULE 249(3)(b) TO