Hon Deputy Speaker, esteemed colleagues, comrades, friends and Members of Parliament, indeed, the intervention on the part of Parliament in the whole matter of gender-based violence is most welcome, particularly now, for good reasons.
Each year, Parliament dedicates substantial time and resources to the gender question in South Africa, Africa and the world. As a ruling party, we welcome this. There is always a strong link between gender relations in society and the persistent scourge of violence, abuse and femicide.
As the ANC, over decades of legitimate struggle against oppressive power, we have said that the National Democratic Revolution must bring an end to racism, sexism and exploitation. It is this reality that informs our vision of a nation that is united, democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous. It cannot be right that women who are in the majority at 51,7% continue to be wantonly abused, defiled, raped and murdered as if they were subhuman - in the African decade of women, moreover!
Recent developments confirm our perspective of the importance of gender mainstreaming and the need speedily to transform gender relations in our families and in various communities. What we do in the defence and empowerment of women and the girl-child will really demonstrate how serious we are about building a progressive, equal and prosperous country in a better world.
By the look of things, a woman's life seems far cheaper than a black life in the days of slavery. Gender as an ideology, in patriarchal societies, normalises cruelty against women. Minors suffer the most. According to a report that we received from the SA Police Service in 2010-2011:
Among the dominantly social contact crimes committed against children, 51,9% were sexual offences, while only 18,7% of the social contact crimes committed against adult women were sexual offences.
This makes a bigger case for us, as the Department of Education, to be involved and do whatever we can to fight the scourge of violence.
As the ANC, we say this is a treasonable affront to the most democratic Constitution, with an entrenched Bill of Rights, this country has ever seen. This is an abomination we all must condemn in no uncertain terms. This works against the very spirit and intent of the international instruments we have embraced as a nation for the protection of women, children, and the most vulnerable.
Recent events have brought the most inhuman treatment of women into sharp focus. It pains us that these atrocities are executed by those known to the victims, and there is evidence to that effect.
A Medical Research Council study reported last year that although there was a reduction in female homicides in South Africa, such a decline was less among intimate femicides. It said that intimate partner violence is now the leading cause of death of women homicide victims, with 56% of female homicides being committed by an intimate partner.
The barbaric mutilation and defiling of the sacred body of Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp, followed in close succession by the heartless killing of the charming Reeva Steenkamp, shows why the ANC Women's League, ANCWL, wants to see accelerated mechanisms for the protection of and respect for women's lives. Their bloody end unveils the brutal treatment of women in communities, among people they love.
In certain circumstances, and with no disregard for the laws we have made together, it should be possible to deny bail to those charged with heinous crimes against women. We need a radical message for other villains.
We are not necessarily saying that we must resuscitate the archaic role of punishment as a public spectacle. But, you tell me: What do we say when the disembowelled body of Anene brings to mind gory images of Shakespeare's Lavinia, from the most violent and the bloodiest of his tragedies, Titus Andronicus?
Before being ravished and wronged, her hands cut off, her tongue cut out, Lavinia brings home the painful truth that when you rape a woman, you take away her life. To her violators she says:
'Tis present death I beg, and one thing more. That womanhood denies my tongue to tell. Keep me from their worse-than-killing lust. And tumble me into some loathsome pit. Where never man's eye may behold my body. Do this, and be a charitable murderer.
We will never know Anene's prayer in the hands of her murderers. We are responding as a nation the way we are doing because of the terror therein. Worse still, on 15 February, we were looking forward to reports on the President's state of the nation address. But such was overshadowed by headlines on the fall of silver lakes into bloody lakes.
Comrades and friends, it is not that the ANC government is not doing much for women, as some may try to make others easily believe to score cheap points. Far from it! Actually, it is the ANC Women's League that has led the campaign of nonviolence against women, in partnership with different progressive forces. It is these forces that, for instance, took the Rasuge case out of the dustbin, when the matter had already been struck off the roll. It is these forces of South African women, united and working hard, that ensure that justice prevailed in the KwaZulu-Natal sugarcane serial case, the Brandford serial killer case and many other cases in the country. As we have been saying, a lot is being done to create a safe and caring society for all - women and men, young and old. But together, we believe more can still be done. [Interjections.] Do not howl about a matter that is that serious! The point is how all of us can - and must - work together to sort out these barbaric deeds once and for all.
Our Constitution guarantees equality, justice and human dignity for all. But we know that, in spite of our gender-sensitive policy framework, gender inequality remains endemic. South Africa did ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We have also committed to the Beijing Platform for Action.
We introduced the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, Act No 32 of 2007, which was a breakthrough for women, although with challenges. Importantly, our beloved Republic will build on the constitutional guarantees of rights to privacy, dignity, freedom and security of the person, and on the right to be free from all forms of public and private sources of violence through this Act.
Thuthuzela Care Centres, which had been established by the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority, are redeeming victims of sexual offences and are also providing much needed services to victims of domestic violence. For instance, in December 2011 there were 51 centres that had been established. They definitely boosted the rate of conviction. According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the conviction rate of cases that had been reported to these centres in 2010-11 was 63%. As a country, each year we raise awareness around gender-violence through our 16 Days of Activism campaign.
The ANC believes that what should change radically is how we nurture children and how we cobble the souls of grown-ups with a gender-sensitive hammer and sickle of humanisation. Among other things, we have used education, an Apex Priority, as a sustainable vehicle to achieve this end.
It is against this background, before this august House, that President Jacob Zuma said that we needed a change of attitude. A new outlook is what we must all cultivate - united in our diversity, from the cradle to the grave - in a Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, of the soul!
Our first democratic head of state, former President Nelson Mandela, taught that:
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
With education we can roll back the dehumanising effects of patriarchal power and oppressive cultural practices. This is the best way to fight inequality, poverty and unemployment. This is a task we undertake religiously because education is intrinsically linked to all eight Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
Quality education plays a role in driving programmes for gender equality, child and maternal health, reducing hunger, fighting the scourge of HIV and Aids, economic growth and building peace. The Department of Basic Education is implementing key programmes for combating gender-based violence, sexual abuse and harassment. We have incorporated gender issues, including the prevention and management of gender-based violence, into the school curriculum. We teach the young to honour dignity and embrace the values entrenched in the Constitution.
We have created a learner-focused website to help young people with understanding, preventing and reporting sexual abuse. The website is www.speakoutfreely.co.za. It went online in 2011 and continues to be used to highlight other issues of concern impacting on lives of young people, like drugs - which we believe are a major driving force behind gender-based violence - alcohol abuse, school safety and moral decadence.
Through the social cohesion platform we have trained school governing bodies, SGBs, representative councils for learners, RCLs, and teachers in the Values in Action strength model, which includes key sessions on gender, sexual abuse and harassment. The department has a National School Safety Framework, NSSF, which includes a partnership protocol with the South African Police Service to promote safer schools.
This framework includes linking schools to local police stations, forming school safety committees and training school governing bodies, teachers, learners and district officials in issues of violence, from bullying to sexual violence. However, we should remember that schools are microcosms of the broader society. Thus, the high levels of sexual abuse, violence and rape in our society are a matter of grave concern.
We recognise that literacy and the empowerment of rural women are essential if the quality of their lives is to improve and they are to be able to access justice and economic empowerment opportunities. Without gender equality and women's empowerment, we will never see an end to violence. We need a new breed of men to help lay the solid foundation of a nonsexist society. We definitely need men as partners in this campaign.
This Thursday, President Jacob Zuma and I will be launching the Department of Basic Education's Lead SA campaign against rape, abuse and violence against women and the girl-child. On the morning of 1 March, at 08:00, over 10 million of our learners will assemble in their schools and take a stand against violence and abuse.
Schools are requested to educate our children about the evils of crime and, in return, we expect our learners as children and as our future to pledge that they will never ever involve themselves in crime. They will protect women, children and people with disabilities and respect and uphold everybody's rights.
We appeal for support from all of us to make this campaign a success. The appeal is to all parents to be more attentive to the needs of their children, and for teachers to spread these messages in class, to be sensitive to the needs and wellbeing of children in their care - not only on 1 March - and to ensure that this continues throughout the education of our children.
All must take the current when it serves, for the sake of our children, or the voyage of our life will be bound in shallows and in miseries. As a matter of extreme urgency, we need to enhance the implementation of the National Policy Framework on Sexual Offences and fast-track investigations into the re-establishment of sexual offences courts.
In closing, notwithstanding our challenges, we must admit that we have made great strides. What has assisted us is the fact that women, united, have always been at the forefront of the struggle. We must remain in the trenches of the struggle for gender equality. As responsible citizens, we must work together to make women's rights human rights. This is an imperative which depends on the sustainability and prosperity of all humankind.
To the women of this country we say: Stop being speechless complainers! Your tongues are intact. Unlike Lavinia, whose tongue was cut out by her vile rapists, speak out! Take a stand against abuse. Reclaim your bodies. Help us fight this scandalous war against women and children.
With unity in action, we can dismantle the oppressive reality that makes women and girls out as being second-class citizens, sex objects, the wretched of the earth and the rejects of life. We cannot afford to spare any effort at this moment. Our women are not safe, and it cannot be right that they have to stay in constant fear of being raped, assaulted and killed in their own homes, communities and country. It cannot be!
Something has to give, fellow South Africans. The few evil among us must not be allowed to make the life of the many law-abiding and peace-loving South Africans the nightmare that it currently is. The ANC's message is that working together, we can do more to ensure that all people in South Africa are and feel safe. I thank you! [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, unfortunately gender-based violence is not a new phenomenon. It has recently again been thrown into the spotlight, with several particularly horrific cases, but it is something that many women have to deal with every day, and have had to for a very long time.
We all know that this type of violence does not have only one cause or only one solution, but all the solutions require leadership and accountability, which are profoundly lacking in far too many areas across our country, both in public and private life. And whilst government certainly cannot solve the problem on its own, government should be taking the lead, but at the national level it is not. By leadership I do not mean howls of outrage from the Women's League. I do not mean the minister of conferences, shopping and expensive furniture trying and convicting an accused outside a provincial legislature, assuming to herself the role of judge, jury and executioner, whilst being a member of the executive.
I also notice that she is not here today, nor are the Ministers of Police and of Justice and Constitutional Development, which shows their level of interest in this debate. I mean, taking concrete steps where it is within the competence of government to facilitate taking concrete steps ... [Interjections.]
On a point of order, Deputy Speaker.
What is the point of order?
Deputy Speaker, is it correct for an hon member to reflect on the attendance of other hon members of the House, without checking with the presiding officers? In terms of the procedures, members who are not here will write to the Speaker and indicate their whereabouts unlike ... [Interjections.] ... casting doubts on members who are sitting here.
You can continue, hon member.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I mean taking concrete steps where it is within the competence of government, and facilitating concrete steps wherever possible when it is not. That means appointing capable, independent people of integrity to crucial positions to lead by example.
Aside from the multitude of social issues that must be addressed with the aim of prevention, when a woman or girl becomes a victim of gender-based violence, she should have the confidence that, at least in the majority of cases, the perpetrators would be apprehended, tried, convicted and appropriately punished. Deterrence is an important aspect of preventing these crimes. When we take a look at our criminal justice system, it is abundantly clear why offenders continue to commit violent crimes with impunity, because they know that there is very little chance that they will be caught and punished.
The Domestic Violence Act came into operation in 1999. There has not been one year since then that the SAPS have even come close to complying with it. When a woman goes to a police station to report a crime and is taken to a room and raped by a police officer, as reportedly happened at the Herbertsdale satellite police station, is it any wonder that people often do not even bother to report crimes? Whilst not wishing to detract from the excellent work done by many police officers, stories like this do nothing to inspire confidence in the justice system and perpetuate the cycle of gender-based violence, as women do not know which police officers they can trust.
Over and above this, there are far too many reports of police failing to properly secure crime scenes and collect available evidence. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that unless you secure the best possible evidence you will not get a conviction. Where is the leadership, so desperately needed, to ensure that the members of the SAPS are properly trained, or in the case of those with improper motives, properly removed from the service?
Some progress was being made when we had a specialised Financial Crimes Section, FCS Unit, Gang Unit and Narcotics Unit. Those were abolished by the then Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, who is now a convicted criminal. Some credit is due to Minister Mthethwa for reinstating the FCS Units, but imagine how much more progress we could have made if they had not been abolished in the first place. I would venture to suggest that, instead of challenging every initiative of the Western Cape government to address serious crime, his energy would be more productively spent in re- establishing the Gang and Drug Units, and ensuring that all specialised units are properly resourced. This would be a bold step in addressing gender-based violence, as gangs and drugs are huge contributors to this scourge.
We were also making some progress when we had the 67 dedicated sexual offences courts in 2006. Through more failed leadership these have been reduced to 6.
Whatever method the National Prosecution Authority, NPA, uses to bolster their pathetic conviction rate in respect of sexual offences, the reality is that, of about 64 000 reported rapes in 2011-12, a mere 6,2% resulted in a conviction. Any betting person would fancy those odds.
We welcome the Justice Minister's eventual announcement that these courts would be reinstated, and trust that in tomorrow's Budget we shall see sufficient money allocated to the roll-out of these courts. We do have to wonder, however, given that the Justice department has already had its budget slashed by R600 million, whether the President sleeps well in his air-conditioned bunker at his private residence, knowing that it cost a third of the amount cut from delivering justice to the people of South Africa.
So, what do we do? In 2002, a special task group of this House drafted a detailed report setting out numerous interventions that need to take place across all spheres of society and government departments. Instead of implementing them, we have seen flip-flopping at the highest level. We challenge all Cabinet Ministers to dust off this report and start showing leadership by addressing the issues raised. Where there is leadership, there is action, not just talk.
In the Western Cape provincial government the following has already been done - not will be done, but has been done: The budget for the victim empowerment programme has been increased from R7,8 million in 2009 to R17,7 million this year; every police station has a victim support room; about 180 Mass Participation Opportunity and Development Centres have been introduced to keep children in poorer communities constructively occupied after school; over 1 100 Early Childhood Development Centres are funded by the provincial government; the Chrysalis Academy targets youth at risk to divert them from a life of crime; the budget for the reduction of drug- and alcohol-related crimes have been doubled to R77 milliom, a third of what was spent on Nkandla; and the Western Cape Liquor Act is viewed as the toughest liquor legislation in South Africa.
The City of Cape Town is likewise implementing a broad range of programmes to address gender-based violence. One is aimed at raising awareness and understanding of drug-related harm, which is being spearheaded by the mayor in her "Don't Start, Be Smart" campaign.
We have five Matrix Clinics around Cape Town that provide a comprehensive and free programme for alcohol and substance abuse. The city has a dedicated vice squad focusing on combating crimes that specifically affect women. A "Good Touch, Bad Touch" programme is being rolled out at schools across the city, with school resource officers assigned to certain schools on a permanent basis.
All Metro police are trained in the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, and how to help women obtain interdicts. Metro police have a specialist Substance Abuse Unit, which we used to have in the SAPS working closely with the SAPS.
Madam Deputy Speaker, that is leadership, and that is what our country needs to combat gender-based violence, not more talking. In 2014 the people of South Africa will be able to make that choice. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, the past several weeks have been absolutely terrible for the entire country. The rape and mutilation of 17- year-old Anene Booysen, who was found disembowelled at a construction site in Bredasdorp, has scarred the South African society. This gruesome act brought back memories of a number of high-profile infant rapes 12 years ago that have also scarred the South African society.
In 2001, a nine-month-old baby was raped by six men aged between 24 and 66; a four-year-old girl died after being raped by her father; and a 14-month- old girl was raped by her two uncles. In February 2002, an eight-month-old infant was reportedly gang-raped by four men. The infant's injuries were so brutal that she required extensive reconstructive surgery to rebuild urinary, genital, abdominal or tracheal systems. One has been charged, but the outrage that we feel is nothing compared with the physical and psychological suffering of the victims.
Women's rights are human rights. Our Constitution has provided women with various legal developments in an attempt to protect women in the areas of domestic violence and sexual offences. In spite of these mechanisms, it was recently reported that South Africa is a leader in violence against women. The findings of this study by the Medical Research Council on Gender and Health Research Unit supports the Interpol study that revealed that South Africa leads the world in rapes.
Official statistics show that around 65 000 sexual offences were committed in South Africa last year alone. Contrary to what the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development perceives as a decrease in sexual offences, rape statistics have gone up instead of down over the past five years. In 2006, there were 55 000 reported rape cases. There are an estimated 450 000 rape cases that go unreported.
If one were to use the "test for civilization", espoused in the 1954 Women's Charter and Aims, these statistics in relation to violence against women indicate that South Africa would still not be considered a civilised nation.
According to the 1999 to 2009 longitudinal study conducted by a Medical Research Council team, South Africa is at five times the global rate of female homicides overall. One in every four women in South Africa is regularly battered by her husband, partner or boyfriend.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development also estimates that one out of every four women in South Africa is a survivor of domestic violence. At least one woman is killed every six days by her male partner, and one in every six women is murdered by her male intimate. About 41% of female homicides are perpetrated by the woman's spouse or partner. These figures indicate that just under half of all the women killed in South Africa lose their lives at the hands of the men who they know, and who are supposed to love them.
On intimate partners' violence, a global study is going to come out very soon and South Africa is going to be one of the leaders. How do we address the rape and femicide pandemic? The United Nation's Human Rights Council's Chief, Navi Pillay, expressed her shock at the rape and murder of Anene, and said, and I quote:
While welcoming strong reactions from President Jacob Zuma ... it should not have taken this particularly atrocious case ... to underline the urgent need for a more thorough response across the whole spectrum of South African society to tackle the root causes of this pandemic of sexual violence.
Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, in the weeks since Anene Booysen's horrific murder, as many as 82 000 women have been raped. The statistics around gender-based violence in South Africa is hard to comprehend.
More than 64 000 rapes were reported in 2012, but it is said that 90% of rapes go unreported. Thus, a woman was raped in South Africa every minute of every day last year. Only 6 000 cases were finalised through our courts, and only 4 000 were prosecuted. So, where is the justice for the other hundreds of thousands of women whose lives have been ripped apart last year?
Justice won't come from our courts until we acknowledge that gender-based violence is a crisis, and unless deal with it as a crisis, the crisis will remain.
We laud the reintroduction of sexual offences courts. But why were they closed in the first place? Will they face the same fate as the family violence and child protection units that were reintroduced, but without the necessary resources to do their work? How many rapes does it take to prove bad planning, bad decisions and bad leadership? We are failing South Africa's women, forcing the vulnerable to face this crisis alone.
Last week, President Zuma thanked many civil society organisations for their good work done. Yet, centres like Rape Crisis struggle to keep their doors open, relying on foreign funding. Many NGOs that help the most vulnerable are struggling, yet government turns a blind eye.
The huge gap between what is said and what is done still remains. We have the legislation, we have the Constitution, but within our communities the dignity of women is undermined. Girls are sold into prostitution and our grandmothers live in fear.
For 37 years, the IFP has championed women, promoting gender equality and protecting family values. We understand the influence of families and community values on children. We believe boys should be raised to protect and value women, and girls should be raised to respect themselves.
The IFP believes we can build a society in which gender-based violence cannot happen; in which violence itself is unthinkable. Next week, the IFP Youth Brigade will take to the streets with the message on violence. That is where we must begin to resolve this crisis, by speaking out and providing leadership. We need a national debate on the values that should inform our society. Moral regeneration has become an imperative. It is time to declare war on the abuse of women and girls.
We applaud Lead SA for suggesting a pledge in our school assemblies, for we need pragmatism, not theory. We need prevention as well as intervention. Let's make nonviolence a cardinal theme in crches, schools and community centres; and let this be part of a massive, permanent public education campaign to radically shift social behaviour regarding domestic violence.
The IFP challenges government on commit part of its Budget tomorrow to this campaign to end the culture of rape in South Africa. The government has a responsibility to lead the charge with responsive state organs that are vocal agents for change.
We cannot have the Commission for Gender Equality achieving only half its targets, or a newly-established National Council Against Gender-Based Violence quietly waiting to speak. We cannot have rape treated as a joke at police stations.
Women deserve a committed and cohesive response to what is a national crisis. For the sake of our mothers, our daughters and our sisters, the violence must stop. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, I abhor violence in all its forms and I have found myself struggling to reconcile the pride that I have for my country with the horror of the violence that is perpetrated against South African women on a daily basis. This cycle of violence has to stop, and we must do everything in our power to break it.
At the outset, we need to understand that violence against women is part of a continuum that starts with sexist attitudes and utterances. Even in this esteemed House, we have been exposed to sexist statements, such as calling a political leader "a little girl". Utterances like this are an attempt by men to put women in their so-called place, a practice that needs to be resisted if we are going to provide leadership to our people in fighting the scourge of patriarchy. Sexism, like racism, is something that needs to be unlearnt if we are going to build the kind of society that is envisaged in our Constitution, and it starts here, hon members.
Our children also need to be taught that power is not a zero-sum game; that you cannot acquire power through making somebody else feel powerless. We need to ensure that life skills workshops in our schools forcefully drive this message home. At the same time, we need to ensure that our justice system affords women the protection they deserve instead of the all-too- often experience of inflicting secondary trauma on them.
What is needed now is not new legislation, but rather the comprehensive implementation of our existing legislation. The Domestic Violence Act is rightfully lauded as an extremely progressive piece of legislation, but it requires political will and sufficient budget to ensure that it achieves its aims. A recent study into shelters for women who have suffered domestic violence has revealed that the state only contributes R30 per day for a woman and her children at a shelter, whereas it spends R313 per day on each of our prisoners. This is a sad indictment of our government's priorities.
In 2009, the Department of Social Development made a commitment to establish and improve two shelters annually in each province for five years, but to date no new shelters have been established. The primary reason for this is that this government has simply not put its money behind its lofty rhetoric. Another representation of our skewed priorities is that courts were speedily erected for the World Cup, but our Justice Minister called on women to have patience when it comes to the re-establishment of sexual offences courts.
Expressing our outrage in this House will do nothing to help the women of South Africa out there. What is required is sustained political will, budgetary resources and political leadership that is truly committed to fighting patriarchy in all its guises. This government will be judged not by its words, but by its actions in this regard. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson and hon members, we often hear that the rate of sexual offences in South Africa is among the highest in the world. The horrendous rapes reported in the media recently have pushed us even higher up on this scale. It almost seems unreal that a young South African woman can be gang-raped, horrendously mutilated and murdered. Approximately two weeks ago, we woke to the tragic news that a woman had been gunned down by her boyfriend on Valentine's Day, of all days.
The increase in the extremely violent rape and abuse of both young and old, boys, girls and women in South Africa raises serious concerns about how we as citizens of this country perceive each other and the amount of respect that we have for each other. On 16 December 2007, this Parliament enacted the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, which has been referred to by the hon Minister, to deal harshly with sexual offences. Despite this piece of legislation and this important achievement, sexual offences seem to be on the rise in this country.
Anene Booysen's unspeakable rape and murder and the tragic death of Reeva Steenkamp have brought this subject of gender-based violence to the fore because of the extremely violent nature of their deaths. However, there are thousands of victims out there we never hear about, whose cases slip between the cracks of the justice system.
These tragic incidents clearly show that there is something wrong with our men, who appear prone to anger and violence against women. They also highlight the fact that gender-based violence cuts across racial, cultural and religious barriers. As one of our sister opposition parties put it recently in this House, "It seems we are a nation at war with itself." Those are the words of the hon Rev Meshoe.
The UDM believes that we need to prioritise sexual offences, both in word and deed, if we are to arrest this problem. In this regard, we were very happy to hear that government is in talks with the judiciary to have sexual offences cases placed on a prioritised roll. We should adopt a zero- tolerance approach towards any form of violence against women. Criminals should face harsh sentences, and on the other hand, government must bolster programmes that support the victims. I thank you.
Agb Voorsitter, terwyl ek vanoggend hier na die Parlement toe ry, lees ek die koerantplakkaat, "Girl, 2 years, gang-raped". Ek moet vir u s ek was skaam om te dink ek is deel van 'n gemeenskap waar 'n tweejarige dogtertjie deur 'n bende verkrag word. Ek s toe vir myself ons het 'n verrotte gemeenskap. Ons kan dag en nag daaroor praat, maar die vraag is, wat word gedoen?
Dit is skandalig, en dit is 'n skandvlek vir 'n volk, vir 'n nasie, as hy kort-kort in sy koerante moet lees van tweejarige dogtertjies wat verkrag word. Wat gaan aan?
Ek wil vir die agb Minister van Basiese Onderwys die volgende s ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson, while I was on my way to Parliament this morning, I saw a newspaper poster, "Girl, 2 years, gang-raped". I need to say to you that I felt ashamed to think that I am part of a community in which a two-year-old girl is raped by a gang. Then I told myself that we have a rotten community. We can talk about it day and night, but the question remains, what is being done?
It is scandalous, and it is a disgrace to a people, to a nation, if it has to read regularly in its newspapers about two-year-old girls being raped. What is happening?
I would like to say the following to the hon Minister of Basic Education ...]
You say we need a new breed of men? I say we need a new breed of men and women, because we have a responsibility. The children are the products of the parents. Do we still teach our children the basic value of respect? As ons dit doen, sal ons nie skaam vir 'n verrotte gemeenskap hoef te wees nie.
Die agb Minister versprei kondome op skoolvlak. Minister, toe ek op skool was en die hormone hoog was, is ek geleer om respek te h vir die ander geslag ... [Tussenwerpsels.] ... en het nie vrye toegang tot kondome gehad om dan net myself oor te gee aan my drange nie.
Dit is deel van die probleem, maar uself is deel daarvan. Ek wil vandag vir u s hierdie probleem is nie net die regering se probleem nie. Dit is 'n gemeenskapsprobleem.
Dit is ook onaanvaarbaar as ek die volgende in 'n koerant moet lees. 'n Vrou bel die polisie omdat haar mansvriend haar klap, maar sy word gearresteer. Sy word die nag in 'n sel toegesluit, drie polisielede verkrag haar, en die volgende dag word sy net vrygelaat sonder 'n klag! Dit is 'n ernstige aanklag teen die regering en die polisie - maarnie almal in die polisie is so nie.
As ons in 'n gemeenskap is waar dogterjies van twee jaar verkrag word, en waar vrouens hulle moet beroep op die beskerming van die polisie, maar dan gearresteer en verkrag word, agb Minister, dan het ons nie net 'n verrotte gemeenskap nie, ons het ook 'n verrotte regering. Ons sal ons huis in orde moet kry. Ek dank u.
AGB LEDE: Hoor, hoor! [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[If we do that, we need not be ashamed of a rotten community.
The hon Minister distributes condoms at schools. Minister, when I went to school and hormones soared, we were taught to have respect for the opposite sex ... [Interjections.] ... and we did not have free access to condoms just to surrender to one's urges.
That is part of the problem, but you yourself are part of it. I would like to say to you today that this problem is not only the government's problem. It is a problem of the community.
It is also unacceptable if I have to read the following in a newspaper. A woman phones the police because her male partner slaps her, but she is arrested. She is locked in a cell overnight, three members of the police force rape her, and the following day she is simply released without any charge! It is a serious indictment against the government and the police - but not everyone in the police force behaves like that.
If we find ourselves in a community where two-year-old girls are being raped, and where women have to depend on the protection of the police, but are then arrested and raped, hon Minister, then we not only have a rotten community, we also have a rotten government. We will have to get our house in order. I thank you.
HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear! [Applause.]]
Hon Chairperson, according to Indian police figures, New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with rape reported on average every 18 hours. According to media reports, in South Africa, 144 women are reported to be raped, which means that six cases are reported every hour.
If one looks at these figures, mindful of the fact that according to the SA Medical Research Council's latest research only one in 25 women in Gauteng report rape, this makes it a major crisis that the country is facing.
I was shocked when I saw a media report saying, and I quote:
In the seven weeks since a young Indian woman was gang-raped in Delhi, prompting headlines around the world, there have been at least 9000 rapes in South Africa, making it 9000 in seven weeks.
Reports that South Arica is the rape capital of the world seem to be a fair reflection of the reality on the ground. The results of a survey done by the SA Medical Research Council in 2009 reported that one in four men admitted to having raped a woman and 46% confessed that they had raped repeatedly. This is indeed depressing and disturbing.
Another SA Medical Research Council study found that a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six hours, which is the highest rate that has ever been reported in research anywhere in the world.
To try and protect the elderly, particularly grandmothers, from cruel and brutal rapists, the KwaZulu-Natal department of social development has resolved to construct adult day care centres where people can drop off their grannies on their way to work and then pick them up later. Grandchildren who are attending schools would also be encouraged to leave their grannies in these centres that operate like crches.
Although we applaud the member of the executive council, MEC, of the province and her department for her attempt to address a very serious problem, the ACDP does not believe this is the ideal way to solve the problem of violence against the elderly people. The biggest problem we have as a nation is that criminals in this country do not fear consequences. For as long as criminals do not fear the arm of the law, they will continue terrorising our communities, particularly the most vulnerable, who are women and children.
The ACDP believes that the family, which is the most important building block of any healthy society, should be prioritised in policy and planning to ensure that they receive help and support. When families disintegrate, then the results are tragic, embarrassing and horrific. We are already witnessing this in our country. Violence against the most vulnerable, that is, the elderly, women and children is increasing. Loss of respect for life and authority is also evident.
The ACDP has warned for years that the legislation legalising abortion on demand, which targets the tiniest and most vulnerable babies, would erode society's conscience and respect for life would all but disappear.
The ACDP calls on government to start prioritising families. We should empower and strengthen families as they care ... [Time expired.]
Chairperson, Ministers present here and Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament and our guests in the gallery, in less than a week's time a South African delegation will be attending the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, UNCSW, and inevitably our country will be in the spotlight, unfortunately not so much of a glorified spotlight, if I may say so, but sadly a gory one.
The latest obscene and brutal sexual violence perpetrated against women and children in our country has prompted the President to instruct all law enforcement agencies to treat these cases with the utmost urgency and importance. On behalf of the Minister of Police, we pledge that the police will have no mercy when dealing with these heinous criminals.
Chairperson, already the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, FCS, are proving to be a necessary thorn to these brutal and heartless criminals. There are 176 established FCS units in the nine provinces. We are also beefing up the capacity in these units. For instance, 200 forensic social workers have been trained to deal with crimes against children in order to provide expert evidence in court. Since the re- establishment of these FCS units in 2010 by the Ministry of Police, there were combined sentences of 36 225 years' imprisonment, and 695 life imprisonments. The forensic science laboratory provides specialised technical analysis and support to investigators regarding evidence on gender-based violence.
The Department of Police also conducts other operations that include crime stop and missing persons' awareness and information-sharing campaigns with communities, schools and churches in an effort to curb this scourge. During the reporting period, 1 April 2012 until 31 December 2012, about 385 campaigns were conducted. Future activities include hosting talk shows in the media to educate the community, a joint awareness campaign with the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, and enhancing victim support services provided in the victim-friendly rooms. The Department of Police will support the initiative of reopening the special courts for sexual offences, as mentioned by other members.
Linked to the above progress is the revamp of our recruitment and related training of our new police students. Not only are police students now trained for two years instead of the previous six months, but the Basic Police Development Learning Programme now also includes the topics victim empowerment, child justice, human rights, domestic violence, and the Act on sexual offences.
We can affirm to the House that all learning areas in the Academy phase now allow both trainees and trainers to be able to link the academic theory with the tactical training for a better understanding of effective and efficient policing. We are not stopping there to improve on our policing. We have also realised that our own police officers have been involved in infanticide cases. Yet, we have programmes health and wellness for our police officers.
Chairperson, most importantly, as the SAPS, we realise that building an in- house gender equality and preventing gender-based violence cannot be only a women's issue; it must be a human issue, which then must also involve men and boys. That is why we have supported the initiative started by male police officers in the Department of Police, the SAPS' Men for Change.
The SAPS' Men for Change is a network within the Department of Police that seeks to understand gender equality in order to contribute to the discussions on how men can get involved in building towards gender equality and dismantling gender-based violence. The SAPS' Men for Change believe in the philosophy that says: You can't be part of the solution until you understand how you are part of the problem. This philosophy applies to all of us - government, civil society, business, community, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and, indeed, the police themselves.
It is a fact that police can never ever fight this kind of crime alone, because it involves a host of other factors and contexts. For instance, there are environments that enable gender-based violence, which will never be easily accessible to police officers to swiftly enact the law against these perpetrators, for example crimes that happen behind closed doors. Cosatu has also reiterated this fact in its memorandum delivered during its antirape and abuse rally. The memorandum said:
We cannot have policemen or police women in every street. We need to watch over each other. We need to take our streets back from the criminal minority.
Chairperson, the vision of "working together, we can do more," as manifested by the ANC-led government in 2009, is surely now being made more visible. The establishment of the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence is a step forward in addressing gender-based violence and its root causes, and this is where we are urged by the President to make sure that the newly formed Council Against Gender-Based Violence becomes an effective co-ordinating structure that will make the campaign of fighting violence against women and children an everyday campaign.
For this, the council will have to obligate us as leaders to observe one fundamental aspect, namely that to fight violence against women and children efficiently, we need to take compassionate action and create peaceful, healthy relationships, peaceful families and empowered communities. Yes, people might ask: Why establish a national council whilst we already have such progressive policies and legislation in place to fight abuse of women and children? The answer to this, Chairperson, is this: The environment I have already mentioned as hindering and humiliating women and children forces us to recognise that gender-based violence undermines not only the safety, dignity and human rights of the most vulnerable of our society - that is women, children, the elderly and people with disability - but it also undermines public health, economic stability, and the general welfare of our nation.
Therefore, it is of paramount importance that we have effective collaboration between the police and all structures within the community. For instance, we desperately need proper representation of police components in the Community Police Forums, CPFs. A well-structured CPF will definitely include the head of the FCS, the head of the Detective Unit and, of course, the station commander himself or herself. The introduction of the CPF was also to help the democratic government to align the values of the police organisation with those of a democratic South Africa, aiming at producing police officers who can interact sensitively with their communities and in a manner that respects local norms and values - above all the human rights of everyone. Chairperson, in order for community structures such as CPFs to make a huge difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of the SAPS, they must start to play an active and innovative role in earnest in the implementation of sector policing.
Chair, the ANC-led government introduced sector policing because it was a policing method targeting small, manageable geographical areas within a policing precinct, involving all role-players in identifying the particular policing needs in each sector and addressing the root causes of crime as well as the enabling and contributing factors of crime. Sector policing ensures effective crime prevention to reduce the levels of prioritised crimes within the community and to improve community safety. The above definition of sector policing is a clear and unambiguous acknowledgement that there is an inevitable or a natural police limitation in curbing crime.
This limitation is not because the police are incompetent, as said by previous speakers here, or that there are not enough funds for crime- busting resources. The truth is that most of the crimes committed in South Africa are crimes arising out of factors over which the police have little or no control whatsoever. Factors that stimulate crime, as I had earlier mentioned, such as poverty, unemployment, gender inequality, and a decline in the standards of morality or moral fibre, have nothing to do with the core mandate of the police per se, but increasingly the police are called to curb violent service delivery protests, labour strikes, and indeed domestic violence, including the molestation of children - and we acknowledge what the police is doing.
The reality is that police officers today face a society in which parents fail to raise their children appropriately as law-abiding citizens. Today, we are saying all sectors of the community, such as family, school, religion, traditional sectors, and peers must be effectively represented in the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence and in all other working structures, such as CPFs, to curb this scourge. The important role that these informal instruments and structures of social control play in keeping the fabric of society intact, which are represented by the traditional institution of ethical values, needs to be recognised, and they must not be allowed to crumble.
This can be achieved only if the established instruments, such as the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence, acknowledge that communities are comprised of many different people, each with his or her own skills, views and innovative ideas that can make a huge difference in the sector. Sector policing can only be effective if instruments such as the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence and CPFs help the police to adapt the policing and operations according to sector dynamics. These dynamics can only be known by local people who come from families and faith- based organisations. Therefore, as a country, we need a multiyear and multilayered strategy to effectively respond to and prevent gender-based violence.
In this instance, we commend the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for the establishment of the Thuthuzela Care Centres, where different departments, such as Police, Health, Social Development and other sister departments, are collaboratively providing necessary services, such as counselling and safety and justice to our most vulnerable groups - women, children, and elderly people. Coupled with the establishment of these care centres is the necessity to review our policy, legislation and strategies to ensure that our government's priority to ensure that all people living in South Africa are and do feel safe, is continuously being realised fully. For example, the White Paper on Safety and Security is soon going to be tabled in Parliament - Ntate Moruti [Reverend], your committee - to begin with public hearings. This policy review is to make sure that our strategies and programmes properly articulate the safety needs of our people. In this instance, the SAPS programme of building police stations in rural areas must be aligned with the SAPS Rural Safety Strategy.
To successfully build police stations in these areas, we need a co- ordinated strategy between the SAPS, Public Works, and other stakeholders. We also need to address, with other government departments, inhibiting factors such as the environmental design of rural environments, suburbs and informal settlements, no street lights, unclear identification of residences and road conditions, etc. As collaborating government departments, we thus must find a broader notion of safety and security that is not only defined in policing terms, but in terms of the security of women and children that is defined in human terms.
What we mean by this notion of human terms is that government, civil society, faith-based organisations and all other stakeholders have to quickly consolidate all single and scattered efforts to address gender- based violence from various stakeholders into one concrete and visible vision, mission and impactful outcome for the whole nation. Gratefully, we have been told that South Africa will no longer celebrate 16 Days of Activism, but 365 Days of Activism, just as our President has directed us. This is indeed a perfect start to a consolidated effort. For if good law- abiding citizens, the residents of this country, keep their mouths closed to injustice for the rest of the 349 days, then they are not only allowing the gender-based violence to continue, but they are also enabling it and making it easier for the perpetrators to continue the heinous scourge.
The National Council Against Gender-Based Violence's mandate will not be a substitute for current progressive legislation that addresses the abuse of women and children, but this council must affirm, endorse and re-enforce the implementation of these laws by making sure that all stakeholders, especially the survivors of violence themselves, are fully engaged to transform the abusive environment. The transformative laws enacted by government, the honest advocacy of all civil society for these laws, and the willingness of victims to voice their stories on gender-based violence, are the connection between government and the people it serves, connecting in a way that no speech by a politician or a project by a single nongovernmental organisation connects.
Chairperson, as I have mentioned already, the police are trying very hard to reduce the rate of this crime against women and children by strengthening the FCS units, reskilling the detectives for higher conviction rates and harsher sentences and indeed discouraging victims to drop charges against perpetrators. We must, as Members of Parliament, also play our part; we must embark on campaigns. The issue of cases being withdrawn by victims creates the impression that we as the cluster are failing, whereas the problem is within the community.
Although the registration of the sexual offenders resides under the custody of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the SAPS is utilising the register for new investigations and vetting purposes. Ultimately, though, the best agents of change to stop sexual and gender- based violence are the families, the communities, the citizens, and the survivors themselves. The National Council Against Gender-Based Violence needs to quickly develop ways to fully engage these critical stakeholders, to work together with government against gender-based violence.
As the Ministry of Police, we reiterate that we support fully the initiatives of the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence, and we pledge our active participation as one of the stakeholders to combat and prevent all types of violence against women and children. Gone are the days where violence against women and children will be treated as a private matter, with deafening silence and thus as a lesser offence in the eyes of the law. As police, we are pledging that, with the existence of the FCS units across the country, victims will never again suffer in silence.
Never again will our vulnerable groups live in fear in their own houses as the police will never be able to fight this scourge alone - we need everybody, Members of Parliament and the communities - because these rapists, perpetrators, live within the communities where we live and where our constituencies are. The police are playing their part, but let us not forget that the police are human beings. Especially if they are working very hard, they will definitely make mistakes. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I would like all members of this House to think back to their last birthday and think of the following: What colour underwear were you wearing on your birthday? At what time and in what sequence did you receive your presents? Who gave you a kiss and shook your hand to wish you a happy birthday?
How many of you can answer all three questions correctly? I don't think many of us can, if any, yet we expect children aged two, three and four years to remember the colour of the underwear they were wearing the day that they were raped. We expect them to remember what time of the day it was and the sequence the rape took place; this, hon members, being a day that was not a happy occasion such as a birthday, but a day they all wish to forget.
I took the liberty of quoting from a speech I delivered in this House on 15 October 2002, a decade ago, in a debate on child abuse. Sadly, I am able to repeat this section of the speech because it still applies today.
In another speech a year earlier, on 14 November 2001, I said, and I quote:
Through history, it had been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph over good.
With those words, members of the government must begin to recognise themselves for they have either failed to act decisively to prevent child abuse, acted indifferently towards the issue by not giving it the priority or budget that it deserves or have assisted through ill- conceived policies to create a state where justice is merely a word. The result, hon Chair and members, is a state of evil.
I said it is a state of evil, because the brutal rape, mutilation and murder of a 17-year-old child is evil; the rape, murder and stuffing of an 18-year-old into a drawer is evil; and the daily reporting of gang rapes of women across our country is evil.
We have witnessed a decade of missed opportunity by this government, which includes several U-turns on policy. The first U-turn came with the dismantling of the specialised police unit, namely the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, FCS unit, which resulted in the obliteration of these centres of excellence. We also witnessed another U- turn in the policy with the closing down of the sexual offences courts.
The DA welcomes the reintroduction of the FCS units and sexual offences courts. We are concerned about the vacuum in as far as details are concerning how and where these sexual offences courts are to be re- established.
Policy experiments, dithering, window-dressing, indecisive action and nonprioritisation of child and woman abuse have resulted in a decade of wasted opportunities. At best, we are exactly where we were ten years ago. I would say that we are in a worse position than where we were ten years ago. This debate is a shame on the government for not doing all that it could and with what it had to protect our children.
The Children's Act is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation we have and is supposed to ensure that all vulnerable children are protected from harm, either by removing them from danger or through interventions in their homes. In order to reach every vulnerable child, the Act has to be implemented through "foot soldiers" commonly known as social workers.
Hon members, you should be aware that the most comprehensive and costly report - and I have it here in my hand - of any Bill was conducted for the Children's Act and it clearly stipulates that in order to implement the Act properly, not cutting corners or services to children, we would need 66 329 social workers for the Children's Act alone.
Currently, we have a total of 16 740 registered social workers, not all of whom are working with the Children's Act. Some are working with the Older Persons Act, for example, whilst some are with Correctional Services and some are in private practice. Then also, some are registered, but not working at all.
So, if we take all 16 740 registered social workers in the country and assume that they are working with the Children's Act, we are still understaffed by 75% or just under 50 000 social workers for one Act.
It is little wonder that we cannot identify the children that are in need of care and protection. Thousands of children are left to fend for themselves because this House has failed to ensure that the necessary financial resources are allocated to the training and employment of social workers. I remember that the decade of denialism on HIV/Aids resulted in our having over 2 million maternal orphans and 900 000 double orphans in this country.
In addition, the Department of Social Development has failed to develop a comprehensive plan on how we are to achieve the target of 66 000 social workers. It is clear that the luxury presidential jets, new ministerial cars, furniture for Ministers and, of course, Ministers' and presidential safety and comfort take priority over our children's safety.
Where is the Minister of Social Development today? She is in Potchefstroom attending a council meeting. Is it because it is more important than being here, debating child abuse? Where is the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities? She is probably spending more money on furniture.
And where there were bursaries for young people to graduate as social workers, many are not absorbed into the department. One hundred and sixty- one graduates in the Eastern Cape are currently sitting idly at home, twiddling their thumbs, because the department cannot absorb them.
What we need from this government is a strong and unwavering determination through the allocation of resources. The general public is waiting for such a commitment. It is only through our determination as this House that we send a clear and strong message to any would-be child and woman rapist that we will no longer tolerate our children and women being victims. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, it is with little doubt that this debate came forth as a result of the recent murders widely covered by the media, partly because of the extent of brutality attached and the celebrity effect. For that reason, I'd like to start off by conveying, on behalf of the UCDP, our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of Anene Booysen and of Reeva Steenkamp: Your loss is ours.
The sad reality about the recently publicised murders is that this is not a case whereby, all of a sudden, there are cases of females being raped and that we are all shocked, dismayed and frantically looking for answers as this has never happened in our beautiful land. The sad reality is that this happens literally every day. Women across the country are raped and murdered daily, mostly by intimate partners, as well as complete strangers.
The media sometimes, and only sometimes, when they feel the story will scoop more sales, report on and sensationalise these cases, like as they did in Reeva Steenkamp's case. But when all that hype is gone, when they have moved on to another interesting story, someone's daughter, sister or grandchild would be left dead and recorded as a statistic. Humanity would have lost a flower, the earth would be grieving, families left to accept and deal with the reality of their loss, whilst the rest of the population carries on.
Considering our past, we are a nation with many differences, but also a nation that is capable of looking beyond those differences when it suits us and work together and passionately achieve outstanding results. Look how united we were for the Fifa World Cup. When shall we stand up and say we shall not have a woman murdered by a man again?
Why can't we work together and rid our society of this terrible scourge? Why can't we do it for our girl-children in all their innocence, do it for our mothers, do it for our future and the future of the generations to come? How long shall we beat around the bush, pretending that we do not know what has gone wrong when women are being killed every day by our own sons, brothers and uncles? What is it that has desensitised us so much to gender-based violence?
We all seem to be outraged by these recent cases. But how are we going to channel our rage to ensure that we pull this deadly plague off our country and our community? What does it take for us to act together? What will it take for men to recognise that their sisters, daughters, grand-daughters and mothers are the ones being violated every day, and that this needs to stop?
While we are all made to follow the details of Reeva's case, are we made to forget that decomposed body of 19-year-old Ge-Audrey Green, which was stuffed in a drawer under the bed in Scottsville? Are we thereby forgetting Charmaine Mare's torso, whose legs and arms had been cut off and her body burnt beyond recognition? How much outrage have we displayed over the pastor who allegedly raped a woman three times in a locked room? What have we said about the case of a man who raped and impregnated his 12-year-old stepdaughter? [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, around the world, as many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some other way, most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another family member. One woman in four has been abused during pregnancy. Violence against women and children both violates and nullifies the enjoyment by women and children of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. It reflects and reinforces inequality between men and women and compromises the health, security, dignity and autonomy of its victims.
Violence against women has been called the most pervasive, yet least recognised violation of human rights in the world. In South Africa, three women are killed by their intimate partners every day. Yes, every day a woman is raped every seventeen seconds, yet only one out of nine reports the incident. The MF strongly believes that, unless we break the silence, criminals will be getting away in broad daylight. This kind of barbaric behaviour is unacceptable and must be dealt with decisively, as only a dismal 14% of the perpetrators are convicted.
We, as a country and society, need to tackle the scourge head-on. As Gandhi once said, if you have to wage a war for world peace, you have to start with the women and children of your land. Whilst the notion is that all men are not the same, only one man in about 250 000 will speak out against rape.
The gruesome gang rape and torture of Jyoti Singh Pandey, a medical student from New Delhi in India, shocked the world. We are also subjected to a wave of headlines on violence against women and children. Seventeen-year-old Anene Booysen's rape and murder was devastating and inhumane, an act that culminated in the biggest global campaign the world has ever witnessed. The MF strongly believes that we must take these perpetrators, throw them in jail, and then throw the keys into the ocean. We must consider more stringent laws that are more favourable to the protection, safety and security of women and children.
It is time for the whole country to rise up against the pandemic of rape and murder. Let us not forget that it is the responsibility of everyone who breathes South African air and lives on South African soil to fight this scourge. I am reminded of the prophetic and wise words in the Indian language, "Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivum", which means that your mother is your first human god. Let us strive to build on the spirit of brotherhood and give true meaning to the words that my mother and child is yours and vice versa.
It is time we put an end to the killings of our elderly. Recently, a 69- year-old pensioner living in a wood-and-iron building in Ottawa, KwaZulu- Natal, was stabbed three times, resulting in her death. It is time to rise up; it is time for action. We need to fight this war together, committing ourselves to addressing the social challenges that prevail amongst communities so that we can ultimately deliver a safer environment for the women and children of our beautiful land. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson and hon members, let's talk about ubuntu. I am a person because of you, but the converse is also true. You are a person because of me and others. For me, it says that you take responsibility for who I am. However, I have to take responsibility for who you are. This is where we, as a society, have failed.
In 1994, our democracy held so much promise - the promise of freedom, peace, prosperity, security and much more. Today, we are constantly shocked by the levels of violence that our people are subjected to. The promise of peace and security remains unfulfilled. What has happened? Why has violence become endemic in our society? Why has our outrage not reached the proportions of that recently seen in India? How did we go from being the rainbow nation to being a nation in mourning?
I do not have the answers, but what I do know is that the moral fabric of our society is unravelling. We have become inured to the blatant disregard by some for the rule of law. Violence has become the currency with which workers negotiate. Schoolchildren - and they are just that - resort to violence as a means of conflict resolution. Domestic violence is how partners are subjugated. Gang violence is commonplace, and our embattled communities stagger from one violation to the next. The most vulnerable in our society, women and children, are daily under siege. Rape, mutilation and murder have become the order of the day. We have rape endemic to this country. More rapes are reported here than anywhere in the world. Why? What is the solution? I would posit that it is to return to family values. The rainbow nation is really a synonym for the family, which is South Africa. Yes, in this country, we are all one family and, like families, we have differences, but ultimately we are one. Despite these differences, now is not the time for political grandstanding. The gravity of the situation demands otherwise. We need to stand united in the face of this onslaught. We must make ending the violence a national priority. We need our men and boys to stand up for a safer country. We, as guardians of this family, need to lead by example. If we do not set high standards for ourselves as leaders, how can we expect our people to behave any differently? We must, at every turn, be the example that our people follow.
The message that we should send out must be a powerful one. There has to be a return to the rule of law. The lawlessness that has gone unpunished should not be countenanced. Discipline and order have to return the workplace, to the institutions of learning, to our communities, and to our homes. No-one should feel that we are above the law. The Minister of Finance, in his Budget, must consider allocating meaningful resources to tackle this issue.
It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. The village now has to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child. The concern for others should be fostered in our neighbourhoods, our communities, our towns, our cities and, ultimately, our country. We should return to the tenets of ubuntu, one of which states that ubuntu is inextricably linked to the values of and which places a high premium on dignity, compassion, humaneness, and respect for the humanity of another.
In conclusion, let the words of the Knights of Labor ring true for our government. In 1884, they stated - and some of you might be familiar with this - "the best government is one in which an injury to one is the concern of all". Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, the topic under debate today is indeed a sensitive one, and I am glad that the dialogue has started.
Jyoti Singh Pandey from India and Anene Booysen from South Africa shared one thing: both were raped and died as a result of these heinous acts. The difference, however, between the two countries is the manner in which civil society, the media, and the government in India reacted collectively to Jyoti's attack. The reaction was such that the country felt and showed outrage to the point that the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi were present when her body was returned home. The question is why we in South Africa have become immune to the viciousness of the attack on Anene Booysen and, for that matter, Valencia Farmer? A few of us condemned the attack. The DA led a protest march to Parliament, and today life goes on. A debate of such importance is scheduled so late. It is not on public primetime television, and the attendance in the House speaks for itself.
Violent crimes like rape have become normalised in our day-to-day psyche. A neurobiologist says that because of the high frequency and brutally damaging gender-based violent crimes, the human brain adapts to violence, normalising it, and exclude basic human remorse. Violence is a learnt behaviour. Babies are not born violent, but early childhood experiences, prolonged parental absences, substance abuse, and gang culture are some of the main contributory factors.
The DA would like the President to conduct public hearings on gender-based violence in all corners of South Africa. We should be focusing on prevention as opposed to intervention. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I enter this debate as a parent and, indeed, as a grandparent. I say this because any rape or murder of any child or person affects me as deeply as it does the immediate family members of that child or person. South Africans have become numbed by the pain of hearing and reading about the rape and murder of women and children.
We no longer experience shock and even our expressions of outrage are all but meaningless. We have plummeted to such depths of depravity that one needs to revisit Dante's Inferno in order to get a sense of where we are at. You would be forgiven for believing that we have returned to that stage of human development when men and women lived in caves with other wild animals and the only law was the survival of the fittest.
We read in the City Press over the past weekend of the rape of two two-year- old toddlers in Limpopo, allegedly by a 29-year-old man in one case and by a 22-year-old man in the other. Whilst it may be premature to speculate as to their guilt, one has to ask: What kind of human rapes an innocent two- year-old toddler? Would we be justified in referring to them as animals not fit to be called human, who are nothing more than beasts that prey on the innocent and vulnerable with depraved indifference?
It is time that the myth spread by certain individuals - I am reliably informed that these include certain izinyanga and traditional healers - that having sex with a child guarantees one's protection from Aids, be debunked. It is at times such as these that we have to reflect on the state of South African society.
It is my view that the solution to our challenges and our problems begins at home. As parents, we must teach our children the difference between right and wrong. We must teach particularly our boys or male children that a woman and her body is sacrosanct, as sacrosanct as that of their grandmothers, mothers, and sisters.
Sometime last year, the media reported on a United States Peace Corps volunteer who had abused five KwaZulu-Natal girls, including orphans. It is important to note that, in my view and in the view of millions of South Africans, our justice system is very highly regarded, despite the many challenges, some of which have been highlighted today. It is disturbing and alarming to read that a United States Peace Corps volunteer, Jesse Osmun, appeared in the US District Court in Hartford, Connecticut, and not in a South African court. Admittedly, Jesse Osmun pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct with children and faces up to 30 years' imprisonment in a US federal prison. The point, however, is that the crimes were committed on South African soil and Jesse Osmun should have been tried in a South African court, in terms of South African law, and he should serve time in a South African prison.
We want to know who agreed to the arrangement that Jesse Osmun should not be tried in the jurisdiction where he committed his crimes and horrendous acts against innocent unsuspecting children. [Applause.] We will be asking these questions of the National Prosecuting Authority. We are told in the Daily News of 13 August 2012 that -
Osmun was on an assignment at the Umvoti Aids Centre in Greytown last year, when he abused five girls aged between three and five years old.
It is a matter of record that numerous pieces of legislation have been approved that focus on the marginalised position of women and children, with specific emphasis on their advancement, and protection from all forms of abuse. These statutes were intended to come to the assistance of women and children directly or indirectly in their fight against abuse and domestic violence or inequality. We touched on some of these.
In 1995 Parliament approved the Criminal Procedure Amendment Act, which brought about comprehensive changes to the bail laws and set out comprehensive guidelines for the courts to take into consideration when deciding what is in the interest of justice; and that an accused person be kept in custody pending the finalisation of his or her trial. Many of these guidelines have a bearing on violence against women and children.
All members are aware that in 1996 the Commission on Gender Equality Act was enacted and the Commission on Gender Equality was established. In 1997 the Divorce Courts Amendment Act opened the then black divorce courts to all races, giving women access to less costly divorce proceedings and making it easier for many women to walk out of an abusive marriage or relationship.
In 1997 the Criminal Law Amendment Act was approved by Parliament, its primary provision being to deal with the death penalty. The Act also provides for the imposition of minimum sentences in respect of certain serious offences, for example, murder and rape. These sentences are more severe in certain circumstances, for instance, when the death of a woman is caused by a person in the commission of a rape or attempted rape, or where the rape victim was raped more than once, or where the rapist has previous convictions for rape, or where the victim is under the age of 16.
I have no need to refer you to the Witness Protection Act or the Prevention of Organised Crime Act of 1998. You have heard about the Domestic Violence Act, which was enacted in 1998. So there is no need for me to refer to that particular statute.
We move on and come to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act. It has included sexual offences and introduced measures that are aimed at addressing the plight of certain vulnerable groups. It requires a co-ordinated approach by all government departments in dealing with matters relating to sexual offences. The law relating to sexual offences have been modernised by, amongst others, the repeal of the common laws sexual offences, such as rape and indecent assault, and the replacement thereof with new statutory offences.
The common law offence of rape, for example, provided that only a male could commit the offence and the victim could only be a female. The law now recognises that both males and females commit this crime and that both males and females can be victims of the crime. Indecent assaults have also been repealed and replaced by the statutory offence of sexual assault applicable to all forms of sexual violation without consent. Other forms of sexual violence have been addressed to the extent that it is an offence, amongst others, to compel a person to witness a sexual offence being committed against another person such as a family member or friend.
A complete ban has been placed on using children or persons who are mentality disabled for purposes of prostitution, and anyone involved in any manner in the sexual exploitation of these vulnerable persons face criminal prosecution. Persons who commit consensual sexual acts with children under the age of 16 years are also subject to criminal sanction.
The Act also affords victims of sexual offences access to certain medical services, including access to post-exposure prophylaxis, and further regulates the right to apply to court for an order that alleged perpetrators be tested for HIV.
A national register for sexual offenders is being established to maintain a record of persons who have been convicted of sexual offences against children or persons who are mentally disabled. The information contained in this register will be used to inform employers, licensing and other authorities whether or not the particulars of certain persons have been included in this register. This mechanism will assist in prohibiting these persons from gaining access to vulnerable persons by means of different forms of employment or self-employment. The Protection from Harassment Act provides for the granting of a protection order against harassment similar to the protection orders in terms of the Domestic Violence Act. Since the existing civil and criminal law framework does not provide adequate recourse to victims of stalking who are not in a domestic relationship, this Act must still be put into operation. Regulations and directives which are required to supplement the Act are currently being finalised.
We have heard statistics and government being bashed; we have received or heard very few proposals that seek to find solutions. Well, we were affording you an opportunity to provide those solutions. That is why we called the debate. [Interjections.] No, no, no! Now listen, and listen carefully. I want to read to you a letter from Dr Cleeve Robertson, an emergency physician and retiring head of the Emergency Medical Services in the Western Cape. He writes thus in the Daily News of Monday 25, February 2013. Dr Robertson contends that violence is a learnt behaviour and that you are not born with it. He says the following:
Thirty-five years ago I walked into the trauma unit at Groote Schuur Hospital as a medical student and was faced with the horrible reality of violence in South Africa. The tragedy is that all these years later, although the weapons have changed, the levels of violence are, at least, as bad. South Africans are exposed to such levels of violence from birth. Violence is legitimatised politically, culturally or socially and it is normalised in sectors of society.
Listen very carefully.
The solution is a committed, cohesive response by the government and society to reduce exposure to violence at every level and opportunity. Violence in any form must become unacceptable. Pragmatism - not theory - and the culture of cheap sensational talk - the media must go through some self-examination too - must rule; and the government, nonprofit organisations and institutions must focus their collective effort on prevention rather than intervention by creating structures that promote peace.
You see, Dr Robertson was putting forward a solution. [Applause.] It is easy to come to these debates and say we are going to score points. The hon Mike Waters pointed out that certain key Cabinet Ministers were not present today. He is correct. But he also forgot to point out that the hon parliamentary Leader of the DA has not been present throughout this debate. [Interjections.] Do we draw from that that she does not care about gender- based violence? [Interjections.] The hon Ditshetelo makes a point when she asks an important but fundamental question: What does it take for us to act together? Just as the hon Bhoola makes the point: Let's fight this war together.
So, what is the way forward? The way forward, according to members of the DA, is to keep scoring points. Now ... [Interjections.] ... some of the solutions are with us; they are before us. I am saying this without having checked with the hon Annelise van Wyk; time did not permit me to do so.
The Bill providing for the collection of the deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, for purposes of prosecuting crimes must enjoy priority. [Applause.] This is an appeal to members of the Portfolio Committee on Police. The compilation of the register for sex offenders, hon Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu, must be speeded up, if that is possible. [Applause.]
Finally, the training of members of the SA Police Service in the very basic but fundamental act, which is securing the scene of the crime and the collecting of forensic and other crucial evidence, must enjoy priority. [Applause.] How does a warrant officer walk into a crime scene with his footwear unprotected? Do we assume from his actions that he has not been properly trained, or that he is doing it deliberately so that the perpetrator can get off scot-free? [Applause.] Mr Chairperson, finally I reiterate, the solution begins at home. Thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.