Speaker, with our Budget Votes almost behind us, certain misguided comments must be corrected. During the debate on Women, Children and People with Disabilities, the IFP's input was wholly constructive. However, in response, the hon Minister unleashed her wrath, accusing the IFP of never having done anything for women.
Clearly, the Minister's statements were misleading. Of the more than 6 200 schools in KwaZulu-Natal, only 33 were built by the current ANC government. The IFP built the rest. These schools served and continue to serve as the foundation of development for many young women. So do the clinics the IFP built, the co-operatives we established and the vegetable gardens we planted.
Moreover, the allegations that women are somehow not welcomed in the IFP are bizarre. In the 1970s, the IFP president repealed laws that regarded married women as minors and under the custody of their husbands. Thus, because of the IFP, women could finally hold the title deeds of their land.
The IFP also made history when Prince Buthelezi promoted the first female traditional leader in the Zulu nation and appointed the first woman to the KwaZulu-Natal cabinet. At the constitutional negotiation table, the IFP delegation had the largest percentage of women.
It is not surprising that it was by and large the women and the youth of Albert Luthuli Municipality in Carolina who handed the reigns of the ANC stronghold to the IFP in last month's by-elections in Mpumalanga. The facts don't lie.