Thank you very much. Nonetheless, the truth is a painful affair. [Interjections.]
We owe it to the memory of the women and men who died at Sharpeville and KwaLanga to celebrate and defend our Constitution, including against the distortion of its progressive and transformative content.
We also know that for as long as there are 64 000 cases of rape reported to the police, as there were last year, for as long as women and children live in fear, and for as long as hate crimes are perpetrated against members of the LGBTI community, the promise of our Constitution will not have been realised. South Africa has some of the best and most advanced legislation and policies against sexual and gender-based violence. Legislation, such as the Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act and the Children's Act, is being used against perpetrators of violence against women and children. They are already receiving heavy sentences. The police have reintroduced Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. [Interjections.]