Sihlalo weBhunga lamaPhondo, Mphathiswa umama uXingwana noSekela- Mphathiswa, umama uSotyu, ndivumele ndithi ngqanga neentsiba zayo. Kuluvuyo kum ukuba ndibe yinxalenye yale ngxoxompikiswano ejongene nokulwela amalungelo oomama, abantwana kunye nabantu abakhubazekileyo emzimbeni ngenjikalanga enomahluko eyandulela ukuqalisa kweNtshukumo yeHlabathi yeeNtsuku eziliShumi elinesiThandathu.
Siyawuxhasa umgomo wezi ntshukumo nobekwe yi-ofisi yakho othi: "Uxolo kumakhaya ethu nasekuhlaleni ukunqanda ukuxhatshazwa koomama nabantwana". Siyavuma ukuba amalungu eentsapho zethu, ingakumbi abantu bethu abadala oomama kunye nabantwana, azibona eyinxalenye yamaxhoba engcinezelo kwezoqoqosho, ekuhlaleni, ukuxhatshazwa ngokwesondo kunye nokubulawa ngokumasikizi ngenxa yesini sawo.
Izolo sibone amakhulu ngamakhulu phaya eQonce eMpuma Koloni, abantu abakhulu betarhuzisa kwizihlobo, kwizalamane noluntu jikelele besithi mayiphele impatho gadalala, ukubulawa, ukudlwengulwa nobuqhophololo obenziwa kubo. Sileli phondo lweMpuma Koloni, sisophisa ngenxa yobugebenga obuthe bondela kwiphondo lethu bokubulawa ngokumasikizi koomakhulu bethu, betyholwa ngobugqwirha. Umnqa ke esinawo singurhulumente ngowokuba, la maxhoba ngoomama abadala abahluphekileyo abajongelwa phantsi ekuhlaleni, abathi babaxwe bade baphixwe ngezi zityholo kuba bengenawo amandla okuzilwela kwabo bafika babe yimpi kubo.
Silwa nalo mkhuba mihla le, kwaye siye saphehlelela amaqumrhu abantu abadala kuquka ne-Eastern Cape Older Persons Forum kuzo zosibhozo iingingqi zethu ukuze simanyane ekuthabatheni inxaxheba yokulwa lo mkhuba ngenjongo yokubuyisa isidima sabantu abakhulu. Liphondo lethu lodwa elinala maqumrhu.
Ekuqaleni kwale nyanga ka-Oktobha, siliSebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu lorhulumente wephondo siye sandwendwela kula mhlaba waseLusikisiki naseFlagstaff apho kubonakala ukuba lo mkhwa ude watsiba uphungela ngenkqu. Sibambe ingxoxompikiswano ke ngoko ukufundisa nokuthetha nabantu basekhaya ukuba le nto ibubugqwirha yintswelo mbeko nentswelo buntu kuba kaloku ubugqwirha abubambeki, yimpixano nje yangaphakathi yokwenyelisa abantu abathile.
Ukuxhatshazwa ngesondo kwamantombazana phantsi kwento ekuthiwa kukuthwalwa akuvumelekanga ngokwesiko nesithethe ukuba makuthwalwe umntwana. Umntu othwalwayo yintombi endala enamajingxeba kwaye esele ikulungele ukuba izilwele xa kufanelekile. Ukuba oonongqovu abafana nathi bangakhe bame apha phandle bathi mabathwalwe, akukho nomnye umntu onokusondela. Ukuthwalwa komntwana kukucima kwesibane kwelo khaya.
Into esivuyisayo ke singurhulumente kukuba sidibene neenkokheli zemveli savumelana ukuba ukuthwalwa kwabantwana akusayi kuphinde kwenzeke apho zilawula khona. Nizakukhumbula ke ukuba kukho ilali yakwaCele ebikhe yaba yindumasi nondabamlonyeni kwizizwe ngezizwe. Ndinovuyo lokuchaza apha ukuba uphelile unyaka ngoku kungakhange kubekho mntwana uthwalwayo kwaye siza kuqinisekisa ukuba akukho mntwana uza kuthwalwa. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Siliphondo siyawuxhasa umbono wokuba abantu abathengiselwa utywalwa mababe ngaphaya kwamashumi amabini ananye eminyaka. Sizibonile iziphumo ezibi zokuthi xa kuselwe utywala kunye neziyobisi abantu abangamakhosikazi, abantwana kunye nabakhubazekileyo baba ngamaxhoba okuqala. Sithi ke masiwuncothule lo mkhuba kunye neengcambu zawo.
Siyayazi sileli phondo ukuba kukho ukusilela okungumangaliso xa kujongwe amatyala okuxhatshazwa koomama kunye nabantwana. Ngoko ke, senza ikhwelo lokuba kubekho oomahambanandlwana beenkundla zomthetho, nanjengoko kwenziwa ngexesha loMdlalo weBhola eKhatywayo yeHlabathi. Kungani na ukuba singabinakho ukwenza njalo nangoku, kusetyenzwe nangempelaveki ukuze kuphele la matyala. Ibuhlungu into yokumana uxoxa ityala iminyaka emithathu ube umanyelwe ngabantu uxoxa ngendlela owathi wadlwengulwa ngayo libe neli tyala lingade lixoxwe ligqitywe.
Xa ndisiya ekugqibeni, sisuka kwixesha apho iinkonde ezifana nootata uMandela, oomama uSisulu, uMathole, uMandlangisa namanye amaqhawe omzabalazo athi alwela uMzantsi Afrika okhuselekileyo nobumbeneyo. Ukuze sikwazi ukulwa nolwaphulo-mthetho, kufuneka sibambisene sonke; loo nto iyakuthi isincede ukuze sazi unobangela walo. Thina sileli phondo sityikitye izibhambathiso neQumrhu leeTyalike zoMzantsi Afrika, iSACC, kunye neNdlu yeeNkosi, ukuba makhe kuvuselelwe izimilo, ubuntu nobuthandazwe kubantu bakowethu. Umntu omthandayo nomhloniphileyo awukwazi ukumphatha kakubi okanye umvise ubuhlungu
Eli sebe ke ndilikhokelayo lezoPhuhliso loLuntu kunye neenkonzo zabucala, sinenkqubo ejongene nkcakasana namaxhoba ezi zihelegu bendithetha ngazo ukuze angabutyesheli ubomi ade acinge ukuzibulala. Senza ikhwelo kwiNCOP lokuba lisincedise xa kufakwa imali nanjengoko iliBhunga lamaPhondo. ISebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu kufuneka libe ngathi lifumana uchatha wemali ukuze likwazi ukuphuhlisa ezi nkqubo zijongene nkcakasana namaxhoba olwaphulo- mthetho.
Ootata bonke kuquka naba bangamaLungu ePalamente, siyacela ukuba bakhe bathi oku akuzi kwenzeka egameni lamadoda. Amadoda okwenene namadoda oqobo awayenzi into embi kangaka, yimani ke. Sithi mathol' anyongade nje kukudlelana; amaqobokazana angalal' endleleni yazini kunyembekile. Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Minister Xingwana, Deputy Minister Ms Sotyu, all protocol observed. I am pleased to be part of this debate on fighting for the rights of women, children and people with disabilities, on this special afternoon that precedes the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.
We support the theme of this campaign that your office has crafted and which reads: "Peace in our homes and communities - putting an end to violence against women and children". We agree that our family members, more especially our elderly people, women and young children, find themselves being subjected to economic discrimination, sexual abuse and gender-based brutal killings in our communities.
Yesterday we witnessed many old people in King William's Town appealing to friends, relatives and the community at large to stop the abuse, killing, rape and corruption directed at them. We are still in pain as the Eastern Cape province because of the brutal killing of our grandmothers who are accused of witchcraft. What astonishes us as the government is that these victims are old, poor and disregarded women who are alleged to have committed these acts, and they are powerless to resist the vigilantes that come to attack them.
We are fighting this scourge day in and day out, and we have launched old age forums, including the Eastern Cape Older Persons Forum, in all eight of our regions to unite us in the fight against this scourge, and with the aim of restoring the dignity of the elderly. It is only in our province where you will find these forums.
At the beginning of the month of October, as the department of social development of the province, we visited the Lusikisiki and Flagstaff areas, where it seems that this scourge is more prevalent. We held public hearings, educating our people against accusing people of witchcraft, because it has the elements of ill-discipline and inhumanity, as witchcraft is baseless. It is an internal conflict which seeks to undermine some people.
Sexual abuse of young girls under the guise of the so-called ukuthwala [forced marriage] custom is not accepted. A person who is subjected to this custom must be a grown-up girl and a person upon whom will be bestowed the status of a woman if she passes away. If we, fully fledged women, were to avail ourselves of this custom, no one will even approach us. To subject a child to ukuthwala is to kill the future of that child.
As the government, we are glad that we have met with traditional leaders and agreed that the ukuthwala of young girls will not happen in their jurisdictions. You will remember the Cele village, which has been notorious recently and newsworthy among the nations. I am glad to announce that a year has passed now without a child being subjected to the custom of ukuthwala, and we are sure that there won't be any more instances. [Applause.] As a province, we support the minimum legal age of 21 years for the purchase and consumption of alcohol. We have seen that alcohol and drug abuse resulted in the victimisation of women, children and people with disabilities. We are saying: let us nip it in the bud.
We know as a province that there is an appalling ineffectiveness in dealing with cases of women and child abuse. We therefore propose that there should be mobile courts of law, such as the ones we had during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. What is stopping us from doing that, having the courts up and running even on Saturdays to conclude these cases? It is traumatic to spend three years in court with people listening to your narration of how you were raped without the case being concluded.
In conclusion, we come from an era where elders such as Mandela, Mama Sisulu - Mathole, Mandlangisa - and other heroes of the struggle fought for a safe and united South Africa. We have to work together in order to fight crime, and that will help us to get to the bottom of this. We, as the province, have signed a memorandum of understanding with the SA Council of Churches and the House of Traditional Leaders to revive moral regeneration, ubuntu and patriotism in our people. You cannot abuse or inflict pain on the one you love and respect.
The department of social development, led by myself, has programmes that deal specifically with the victims of the crimes that I have already mentioned, so that they do not give up on life and think of committing suicide. We appeal to the NCOP to assist us during the Budget allocation, as this is a "council of provinces". The Department of Social Development must receive a greater allocation so that it will be able to develop these programmes that deal specifically with victims of crime. All men, including Members of Parliament, must stop this from happening in the name of manhood. Real men do not commit such acts; now stop it. Working together we can do more. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Thank you. [Applause.]]