Hon Speaker, Cope supports the repeal of this repugnant Act, whose introduction in 1951 saw the entrenchment of the divide and rule policy by the National Party government and the subsequent establishment of the Bantustans. As a consequence of this Act, certain individuals were appointed as chiefs against traditional protocols. These chiefs had no legitimacy and were the rural people's nemeses.
By imposing themselves on rural communities as traditional leaders, they strove to enrich themselves and their families without benefitting the people. Illegitimate chiefs were generally authoritarian and megalomaniacal, and the people therefore rejected them.
The majority of rural areas, as a result of this apartheid era legislation, still do not have infrastructure and amenities even up to the present time. People still have to walk long distances for health care services and to have access to clean water. The use of unsafe containers for storing water is a norm in rural areas. As nothing is being done about that, the health of rural communities has been adversely affected. Unemployment and poverty continue to deepen, and this has resulted in a massive migration of young men, leaving the aged, women and children in rural areas to fend for themselves.
We want to see the repeal of this Act serving as a beacon of hope to those women who are still perceived as minors and who cannot therefore enjoy land tenure rights. This is intolerable. This Act perpetuated the stereotyping of women and girls. It was therefore difficult for women to have even a piece of land for erecting shelter. This impediment has lingered 16 years into our democracy.
However, in supporting the repeal of this Act, we are mindful that things could unravel in an undesirable way. We urge government to weigh the risks and to be adequately prepared for what may transpire. Cope supports the repeal of the Act and sheds no tears. Thank you.