Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, the ANC's 1992 policy document titled Ready to Govern gives a clear expression of the ANC's vision and political aspiration on matters that have to do with the equality of life of all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or disability challenges. Therefore, the ANC says:
Gender discrimination has either excluded or subordinated women's participation in all socioeconomic and political institutions. Combined with apartheid, this has resulted in African women being the most exploited and poverty-stricken section of the South African population.
We want a country that is unified, open, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and free. We must abolish all forms of discrimination, domination, privilege or abuse. We must ensure that the basic rights and freedoms of all are respected.
The goal of the 1994 Reconstruction and Development Programme was to build on this theme of the equality of people. Thus, under the programme of democratising the state and society and developing human resources, emphasis was put on undermining the colonial and apartheid legacies of gender inequality in favour of a nonsexist society, among other defining traits.
This historic inspiration of gender equality was to be affirmed when it was enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa in 1996 as what is now widely celebrated as the equality clause, section 9(2) of the Constitution. Admittedly, this aspiration has not been fully realised because women still suffer significantly from the institutional legacies of apartheid, as well as from current patriarchal behaviour and attitudes.
It is equally true to say that a lot has been achieved under the ANC government. Under the ANC-led government a lot has been done to improve the conditions of women and to promote gender equality and women empowerment. The ANC government has enacted legislation that seeks to achieve the above. The Domestic Violence Act of 1998 represents a major achievement in the struggle against gender-based violence. This Act provides for the arrest of the perpetrator without a warrant of arrest and it provides for the issuing of an enforceable protection order for the victim of abuse.
Under the ANC government customary marriages have been given full recognition by the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998. Under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act of 2000, the implications for those women who had been in customary unions but were discriminated against in civil marriages are huge.
The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act and the recently gazetted Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill, which is currently being processed by Parliament, are two other critical pieces of legislation that promote the cause of gender equality and combat gender- based violence. In addition to the above, the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence was established to help protect women. The council has been charged with the following responsibilities: to drive the implementation of the 365 Days National Action Plan and advise government on policy and intervention programmes; to create and strengthen international partnerships on gender-based violence; and to monitor and report on progress made with regard to initiatives aimed at addressing gender-based violence.
The ANC understands that it is not enough to create legislation and hope that the problems will disappear. The ANC believes that the people are their own liberators. It is the people in the various communities who must rise, organise themselves and claim back their livelihood. They must claim back their streets and all other spaces, including their homes, from those who imprison women through gender- based violence.
In fact, the ANC understands that the problem of patriarchy requires a comprehensive, all-round and sustainable strategy that will bring all sections of society together. In its 2007 Strategy and Tactics document, the ANC characterised the problem of patriarchy as above precisely because patriarchal oppression was embedded in the economic, social, religious, cultural, family and other relations in all communities and therefore its eradication cannot be an assumed consequence of democracy. All manifestations of patriarchy, from the feminisation of poverty and of physical and psychological abuse, resulting in the undermining of self-confidence, to open and hidden forms of exclusion from positions of authority and power, need to be eliminated.
When this happens, the ANC's cherished vision will be realised. The vision was stated in the 1992 policy document Ready to Govern, when the ANC said:
Women should be able to walk in the streets freely without fear of assault and should be able to feel safe and free from violence in their own homes.
Under the ANC-led government, South Africa is launching the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence to review the existing National Action Plan and to strategise on delivery. While the government appears to be committed to addressing gender-based violence, social tolerance of the problem, low prosecution rates and continued cultural practices that are harmful to women inhibit the effectiveness of all these initiatives.
The ANC believes that together we can do more. That is why we call on society to work in partnership and collaboration in order to eliminate the manifestations of gender inequality, including the scourge of gender-based violence. In the Public Service, women make up only 34% of senior managers, 30% of the judiciary and 36% of ambassadors. In state-owned companies, 35% of director positions and 31% of executive manager positions are held by women.
New programmes, such as the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme and the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, are meant to increase women's access to land by establishing a quota for female-headed households and encouraging women-only projects. The Minister spoke extensively on this issue when she made reference to the moringa tree. I am pleased to mention that in this House we have an ambassador for moringa, Mrs Madikgale. All of us, or 90% of us, have tasted moringa because of Mrs Madikgale's strong belief in this medicine. [Laughter.]
The ANC government has responded to the protection of children in this country in various ways. In terms of a legislative framework, the Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, has a specific part that deals with the socioeconomic rights of children. The ANC believes that children should be allowed to be children. They should be allowed to be at school during school hours. They should be given the necessary support and opportunity to grow and develop holistically through playing, among other means of development. They should not be drawn into labour at a fragile age.
The ANC reiterates its condemnation of the abusive child labour practices perpetrated on farms, among other places of employment. We call on the government to ensure that perpetrators who breach the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act are brought to book to face the full might of the law. We call on society to reinstate the traditional African principle of communal parenthood, which says, -Your child is my child; let the whole village raise all the children.|
Research indicates that the incidence of abuse of people with disabilities, particularly women, is a problem of epidemic proportions. Compared to nondisabled women, women with disabilities experience violence at a higher rate and more frequently; are at a significantly higher risk of violence; have considerably fewer pathways to safety; experience violence that is more diverse in nature; and experience violence at the hands of a greater number of perpetrators.
In conclusion, the words of the late former president of Mozambique, Comrade President Samora Machel, come to mind. He said:
The liberation of women is not an act of charity. It is not the result of a humanitarian or compassionate position. It is a fundamental necessity for the revolution, a guarantee of its continuity, and a condition for its success.
It is against this background that the ANC endorses the call by the United Nations that violence against women must be addressed in the context of seeking to end all forms of discrimination, to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and to create a society in which all women enjoy their human rights. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Applause.]