Speaker, I am giving this speech on behalf of hon Helen Lamoela, who is unfortunately in hospital - we wish her a speedy recovery - but it is a great honour for me to speak in this debate today.
With violence against women increasing across the world, this year's International Women's Day is to be celebrated with the theme, "The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum". In South Africa, women cannot gain momentum until they are free from sexual violence. From a two-year-old child to a differently-abled woman, no one appears to be safe from sexual assault. Our focus should be on addressing these issues and finding functional solutions.
While South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, in which the equality of all citizens is guaranteed, and although we have ratified and signed a vast range of regional and international human rights instruments, gender equality in our country is still a dream for many. Much more work has to be done, and the recent spate of brutal rapes and murders across our country is proof of this.
Although we have excellent legislation in place, women in all four corners of our country, and especially those in the rural areas, still struggle to access these rights. The report of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, of 2011 revealed that while some women have gained a measure of equality with men, and while some women no longer experience discrimination in the family, there are some who still face untold discrimination in their families, the workplace, communities and societies as a whole.
What we need is a champion of women's rights to give the gender agenda momentum. We need a Minister that is leading the way in gender equality. While South Africa grapples with the rape crisis, the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is in New York. Again! Her argument that she is there on business will be cold comfort to the millions of vulnerable South Africans who need help here at home.
The Minister's allergy to hard work is well documented. She is hardly in Parliament for key debates, and she cannot spend her budget on items that fulfil her mandate. What she is very good at is spending her budget on luxury items like five-star hotels, first-class flights and fancy office furniture.
When the Minister's R6,8 million New York trip was revealed in 2011, she complained that it was unreasonable to expect that she stay in a "pondok" [little dwelling] and fly "lala class" [economy class]. This was in the same year that she underspent on her department's People with Disabilities programme by 66%. Just two weeks ago it was revealed that the Minister spent R2,1 million on redecorating her head office with expensive furniture. [Interjections.] We need to reprioritise our spending and forget about the frills and the nice- to-haves, and let us start funding and training regarding critical legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act. That would be real women empowerment!
Another aspect which remains a challenge to women, especially in rural areas, is that of health. We have too few doctors and nurses where the largest percentage of poor women live. There still remains a lack of access to clinics for sexual and reproductive health treatment.
Even as we speak, there is a national shortage of crime kits across our country, which will result in rapists not being convicted and women not receiving the justice they deserve. I am glad to see that the Minister of Justice is here, so that he can take it up with his counterpart, the Minister of Police, and the Police Commissioner. How can we have a situation where family violence, child protection and sexual offences units, also known as FCS units, and hospitals do not have enough rape kits - this despite the government's continuous grandstanding about women's rights and what they do for women?
The lack of rape kits will have a direct effect on the conviction rate, as many doctors have to use rape kits made for children to collect evidence from grown women. As the rape kits for children are designed smaller than for adults, doctors are unable to collect all the necessary evidence from rape survivors, meaning that vital evidence is lost forever. In addition there is a lack of blood kits, which link the suspect to the evidence collected from a survivor.
So, instead of spending money on fancy overseas trips, on luxury furniture or on court cases trying to prevent a commission of inquiry into the Khayelitsha Police Station, for example, Ministers should rather focus on the basics and on getting them implemented. They should spend their resources on the basics. We need Ministers who are committed to ensuring that the gender agenda gains real momentum. I thank you very much!