Chair, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, our guests in the gallery, I'd like to thank the chairperson of the women's caucus, Kiki Rwexana, for giving me the opportunity to take part in the debate on the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. This campaign plays a significant role in the lives of women and children in South Africa.
As parliamentarians, we want to make sure that we highlight and sensitise society on the notion of restoring moral regeneration, which we need to embrace together with the value of human dignity.
There is a primary element that we need to apply when combating violence against women and children. It is that time of the year again, when we need to pause and reflect on our moral values and examine the manner in which the most vulnerable of our people, that is women and children, are treated in society.
We are not referring to rural women only, but also to women who are well- educated and holding senior positions at work. The latter are also victims of abuse either at work or behind closed doors at home.
South Africa has joined the international community in making the statement that violence against women and children is a crime and will not be tolerated. You will agree with me that currently - and contrary to expectations - the rate of abuse against women and children is going up.
As society, we need to make the point that we are sick and tired of reading in newspapers and watching on television stories about horrible incidents of abuse of women and children. Recently, there has been a number of reported cases of murder of women, with their bodies dumped at Shayamoya sugar plantation in KwaZulu-Natal. The question is: Why women and girl- children? We are by no means saying that boy-children are not victims, because they are. However, in this instance women are clearly targets.
The South African government runs a parallel campaign that includes issues relating to violence against children. This campaign focuses primarily on generating an increased awareness of the negative impact of violence against women and children. The Department of Provincial and Local Government is working closely with the Office on the Status of Women in the Presidency, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, the Office of the Status of Children, as well as other government departments. These offices report directly to the Minister in the Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad, who spearheads the campaign.
We need to pay special attention to municipalities. We are not alone in this battle; we also have our chapter 9 institutions, such as the Commission on Gender Equity and the SA Human Rights Commission. These institutions have primarily been mandated to protect and promote our constitutional democracy and uphold the value of human dignity within society at large.
The Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women in Parliament, led by hon Morotua, is working hand in hand with the Office on the Status of Women and the Commission on Gender Equity in trying to implement the national gender machinery at provincial, local and municipal levels. The purpose is to bring about awareness, to review policies and to monitor proper implementation of the machinery.
We further need to provide adequate training to people appointed at gender focal points, be it at local or municipal levels. The implementation of this machinery does not end with government; it extends to the private sector and NGOs. Our excellent Constitution is praised worldwide and globally is the only one that protects the provisions of the equality clause.
As a result of this clause, we have the Equality Court and relevant institutions in place. Once again, we have wonderful pieces of legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act, which protects women against any kind of abuse. We also have the sexual offences legislation that introduces a number of new crimes that are regarded as sex-related crimes and makes it an offence, for example, to compel one person to rape or sexually assault a third person.
Ndinovuyo ngokuthetha ngomsebenzi owenziwe yiPalamente ukukhusela amalungelo amakhosikazi. Ndikwavuyiswa nakukuqaphela umsebenzi owenziwa ngoomasipala ukuncedisa ekulweni uxhaphazo lwamakhosikazi nabantwana.
Ndikwavuyiswa nakukuqaphela umsebenzi owenziwa ngusihlalo weKomiti yeMicimbi yeSebe, uMaggie Sotyu, owenze ukuba amapolisa abe namhlanje ayaqeqeshwa ukuze akwazi ukujongana nezimo zodlwengulo lwamakhosikazi. Amapolisa asekwaqeqeshwa nasekubeni akwazi ukusebenzisana namaxhoba odlwengulo kwanokuba azamkele kwaye angazenzi intlekisa iingxelo eziza namakhosikazi kuwo.
Ndisekwavuyiswa nakukuba iinkundla ziyabagweba ngokuqatha abo badlwengulayo. Udlwengulo yinto ekufanele siyithathe njengento exhomisa amehlo, singayenzi into yokudlala. Xa udlwengule ungumntu ongutata, akukhathaliseki nokuba ungubani na okanye ukweliphi na inqanaba lobomi, okusalayo kukuba udlwengule. Ngaphezulu, asizi kuyihlekela into yokudlwengulwa ngabantu esilindele ukuba basikhusele, simana sikrwecana singamakhosikazi xa sibona loo mntu sisithi: Kanene wayedlwengule!
Siyacela ukuba igqugula lamakhosikazi liyiqaphele into yokuba ngekhe silwamkele udlwengulo noxhaphazo lwabantwana.
Ndifuna ukubonisa indlela urhulumente awukhathalele ngayo uMzantsi Afrika nabantu bawo. Phezolo bendibukele inkqubo kamabonakude kwijelo i-SABC 3, ndanqwena ukuba abe kanti uMphathiswa uMdladlana abe naye ebebukele. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[I am pleased to talk about Parliament's efforts to protect women's rights and to note the work that is being done by the municipalities to help to curb the abuse of women and children.
I acknowledge the work that is done by the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, hon Maggie Sotyu, who has made it possible for the police to be trained so that they are sensitive when dealing with cases of women who have been raped. They are also being trained to be sensitive when dealing with victims of rape and not to take lightly the complaints that are brought to them by women. I am also pleased that the courts are handing out heavy sentences to rapists.
Rape is a crime that should be regarded as something alarming and not as something trivial. When you have raped, as a man, regardless of who you are or what your status in life is, you are still a rapist. Furthermore, we are not going to condone being raped by people from whom we expect protection and whisper among ourselves as women and say, By the way, he is a rapist!
We would like to plead with the women's caucus to note that we are not going to condone the rape and abuse of children.
I would like to demonstrate how the government cares for South Africa and its citizens. Yesterday I was watching a programme on SABC 3 and how I wished that the hon Minister Mdladlana was also watching.]
Sometimes I don't go to sleep early; I watch TV until midnight. Don't ask me Why. [Interjections.] The programme was about sex workers, and it made me feel very sad. As parliamentarians, we do not know what is happening in South Africa.
The sex industry is in existence, even right here in Cape Town. Young children of about thirteen or fourteen years of age were saying: "We are unemployed; we want this industry to be legalised."
We still have a big problem, and that problem faces us directly, as parliamentarians. [Interjections.] We've just passed the Civil Union Act. Today people are moaning about the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.
Lo ngumba ocinezela amakhosikazi. Kwaye ukuba zange ube yinkosikazi emnyama ezaziyo iingxaki zamakhosikazi, ... [This is an issue that affects women. If you have never been a black woman, who understands the problems facing the women, ...]
... you would ask: "Why this piece of legislation?", as the opposition parties are doing. We know that the government ...
... osikhathaleleyo eMzantsi Afrika nokhusela amakhosikazi, uyayazi into yokuba kukho ingxaki yokhutsho lwezisu oluqhutywa kwiimeko ezingakhuselekanga ngokungekho mthethweni mihla le. [... which cares about us in South Africa and which protects the women. You know that there is the issue of abortions that are conducted under unsafe conditions on a daily basis.]
Government is saying: "Let us avoid that". People must come forward and say: "I have a problem", so that they can get counselling. Choice of termination of pregnancy does not happen on its own, it goes with counselling.
Sifuna ukuqinisekisa, makhosikazi, ukuba uxhaphazo nodlwengulo siyajijisana nazo. Enkosi. [We would like to make sure as women that we confront abuse and rape. Thank you.] [Time expired.]