Chairperson, the FF Plus pledges its firm commitment to, and support for, activism against violence and abuse against women and children. The scourge of violence being perpetrated against the most vulnerable sections of our society is eating away at the moral fibre of South Africa and is destroying our society.
We therefore acknowledge that our efforts to protect and promote the status of women and children have to be stepped up. We undertake to constructively participate in the national campaign to combat violence against women and children and, as public representatives of the FF Plus, we pledge to show our solidarity with the victims of violence against women and children through leading by example.
Voorsitter, 'n man wat aan 'n vrou slaan of wat kinders mishandel, is nie 'n man nie, maar 'n lafaard. 'n Man wat dit doen, hoort in die tronk. Dit is wat hy is en waar hy behoort te wees.
Die feit van die saak is, dit hoef ook nie net altyd fisiese geweld te wees nie. Ek wil vandag s dat mans wat nie hulle onderhoudsplig nakom teenoor hul eie kinders nie, is presies besig met dieselfde geweld en intimidering van hul eie kinders en daar behoort ook teen hulle opgetree te word.
Die VF Plus voel baie sterk daaroor dat ons hierdie saak sal moet verder voer, nie net vir 16 dae nie, maar dit behoort die norm te wees in Suid- Afrika dat vrouens en kinders en hierdie gedeelte van ons gemeenskap beskerm behoort en op die voorgrond gestel te word. 'n Man wat dit nie doen nie, is 'n lafaard en hoort in die tronk. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, a man who hits a woman or abuses a child, is not a man, but a coward. A man who does that, belongs in jail. That is where he is and should be.
The fact of the matter is that it does not always need to be physical violence. I want to say today that men who do not carry out their maintenance responsibilities toward their own children, are busy with the same violence and intimidation of their own children and action should be taken against them.
The FF Plus feels very strongly that we will take this matter further, not only for 16 days, but it should be the norm in South Africa that women and children and this part of our community should be protected and put in the foreground. A man who does not do that, is a coward and belongs in jail. I thank you.]