Chairperson, the EFF will not support the Budget Vote based on the following observations ... [Interjections.] Don't get excited now!
Firstly, 300 years of colonial and apartheid South Africa have had the most severe impact on black women. Yet, 20 years into democracy and the ANC's good story, the issues of black women have still not been made a priority. There has been no clear vision or strategy for the emancipation of women, especially black women.
On a structural level, after 20 years black women still suffer triple oppression and exploitation based on gender, race and class. All efforts made by this government have been made at a superficial level and have simply been a means of window-dressing. They also helped with continually moving women's issues from Ministry to Ministry.
We do not support this budget because it does not strongly promote the economic freedom of women. The emancipation of women, as equal counterparts in society, no longer rests only on passing more legislation; it rests on economic self-sufficiency that will allow women to participate in the direction and redirection of the means of safety and security as well as production.
The ANC-led government tends to relegate the responsibility of women empowerment to the Ministry of Women only. As the EFF, we propose that all government departments should have a women-empowerment desk and women's issues should not be isolated. Furthermore, this committee must tell us how it intends to make sure that all ... [Interjections.]