Speaker, as ons kyk na die onderwerp vir vandag, sien ons dit gaan oor die saamwerk van gemeenskappe om die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders te verseker.
Ek wil begin deur te s dat dit so is dat gemeenskappe moet saamwerk. Gemeenskappe moet meer betrokke raak by mekaar. Hoe gereeld gebeur dit tog nie dat ons sien kinders en vrouens word mishandel, maar dan s ons dat ons liewers nie betrokke wil raak nie. Dit het niks met ons te doen nie! Dit is 'n verkeerde benadering ten opsigte van die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders.
As 'n mens ook gaan kyk na die polisie se taak, weet ons daar is gemeenskapspolisiringsforums, waar hulle probeer om die misdaad te bekamp. Dit is ook verkeerd om te s dit is net die polisie se taak om veiligheid te verseker.
As 'n gemeenskap moet hulle hande kan vat, want dit gee ook 'n sein en 'n baie duidelike boodskap aan die Minister van Polisie as ons gaan kyk wat gebeur byvoorbeeld op plekke soos Khutsong, waar die reg in eie hande geneem word. Dit beteken dat die gemeenskap op 'n punt gekom het, en hulle voel dat hulle magteloos is teen hierdie golf van misdaad, en sal daar strenger en sterker opgetree moet word, en meer sigbaar, deur die SA Polisiediens.
As ek dit s, wil ek ook s dat ons hoeveel wette kan maak in hierdie Nasionale Vergadering, maar 'n wet alleen is nie goed genoeg om die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders te verseker nie. Die toepassing daarvan is die belangrike, want ons het fantastiese wette. Ons het goeie wette in Suid-Afrika, maar die vraag is, hoe word dit toegepas?
Dan wil ek kom na die individu self - na vrouens, wat ook betrokke is, en mans wat betrokke is by die opvoeding van hul kinders. As ons praat oor die gemeenskap, moet ons ook oor onsself praat. Ons moet onsself afvra watter rol ons, as ouers, speel om te verseker dat ons kinders behoorlike dissipline het, en dat hulle respek het, nie net vir hulself en mekaar nie, maar ook vir ander individue en die gemeenskap. Ek wil vandag vir u s: As ons as ouers ons plig nakom en verseker dat ons kinders behoorlik opgevoed word, gaan ons baie minder probleme h, selfs wat misdaad betref.
Ek kan nie glo wat ek partymaal in die media lees, dat kinders ontvoer word, en wanneer daar navraag gedoen word oor waar die ouers was, die ma byvoorbeeld by die shebeen was of die pa en ma nie geweet het dat hul kind sonder toesig was nie. Hoe kan 'n ma en 'n pa nie weet dat hulle kinders nie onder toesig is nie? Ons het 'n verantwoordelikheid as ouers om dit te verseker.
As ons wil vinger wys na die polisie of na die gemeenskap dan moet ons weet dat daar ook vingers is wat na elkeen van ons as individu wys as ouers en as volwassenes, om te verseker dat daar behoorlike respek is. As daar respek is, gaan jy nie misdaad wil pleeg nie, want jy het dan daardie respek.
Ek wil ook vir u s, ons moet begin praat. As jy sien dat daar mishandeling van vrouens en kinders is, praat daaroor en rapporteer dit. Moenie s, "Dit het niks met my te doen nie". Op die einde van die dag is daardie mishandelde kind as gevolg van die mishandeling dalk 'n nuwe misdadiger wat jou ook dalk ook gaan raak. Tree op, dan kan ons sukses behaal. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr P J GROENEWALD: Speaker, when we look at the subject for today, we see it concerns the co-operation of communities in ensuring the safety of women and children.
I would like to start by saying that it is true that communities need to work together. Communities should become more involved with one other. How often does it not happen that we see children and women being abused, but we prefer not to get involved. It has nothing to do with us! This is the wrong approach regarding the safety of women and children.
When one considers the task of the police, we know that there are community police forums at which they try to curb this crime. It is also wrong to say that it is the job of the police only to ensure safety.
As a community they need to be able to take hands, since this also sends out a signal and a very clear message to the Minister of Police when we look at what is happening in places such as Khutsong, where people take the law into their own hands. This means that the community has reached a point at which they feel themselves to be powerless against this tide of crime, and stricter and stronger action will have to be taken, more visibly, by the SA Police Service.
When I say this, I also want to say that we can draw up any number of laws in this National Assembly, but a law by itself is not sufficient to ensure the safety of women and children. What is important is how it is applied, because we have fantastic laws. We have good laws in South Africa, but the question is, how are they applied?
Now I come the actual individual - to women, who are also involved, and to men who are involved in the education of their children. When we speak about the community, we also need to speak about ourselves. We need to ask ourselves what role we as parents, play in ensuring that our children have proper discipline, and that they have respect, not only for themselves and for each other, but also for other individuals in the community. Today I want to say to you: If we as parents do our duty in ensuring that our children are properly educated, we will experience far fewer problems, even with regard to crime.
I cannot believe what I sometimes read in the media: that children are kidnapped, and when the question is raised as to where the parents were, the mother, for example, was in the shebeen or the father and mother did not know that their children had been without supervision. How can a mother and a father not know that their children had been unsupervised? We as parents have a responsibility to ensure this.
If we want to point a finger at the police or at the community, we need to know that there are also fingers pointing back to each of us as individual parents and adults, to ensure that proper respect exists. If there is respect, you will not commit a crime because you will then have that respect.
I also want to tell you that we need to begin speaking out. If you see abuse of women and children occurring, then speak about it and report it. Do not say, "It has nothing to do with me." At the end of the day that abused child is, as a result of the abuse, possibly a new criminal, which may also affect you. Take action, so that we can achieve success. [Applause.]]