Thank you very much, hon Deputy Speaker. Hon Minister, as you know, it would have been Anene Booysen's 18th birthday today, and while the rape of Anene Booysen and the rape and murder of the Diepsloot toddlers have made the headlines, they were not isolated incidents.
Hon Minister, the alarming increase in child homicide in South Africa must be declared a national crisis. Therefore, would you consider lobbying your colleagues, especially those in the Peace and Security cluster, to treat this scourge as a national crisis and to demonstrate leadership and table a new clear plan of action to fight crime against women, children and especially the elderly, because without a national plan of action, we are ill-equipped to stop this evil.
I know that you will tell me that the National Council against Gender-Based Violence has been established for this role, but the fact of the matter is this. Is it not a futile exercise to continually pin our hopes on a national council that has no funding to do its job? Thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Deputy Speaker ...
... ndicinga ukuba lo msebenzi sele usenziwa ngamasebe. Sidibene kwibhunga lesizwe nawo onke la masebe kwaye siyawenza lo msebenzi nokuba asinayo imali. Sisebenzisa le mithombo sinayo kwaye sisebenza kunye nale mibutho yasekuhlaleni ndiza kuyibalula, abefundisi, [the men's sector] imibutho yamadoda azibandakanya ekulweni ukudlwengulwa nokubulawa koomama nabantwana, iinkosi, nee LGBT community, nesele sibambe iphulo nabo phaya eKhayelitsha naseThokoza.
Sivuya kakhulu namhlanje xa isigebenga esadlwengula sabulala uDudu Zozo singaphaya kwezitshixo, esithembayo ukuba siza kunikwa udilikajele. Kwakhona, sivuya kakhulu xa nalowo wayebulele u-Anene Booysen efunyenwe enetyala lokudlwengula nelokubulala. Sithi naye makadilikelwe yijele.
Thina into esiyijongileyo kukubona la maqela aphikisayo ekhokela... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[... I think this function is already being done by the departments. We met with all the departments in the national council and we are performing this duty even if we don't have the money. We use the resources at our disposal and we work closely with the following civic organisations: religious leaders [the men's sector], men's organisations involved in the fight against the rape and murder of women and children, chiefs, and the LGBT community with whom we held a joint campaign in Khayelitsha and Thokoza.
We are very happy today that the murderer that raped and killed Dudu Zozo is behind bars and we hope he is going to get a life sentence. We are also very happy that the person who killed Anene Booysen has been found guilty of her rape and murder. We say he too must get a life sentence.
We want to see the opposition parties lead this fight ...]
... because this is not about an election campaign.
Ndikhe ndabona abaxhasi bombutho i-Agang benxibe izikipa [T-shirts] zika- Anelisa Mkhondo noZandile Mali. Ndazibuza ukuba ingaba kanti intlungu yokufelwa ngabantwana yinto yokugaya iivoti kusini na? (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.) [I once saw Agang supporters wearing T-shirts with the faces of Anelisa Mkondo and Zandile Mali. I wondered how the pain of losing children could be a vote-catching issue.]
I think this is a very serious matter and a tragedy that is facing our country, while this is ...
... ukwenza ukufa kwabantwana indlela engenasidima nemasikizi yokugaya [a cheap political game] iivoti. Ndicinga ukuba sonke silapha nokuba singu- IFP, DA noba siyi-Cope, masiphakameni ... [... making the death of children a cheap, vote-catching political game. I think all of us here, regardless of whether one is a member of the IFP, DA or Cope, should stand up ...]
... and save our children.
Ngoko ke ayingomthwalo karhulumente yedwa, ngumthwalo noxanduva lwethu sonke singamaKrestu, amaMuslims, abantu baseMzantsi Afrika, amaLungu ePalamente neenkokheli zawo onke la maqela ukuba simanyane silwe esi sihelegu sehlela abantwana nabantu abangoomama eMzantsi Afrika. Ndiyabulela, Somlomo. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[It is not a burden for government alone; it is the burden and responsibility of all of us as Christians, Muslims, the people of South Africa, Members of Parliament and the leaders of all political parties to unite and fight the scourge afflicting children and women in South Africa. I thank you, Speaker. [Applause.]]