Deputy Speaker, I am happy that I am speaking after somebody who is seeing what government is doing. Unfortunately, there were women who were on this podium who don't see any laws that are positive for the women of this country. Hon members, in a foreword to the UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations observed, and I quote:
Across the world - in rich and poor countries alike - women are being beaten, trafficked, raped and killed. These human rights abuses not only inflict great harm and suffering on individuals, they tear at the fabric of entire societies.
In March this year 131 countries approved the UN blueprint for combating violence against women and girls, which sets global standards for action to prevent and ultimately end violence against women.
The 2007 strategy and tactics document of the ANC characterises the problem of gender-based violence as one that is, among other things, the consequence of centuries of embedded patriarchy. In this regard, the ANC says, and I quote:
... precisely because patriarchal oppression was embedded in the economic, social, religious, cultural, family and other relations in all communities, its eradication cannot be an assumed consequence of democracy. All manifestations of patriarchy - from the feminisation of poverty, physical and psychological abuse, undermining of self-confidence to open and hidden forms of exclusion from positions of authority and power - need to be eliminated.
On this day we don't need to politicise this issue. This is the day when we must all remember and celebrate. I am saying "celebrate" - we are not not going to have our gala dinner. In this Parliament, whenever we have an event for each and every committee, we do have gala dinners. However, when we invited our veterans and our societies representing everybody in South Africa, they were not there for eating food. Constructive and good papers were delivered. [Interjections.]
Mrs Robinson disappoints me when she says we were not supposed to have gala dinners, while she has been doing gala dinners for five years in this Parliament. She did not condemn them, but yesterday she did because it was a day for women. I feel ashamed. [Interjections.]
Yesterday, at the gala dinner, we heard from the speaker that when she was addressing young women, the questions raised by those young women - if you were not there - were: What are you doing about these laws that were passed? I will mention the laws later. We have passed good laws as a ruling party, together with everybody in this Parliament. However, what we have noticed is that although there are good laws, the problem we all still have is the implementation of those laws.
Between 2009 and today, this Parliament has been calling meetings for all members of society and NGOs to scrutinise these laws, seeing that there are gaps in these laws. That is why, when you arrived, you were not supposed to go to sleep, but to ask for ...
... umrhabulo ... [... information ...]
... as to why we are not implementing all the laws. This morning we had the opportunity to call all relevant departments. They were not just saying that all is well. What is being said in all departments of Parliament, especially in the women's Ministry, in the Multiparty Women's Caucus, is that we are identifying these gaps, together with those people who were invited yesterday.
Even today, the Department of Justice and the Commission on Gender Equality told us what we needed to do. We must try to amend and create laws that have teeth. We all became aware during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children over the last few years that women were being raped and killed, but this year it was a terrible situation. Our President said that we needed to start at home. We need to know where our husbands, wives or children are at 20:00 at night, because it starts at home. They take the drugs outside our premises. [Applause.] What are we saying about that? Must government assist us to look after our families? Let us assist. We do agree that we all belong to this South African government, but what must we do and what must we say?
I feel very bad, because 50% representation is an international requirement. The South African Parliament is a signatory to that. We need 50/50 representation in our parliaments. In some of our committees we have been saying that you can't come to Parliament and want to get that 50/50. You must start with your own political party. Hon Robinson says there is no need for that 50/50 representation. Today we have about 43% and that very high number is due to this ruling party. Other parties are trying. How dare Mrs Robinson, who was sitting with us every day, come to this podium now and deny that we need that 50/50 representation? It is a shame! [Applause.] [Interjections.]
The National Council Against Gender-Based Violence was inaugurated only in December 2012. As I am speaking, the Deputy President has made a call to our male opponents - because this is about gender-based violence. However, if you are saying that Rome was supposed to have been built since December 2012, then I feel sorry for you.
We have passed so many laws through this department. I can mention the Domestic Violence Act. However, we still need other amending laws, because if I, Beauty Nombasa Dlulane, go to court or to the police station to report that ...
... utata kaMputhumi undibethile kuba bendingafuni ukwenza nokuba yintoni na ... [... my husband beat me up because I didn't want to entertain his sexual whim ...]
... they will ask me, instead of taking the statement ...
... wena akuzazi ukuba ungumfazi, ubuze kwenza ntoni emzini? [... don't you know what your role is as a wife?]
They agreed this morning that we needed to put legislation in place to prevent this. We must educate the police at police stations in the areas where we report violence.
As we stand here, we know that 2015 is coming and, as South Africa, we need to go and report in the UN. What have we done to meet the 50/50 target? So, let us strive to get that. We are heading for an election. All the parties that are part of this House must strive for that. Our male comrades or male folk should not put only themselves forward. Even the women in political parties should not only look at their male comrades - they must put female candidates forward. It starts with ourselves - that "pull-down syndrome". So, as the ANC, we are proud of the laws that we have passed. However, we are not 100% proud, because we have seen horrible things: A four-month-old girl was raped; 91-year-old and 84-year-old women are being raped ... [Time expired.]