Deputy Speaker, I don't want to answer that question. She is wasting my time. [Interjections.]
The plight of our women is made worse particularly by some of our patriarchal and oppressive practices and beliefs. Some of these practices place women in positions where they are subjected to unfairness and oppression by society. For example, a woman who loses her husband by death is required to wear mourning clothes for up to a year, but when a man loses his wife by death, he can marry another woman the following day. When a woman loses her husband, tradition requires that she must be cleansed before she can marry another man; yet men are not required to be cleansed.
It is true that a lot has been achieved during these 20 years, but more still needs to be done to emancipate our grandmothers, mothers, aunties, sisters and cousins from economic injustices such as unemployment and so on.
Finally, I have a message for men who abuse women ... [Interjections.] ... and the message is this: You are cowards; you are not heroes. If you want to fight, I suggest you find the nearest tree and fight it. I can tell you that you are going to be the loser. Viva, women of South Africa! Long live the women of South Africa! [Applause.]