Ngiyabonga Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, Ngqongqoshe, iSekela likaNgqongqoshe, amalungu ahloniphekile ePhalamende, izikhulu zikahulumeni kanye nezethameli zethu ezisivakashele namhlanje, ngaphambi kokuthi ngiqale ngenkulumo yami, ngicela ukubongela kuqala uSteve Kekana noBabsy Mlangeni abathole izindondo eMafikeng izolo. [Ihlombe.] Babonisa ukuthi ungafinyelela emaphusheni akho noma unokukhubazeka, siyababongela. [Ihlombe.]
Manje sekuyiminyaka eyikhulu uKhongolose ungumbutho ohamba phambili ukulwela isithunzi sabantu ukuze bazuze ukulingana kanye nokuthuthukisa amalungelo abantu kanye nenkululeko. Le migomo kanye nobugugu bayo manje sekusekelwe kuMqulu wamaLungelo esiNtu kuMthethosisekelo wethu kaZwelonke. Lokhu kuchaza kubuye futhi kusebenze njengomkhombandlela wenkulumompikiswano yethu namhlanje kwiSabiwomali soMnyango wabesiFazane iziNgane kanye nabaNtu abaPhila nokuKhubazeka. UMqulu wamaLungelo eSintu uvimbela noma ngabe yiluphi uhlobo lobandlululo olubhekiswe kubantu abaphila nokukhubazeka, futhi uphakamisa ukuzuzwa kokulingana kuyo yonke imikhakha yempilo emiphakathini yethu. UKhongolose wamema ukushaywa komthetho kanye nezinye izindlela ezingenziwa ukuze bavikelwe futhi bathuthukiswe.
Kule nkulumompikiswano, kufanele siqhubeke nokusekela bonke labo abahamba phambili ekulweni kanye nasekuqinisekiseni ukuthi amalungelo abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka, njengoba kugxiliswe kuMthethosisekelo, ayingxenye yezinhloso zethu zokwakha umphakathi ohlangene, ongowentando yeningi, ongabandlululi ngobuhlanga, nangobulili kanye nochumayo obhekele ukulingana.
Ngokwezikhungo, ukwakhiwa kwalo Mnyango kahulumeni kwaba wukuhlomula okubaluleke kakhulu okungamele kubukelwe phansi. Ngokufanayo kwaba umphumela womzabalazo ogxilile owawuholwa nguKhongolose kanye neminye imibutho elwela ukulingana ezweni lethu eyayikade iwumemezela iminyaka ngeminyaka. Ngenkathi sibonga esikuzuzile kanye nenqubekela phambili eseyenziwe nguhulumeni kaKhongolose, kuze kube manje ekugxiliseni amalungelo abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka, kusekuningi okusafanele kwenziwe.
Lokhu kufakazelwa yimibiko elandelayo evela ku Khomishana yemiSebenzi yoMphakathi ekhombisa okuncane osekuhlonyuliwe emikhakheni yezokuqashwa kwabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka emkhakheni kahulumeni. Isibike unyaka nonyaka mayelana nokwehluleka kweMinyango kahulumeni kanye nokwakuhloswe yizikhungo mayelana nokuqashwa ngokulingana kwabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka. Lokhu akuvezi isibonelo esikhuthazayo emikhakheni ezimele lapho isimo sihlale sisibi kakhulu khona. Ukushaya imithetho kanye nezinqubomgomo kuyinto engavamile ukuba yisisombululo, kuphela uma kungaxhasiwe wukusetshenziswa kwezindlela eziqinile kanye nokuphoqelela.
Kungenxa yalesi sizathu sokuthi ukusungulwa kwalo Mnyango kwemukelwe ngoba wakhelwe ukuqapha ukusebenza kanye nokuqinisa ukwengamela. Kuyadabukisa-ke nokho ukuthi kusukela ekusungulweni kwawo kuze kube manje awukwazanga ukugxiviza isitembu sophawu lwawo futhi usebenze ngokubonakalayo. Nokho-ke, siyawukhuthaza futhi siyazeseka izinhlelo zawo ezihlose ukubhekelela isimo sabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka eziyilezi: inqubomgomo kanye nokuhlela ukulinganiswa kwamathuba abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka; ukuhlela kanye nokuthuthukiswa kokulinganiswa kwamathuba abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka; ukuqapha nokuhlola kanye nokucwaninga ukulinganiswa kwamathuba abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka.
Ekubhekeni kwethu lesi Sabiwomali kanye nalezi zinhlelo, kudingeka sihlole, siqhathanise nezinselelo eziningi ezisabhekene nabantu abayizigidi ezimbili; okungabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka ezweni lethu. Yize noma sesiyenzile inqubekela phambili mayelana nohlaka lomthetho oyisisekelo, abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka basabhekene nalezi zinselelo ezilandelayo: ubuphofu obedlulele - kuyabathinta ngaphezu kwamanye amaqembu emphakathini; bezwa ubuhlungu ngendlela engeyinhle ababukwa ngayo kanye nokuxhashazwa kwamantombazane anokukhubazeka ngabantu besilisa, nokucindezelwa okuholela ekubandlululweni okuqhubekayo kanye nokukhishelwa ngaphandle umphakathi; iningi labo alifinyeleli ekutholeni izinsiza ezibasizayo njengelungelo labo; ukungabikhona kwabasebenzi abaqeqeshwe ngokufanele ukuze babanikeze izinsiza zokubasiza.
Ukungafinyeleleki kanye nokungabikho kwezokuthutha - into ebuhlungu ukuthi uma uphakathi etekisini ubona umuntu ohamba ngesihlalo sabakhubazekile emisa itekisi, umshayeli wetekisi ngeke ame ngoba uthi loyo muntu uzomchithela isikhathi. Leyo yinto ebuhlungu kakhulu kubantu abanokukhubazeka okuseyinselele enkulu kithi siwuMnyango.
Ukungafinyeleleki ngokwanele kwezemfundo kanye nezinsiza; ukungabikho kwezikole nezinkulisa zabantwana abanokukhubazeka, sisakhala ngempela njengekomidi ukuthi izikole zabantwana abanokukhubazeka azikho, uma bezikhona, lento yokuxhashazwa kwabantwana abanokukhubazeka ngabe ayikho emphakathini wethu - ngoba azikho izikole yingakho kwenzeka lento phakathi kwezingane zethu. Mina angikhumbuli ngibona kunenkulisa yabantwana abanokukhubazeka, kuseyinselele enkulu kuMnyango wethu; ukungabikho kwamathuba emisebenzi kanye nokungakwazi kweMinyango kahulumeni ukuhlangabezana nokuhlosiwe ngokulingana njengoba kubekwe nguhulumeni; ukungabikho kokuhlelwa kwemiGomo yeNtuthuko yeMileniyamu, ngakho-ke kuholela ekutheni bangabandakanywa kwezentuthuko.
Ekusekeleni kwethu lesi Sabiwomali, siphawula ukungapheleli kwamandla anikwe uMnyango ngoba awuyiqhubi imisebenzi. Amandla awo awaphelela ekubeni nomthelela, ekuqapheni kanye nasekuhloleni. Kulokho-ke sikholwa ukuthi izinhlelo zawo azifinyeleli ekuqinisekiseni ukuhlelwa kokulinganisa. Okubaluleke kakhulu kunakho konke ukuthi ukuqapha kwawo kanye nemininingwane yokuhlola kanjalo nocwaningo olwenziwayo kuzosiza ukushintsha indlela okubukwa ngayo kanye nokucindezelwa kwabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka.
Sifuna uMnyango uqinise iqhaza lawo lokuqapha kanye nokuhlanganisa konke okwenziwa yiMinyango kahulumeni ukuthuthukisa amalungelo abantu abaphila nokukhubazeka. Izinhlelo zikahulumeni kufanele zibheke kakhulukazi ngokukhethekile iqhaza lezwe lokuhlangabezana nezibopho ngokwe-United Nations Rights Optional Protocol kanye nokuhlela izindaba zabakhubazekile kumiGomo yeNtuthuko yeMileniyamu, kanye nokuqapha inqubekela phambili ekusebenzeni.
Mayelana nokubheka imizamo yoMnyango ngalezi zinhlelo, kanye nezindlela zokuqinisa amandla awo okuphathwa komsebenzi nokuhlela, uKhongolose umema ukuba sesekwe lesi Sabiwomali ukuze umnyango ukwazi ukuthuthukisa zonke izinto okudingeka ukuba uzithuthukise ngoba imali yesabiwowali enikezwa umnyango ayenele ukuthi ingathuthukisa zonke lezi zinto ofuna ukuzenza. SinguKhongolose siyaseseka iSabiwomali. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms M D NXUMALO: Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, government officials and our visitors, before I commence with my speech, I wish to first congratulate Steve Kekana and Babsy Mahikeng for being honoured at Mafikeng yesterday. [Applause.] They have shown that you can attain your dreams even when you are disabled; we congratulate them. [Applause.] For the past hundred years the ANC has been the leading party in the fight for the dignity of the people - to attain equality and human rights as well as political freedom. These policies and their values are now entrenched in the Bill of Rights, and our national Constitution. This means that this must function as the directive of our debate today in the budget for the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. The Bill of Rights prohibits any kind of discrimination against people with disabilities and, furthermore, advocates equality for everyone in all spheres of life. The ANC proposed the making of laws and other ways that could be used to protect them and promote their interests.
In this debate we must continue supporting all those who advocate and want to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities, as entrenched in the Constitution, are part of our objective to build unity in our society, to promote democracy, eliminate racial and gender discrimination and to ensure a prosperous society that regards everyone as equal.
As far as centres catering for people with disabilities are concerned, the establishment of this government department was a benefit and very important. Likewise, it was the result of a profound struggle led by the ANC and other political parties fighting for equality in our country. It had previously fought for it for a number of years. While we are grateful for what we have attained and the progress made by the ANC government up to now to promote the rights of people with disabilities, we still have a long way to go.
The following reports by the Commission of Public Works bear testimony to this; they show very little that has been achieved in the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service. It has reported year after year on the failure of government departments and the objectives of the centres for people with disabilities to give equal employment opportunities to them.
This does not set a good example for the private sector where these opportunities are even more scarce. The passing of laws and the adoption of policies are not usually the solution if it is not supported by strong and compulsory implementation procedures.
It is for this reason that the establishment of this department should be accepted, because it was established to monitor its functioning and to strongly implement its purpose by having strong leadership. It is sad to note that, from the moment it was established up to now, it has not made its mark and yielded tangible results. Nevertheless, we encourage and support its programmes that are aimed at catering for the needs of the disabled, which are the following: the policy and programme of giving equal opportunities to the disabled; the planning and promotion of equal opportunities for people with disabilities; and monitoring, assessing and researching the provision of equal opportunities for people with disabilities. In our assessment of the budget and these programmes, we must assess and compare the many challenges faced by two million people - which is the number of people with disabilities in our country. Even though we have made progress regarding the framework of the basic policy, the disabled are still faced with the following challenges: They face extreme poverty - which affects them more than the other sections of society; they are adversely affected by the way other people look at them; and disabled young women suffer extreme abuse at the hands of men - the oppression which leads to continued discrimination and them being regarded as outcasts by society; most of them cannot access facilities which are their constitutional right and there are not enough adequately trained public servants who can help them access these facilities.
There's also a lack of and an inaccessibility to transport. What is even sadder, is that when you are in a taxi and you see someone in a wheelchair stopping the taxi, the taxi drivers usually do not pick them up; they complain that doing so is a waste of their time. That is so painful to people with disabilities and it is still a great challenge for us as the department.
Then there is the lack of adequate access to education and facilities, as well as a lack of schools and pre-schools for children with disabilities - we as a committee regard this as a serious problem. If there were any suitable schools for them, the abuse of disabled children in our society would not be so rife; the lack of schools causes this problem for our children. I do not remember ever seeing a pre-school for children with disabilities; it is still a big challenge for our department. The lack of job opportunities and the inability of government departments to cater for the needs of people with disabilities, as stipulated by the government, and the lack of planning in respect of the Millennium Development Goals all leads to their exclusion from development.
In our approval of this budget, we have observed the lack of authority given to the department because it does not perform properly. Its authority is limited to producing effects - monitoring and assessing. Therefore we believe that its programmes fall short of ensuring the planned equality measures. What is most important is that its monitoring and the details of its assessment and research that are being conducted, will help to change the attitudes towards and the oppression of people with disabilities.
We want the department to monitor whether all government departments promote the rights of people with disabilities, and to increase such monitoring. Government programmes must especially focus on the role of the country to meet the obligations according to the Optional Protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as the planning of matters pertaining to people with disabilities as reflected in the Millennium Development Goals - monitoring the proper functioning and progress of the department. Regarding the progress of the department in respect of implementing these programmes and ways to assert its authority in respect of proper planning and functioning, the ANC proposes that this budget be approved so that the department can develop everything that it needs to because the budget given to the department is not enough for us to do all that we have planned. We as the ANC approve the Budget Vote. [Applause.]]