Ngiyetsemba Sihlalo kutsi angeke ungidvonse ngelibheshu. Sihlalo lohloniphekile neMalunga ePhalamende, iPhalamende idlala indzima lenkhulu ekuvikeleni bomake nebantfwana kutemphilo.
Kungako iPhalemnde yakitsi ikhuluma ngemalungelo etemphilo kuwo wonkhe umuntfu lohlala lapha eNingizimu Afrika. Ngisho umntfwana asengakatalwa, lePhalamende leholwa yi-ANC ishaye umtsetfo wekutsi bomake labatetfwele kufanele baye emitfolamphilo bayohlolwa kutsi bobabili nemntfwana baphilile yini. Kungako iPhalamende ibita Litiko Letemphilo kutosho kutsi lentani kubomake nebantfwana nekutsi lentani kulesive salapha eMzansi Afrika.
Ngabe bomake bavikelekile yini ku-HIV ne-Aids, kumdlavuta wemabele, ngisho nesifo sesifuba. Ngabe bantfwana bayakalwa yini emitfolamphilo futsi bayagonywa. Ngabe abesuleleki yini ngeligciwane lelitsatselwanako. Konkhe loku, Sihlalo, kwentiwa ngiyo lePhalamende yetfu ngoba iyanakekela. [Lihlombe.]
Bomake nebantfwana banelilungelo lelikhulu lelilingana nelebantfu bonkhe bakuleli. Kugagadlelwa nekushaywa kwabomake nebantfwana akufuneki kantsi kuvikelwe nguwo lomtsetfo loshaywe kulePhalamende. Noma ngubani lowenta loku utawotsa ubovu. [Lihlombe.]
Sihlalo, i-ANC ngekubambisana nePhalamende kuvumelene kutsi kwelashwe mahhala, kulaliswa etibhedlela tahulumende kwabo bonkhe labagulako kungakhokhelwa, kunakekelwa kwabomake nebantfwana kubemahhala, nekukhipha tintfo letivikela tifo kubomake njengelijazi lemkhwenyane kutfolakale mahhala, nekuhlela umndeni kubomake; konkhe loku kwentiwe mahhala kute sibe nabomake nebantfwana labaphilile futsi labanemphilo; ngiyo lePhalamende nenhlangano lebusako i-ANC.
LePhalamende ilwa kakhulu ngekuhlukunyetwa kwabomake nebantfwana. Ngalesikhatsi ingakabikhona lePhalamende yentsandvo yelinyenti bomake bebalindzeleke kutsi bayokha emanti emifuleni, batfote tinkhuni, bawashe, bapheke nekutsi batfole bantfwana labanyenti ngaphandle kwekubuka temphilo kutsi kufanele yini. Bantfwana bona bebalindzeleke kutsi beluse imfuyo, basebente emapulazini, batsengise, bebaganiswa ngisho noma basesebancane kakhulu. Loku bekubalimata kutemphilo.
Kunele kutsi kube nalePhalamende kwaphela konkhe loko ngoba likhulumile ngemalungelo abomake nebantfwana kutemphilo. Ngiyabonga. [Lihlombe.] (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[Mr V V MAGAGULA: Chairperson, I hope you will not stop me from saying this. Hon Chairperson and Members of Parliament, Parliament plays an important role in protecting the health of women and children.
That is why our Parliament talks about health rights to every person who resides in South Africa. Even as far as an unborn child is concerned, the Parliament that is led by the ANC passed a law that states that a pregnant woman must go to the clinic for a check whether she and the baby are healthy or not. That is why Parliament is able to summon the Department of Health to come and give an account of their role regarding women and children as well as the entire South African nation.
Are women protected from HIV and Aids, breast cancer and tuberculosis? Are children weighed and vaccinated at clinics? Are they not infected with an infectious virus? All of these, Chairperson, are done by our Parliament, because it cares. [Applause.]
Women and children have the same equal rights like all people of this country. Rape and the physical abuse of women and children are condemned and are also prohibited by the laws passed in this Parliament. Anyone who commits these crimes will face the full might of the law. [Applause.]
Chairperson, the ANC together with Parliament, agreed that medical treatment should be given free of charge, admission of all patients at government hospitals should be free of charge, health care for women and children should be free of charge, accessing things that prevent the spread of diseases in women, like condoms, should be free of charge, and there should be family planning for women. All of these things are done free of charge in order to have living and healthy women and children. It is this Parliament and the ruling party, the ANC, that brought about all these changes.
This Parliament is vigorously fighting against the abuse of women and children. Before the democratic government was introduced, women were expected to fetch water from rivers, fetch firewood, do laundry, cook and bear a lot of children without considering their health. Children were expected to look after the livestock, work on the farms, and sell produce. They were even forced to marry when they were still young. This affected their health.
Since the inception of this Parliament, all of these things came to an end because it talked about women and children's rights on health issues. I thank you. [Applause.]]