Deputy Chairperson, Ministers present here, ...
... bahlomphegi ba Ntlo ye kgolo ye, ke lethabo le legolo go rena lehono go tla ka mo re tlo abelana le lena ditaba t?a go t?wa go basadi Palamenteng ya basadi ya Limpopo ... [... hon members in this august House, it is a great joy that we are gathered here today to share with you matters arising from the women's parliament in Limpopo ...]
... the only province of peace in the country. [Applause.]
Chairperson, before I get to the issues of the day, I would like to remind this august House, particularly the opposition benches, that the ruling party has an age-old slogan that says: "The people shall govern". It isn't saying members of the party shall govern, but the people shall govern, meaning all people in the country.
Secondly, whoever defies a mirror? When one stands in front of a mirror in the morning and the mirror reflects that his or her tie or skirt needs to be adjusted in a certain manner, one complies; when one goes out, one wants to impress. This is to say that we, as the ruling party, are capable of listening. Opposition for us is but a mirror. We hear what is being said.
In September we will be converging in Durban to introspect and to blend all that we have heard. The whole country and the whole world will be watching - they will be paying attention. When we come back and go to the communities, we are going to impress.
I have heard, in this august House this afternoon, some people expressing some dreams of some new majority. When people dream during the day, what do we say? We say they are daydreaming! [Interjections.]
Mokgatlo wo o bu?ago naga ya Afrika Borwa ... [The ruling party in South Africa ...]
... the only organisation that is almost a century old - not only on the continent, but in the whole world - is listening.
Ons gaan regmaak, mense. [We are readying ourselves, people.]
Watch this space.
Chairperson, thank you very much for allowing us this opportunity to relay to this august House issues raised in our provincial women's parliament that was held recently. Sixteen years on since our democratic dispensation, and 55 years on since the gallant women marched to the Union Buildings, we are not here only to lament and to characterise problems. We are here to propose solutions as well.
Political liberation without economic liberation does not count for much. On behalf of the rural women in Limpopo and other provinces, we would wish to share some experiences with this august House. Also, just to remind the House that, when one listens critically to what opposition benches are saying, they are saying, "ANC, implement your policies and stick to your programmes correctly." And that's what we are going to do.
Opportunities and economic progress for women are closely linked to service delivery in general. Demographic statistics of our country indicate that women are a majority. Due to the labour system of the past, this majority is in the rural areas. The fact is that services like electricity and water provisioning are still very much in short supply in the rural areas. For women to participate in economic activities of the country, electricity and water are critical.
It is commendable that this administration of hon President Jacob Zuma has identified rural development as one of its focal areas. For women to participate more meaningfully in the economy of the country, we still have some hurdles that need to be removed.
Over and above the issue of electricity and water is the question of language. The language used in government programmes and in documents is not always user-friendly to the majority of women in rural areas. We therefore suggest that information for opportunities be given in local languages of rural areas. Radio can also be utilised as a means of disseminating information because the majority of households in rural areas do listen to radios.
An added burden is that some concepts are expressed in an unfriendly language. I am referring to concepts like "per cent", and concepts like "compound interest". These are some of the subtle hurdles which women have to grapple with before they can meaningfully participate in the economic activity of the country. For those women who, due to no fault of their own, are not conversant with these concepts, it is very difficult to participate meaningfully in economic activities. We, therefore, propose that those who craft modules for adult basic education and training, Abet, should find a way of packaging these concepts in such a way that women are able to utilise them and, therefore, enter the mainstream of economic activity in South Africa.
To add insult to injury, commercial banks call for collateral - a very tall order, indeed, for women in rural areas. One of the former first ladies in our country used to preach the gospel of a community or village bank. Bangladesh has proved that a properly managed community or village bank does work.
Therefore, we appeal to the relevant departments in this administration to facilitate the establishment of village banks where rural women can access affordable loans for their businesses. Other than making less costly loans available, a village bank will not only liberate rural women from the moneylenders, but will also create jobs in the villages. The foundation for these village banks already exists. A lot of money is circulating in these villages in the form of stokvels, burial societies, megodisano [informal community financial empowerment schemes], etc. We propose that the state, with all its expertise, should facilitate the establishment of the community or village banks in rural areas.
We do have good policies but the implementation falls short. Some scorecards in some companies may not be quite honest with regard to gender equity. Policies intended to uplift women do not always have the intended results because sometimes women are used as fronts. We therefore propose that a mechanism to verify actual and meaningful participation by women in some of the economic activities in the country is necessary.
In conclusion, it's not only doom and gloom in the lives of women in rural areas. Those women in rural areas who have access to water and electricity, as well as some land, do produce food for their families. Some of these women, as evidenced by awards such as the Female Farmer of the Year, are already farming commercially.
The message is, for the majority in rural areas, participation in the economic activity of the country is still pie in the sky, and impatience is growing each day. Some creative intervention would be most welcome.
Services are not being delivered, and this must be made clear. It is not because of a lack of money. Our country, South Africa, has enough resources for all its people; it's a matter of management. The probe announced by our President, we hope, is going to help the delivery of services to arrive speedily in the rural areas. I thank you. [Applause.]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo weNdlu, amalungu ahloniphekile, uNgqongqoshe obhekene noMnyango wezabesiFazane, iNtsha, iziNgane nabantu abaPhila nokuKhubazeka, ngithi iNingizimu Afrika kufuneka ibabongele omama ukuthi bakwazi babhekane nemisebenzi enzima.
Babhekane nemisebenzi kuyo yonke indlela njengoba eseshilo udadewethu. INkosazana yesizwe samaZulu, uMkabayi kaJama wayekwazi ukuphephisa isizwe ebunzimeni ngoba nesikhundla esihlezi kuso uma ngabe uMkabayi kaJama wayengekho uyise uJama wayengeke asakwazi ukuthola ukusithola. Yingakho waze wazala indodana yakhe okuthiwa nguSenzangakhona. Lokho kwakungumcabango kaMkabayi kaJama.
Akuqala-ke nangaye uMkabayi kaJama kuqale ngoMthaniya uqobo. UMthaniya wabusa njengenkosi yomZulu, waphatha izwe. Kwaye kwalandela iNdlovukazi uNgqumbazi, naye wabusa njengenkosi yomZulu eshayela amadoda umthetho kuleliya likaMthaniya. Indlovukazi yokugcina unina kaDinizulu lapho aphendula khona isidwaba wasibuyisa ngangxanye, amaBhunu namaNgisi sebezothatha uDinizulu okokugcina bemyisa le e-St Helena.
Nguyena owaphaka amabutho, waphinde wabutha ibutho "UDakwa Ukusutha", yiNdlovukazi-ke leyo. Angeke ngikuphike mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe ukuthi kukhona okhalweni lwethu lapho omama siyaye sibabukele phansi khona. Kodwa indoda ebukela phansi umuntu wesifazane iyinkinga ngoba phela ebusuku uma ngizohlaba inkomo ngixoxa naye ngaphambi kokuba ngiye kubafowethu. Ngoba uma ngingexoxe naye ngizohamba ngiyohlaba inkomo esibayeni engazi; ayikho leyo nto.
Ngithi lapho sengikhulile sengimdala iNkosazane kaDinizulu iyona eyafika yazobeka iNdlu. Ubabomkhulu uSolomoni wahamba emhlabeni engazilamaniselanga ukuthi izindlu zakhe ziphathe kanjani. Kodwa ngoba kubalulekile noma bekhona obaba bengamadoda, nabafowabo, noyise kepha balanda iNkosazana. Inkosazana yafike yasho ukuthi le Ndlu imi kanje nakanje, ibeka umthetho.
Ngithi omama besizwe bayisizwe, ngithi asikho isizwe ngaphandle komama ngoba masingathi siyisizwe ngaphandle komama singakhuluma imfeketho; into engekho. Okukahle uhulumeni wentando yeningi usekwenze kwaba ngumthetho ukuthi bathathwe njengabantu ababalulekile ezintweni zonke, iminikelo eseyenziwe ngosopolotiki ngeminyaka yawo-60 kanye nama-50. Kodwa kusukela le babenezwi abalishayayo emthethweni. Ngazi lo mlando ngoba ngawuthola kogogo ababegane inkosi yasoSuthu, iNkosi uDinizulu.
Yizinto esizaziyo lezi, ngithi ngibonga kakhulu ukuthi bonke odadewethu nabafowethu abakhulumile, abakakhulumi okutshekile ngesifazane sesizwe ngoba yilapho esiphumula khona, esincenga khona futhi yilapho esibonelelwa khona. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson of this House, hon members, the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, South Africa should commend women for their ability to perform difficult tasks.
They are faced with duties all the way, as the hon Minister has said. The heiress of the Zulu nation, Princess Mkabayi kaJama, could keep the nation safe during difficult times. The position that I am occupying would not be available if Mkabayi kaJama's father, Jama, had not existed. That is why he had to bear a son named Senzangakhona. And this was Mkabayi kaJama's idea.
This caretaking of the Zulu Kingdom by women did not begin with Mkabayi kaJama, but started with Mthaniya herself. Mthaniya reigned as the ruler of the Zulus and ruled the land. Then followed Queen Ngqumbazi - she also reigned as the ruler of the Zulus, giving orders to men in the land of Mthaniya. The last queen to rule was King Dinizulu's mother, who turned her traditional hide skirt, or isidwaba, inside out when the Afrikaners and the English soldiers came to take Dinizulu to St Helena for the last time.
She is the one who commanded regiments and also founded a regiment called Udakwa Ukusutha. These are the queen's credentials. I will not deny the fact, hon Minister, that somewhere in our nature there is a tendency to undermine women. But a man who undermines a woman is a problem because as a man, when I want to slaughter a cow, I first discuss it with her during the night before I tell my brothers. Because if I don't talk to her and just slaughter a cow without telling her, that is not acceptable.
When I was old enough, it was Dinizulu's princess who gave a ruling as to which royal house should rule because my grandfather, King Solomon, did not give a ruling as to which house should rule in terms of their seniority. And although other male relatives, like his brothers, were available, they consulted the princess. She came and gave directives as to which house should do what - she gave them directives.
The women of a nation are the nation - a nation does not exist without women because if we said we were a nation without women, we would be talking nonsense. And what is good is that the democratic government has entrenched it into law that they be regarded as important people in every aspect - these are the contributions of the politicians of the 1960s and the 1950s. And as from then they had something to say about the law. I know this history because I got it from my grandmothers, who were married to the king of Osuthu, King Dinizulu.
We know these things. I am very grateful to all my colleagues - my sisters and brothers who have spoken here - because they have not spoken ill of the nation's women for they help us to relax, breastfeed our young and take care of us. Thank you.]