Hon Minister, your time has expired.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Thank you, Chairperson. The Deputy Minister will take over and continue with our report. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Lulu Xingwana, Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, good morning. The ANC supports the Budget Vote.
My focus will be to give an overview of the key issues affecting women, children and people with disabilities. Why was the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities established? The following resolution was taken at the 51st conference of the ANC
There is a need to strengthen co-ordinating, monitoring and performance mechanisms and evaluation across government departments and all three spheres of government. In this respect, it is the task of the Presidency to continually assess levels of integration, and conduct annual reviews on budgeting and programmes. This should include the performance indicators and monitoring processes to ensure improved, effective and humane service delivery to all target groups.
The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities seeks to drive, accelerate and oversee government's equity, equality and empowerment agenda on women, children and people with disabilities, especially in poor and rural communities. The department aims to collaborate with civil society to ensure conditions for integrated transformation in the three sectors; to improve government's capacity to align planning across the three spheres of government; to monitor policy implementation and the realisation of sector-specific targets for attaining the national goal of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014; and to develop partnerships to strengthen the development of women, children and people with disabilities.
The President, in his state of the nation address, said the following: "Improving the status of women remains a critical priority for this government." To date, women continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty, unemployment, disease and underdevelopment. Unequal relations between men and women still exist in almost every area of personal, social and political life.
Although the ANC government has done much in enacting enabling legislation for women empowerment and gender equality, far too much remains to be done.
The ANC government women's representation has increased by nearly one percentage point since 2012, whilst in previous years the average increase was 0,5%. It is a positive sign of effective policies that it is not only the representation of women that has increased, but also their growth in proportion to the growth in the number of men.
Of the Members of Parliament in the National Assembly, 43,8% are women. Of the 90 members of the National Council of Provinces, 16 permanent delegates are women. This brings the total number of women in Parliament to 189.
This highlights the positive impact that women have had in achieving political access and the positive impact of the adoption of quotas, which was pioneered by the ANC in the famous resolution of one third in 2002. In terms of the party representation of women, the ANC has achieved gender parity, followed by Cope.
At Cabinet level, women currently constitute 41% of the members, with 13 of the 34 national Ministers being women. Out of 32 Deputy Ministers, 15 are women. Within the executive, women have therefore moved beyond the 30% critical mass needed to become a powerful force in government.
Women are the chairpersons of 13 of the 34 parliamentary portfolio committees in the National Assembly, and chairpersons of 5 of the 12 select committees in the National Council of Provinces.
It is important to note that women Ministers and Deputy Ministers have not only been deployed to portfolio committees dealing with matters with which they are traditionally associated, such as arts and culture, health, social services and housing, but they have also been appointed to serve in key positions in departments such as the Department of International Relations and Co-Operation, the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Mineral Resources, the Department of Energy, the Department of Public Enterprises and the Department of Science and Technology.
In the provincial legislatures, women constitute almost 45% of members, with the Free State and the Northern Cape having the highest number of women at 75% and 52% respectively. Women hold the position of Speaker in only two of the nine provincial legislatures. The Speaker of the National Assembly is also a male. In the labour market, women currently constitute 52% of the South African population, making up 45,1% of the total labour force. However, only 32,5% of women are gainfully employed, compared to 42,5% of men.
These are significant gains which must be protected through ongoing struggles and partnerships with the ANC government to work to change the lives of those who have yet to taste freedom in real terms. The majority of these women are black, poor, rural, and working-class women. Certainly, this progress is insufficient as the majority of women still find themselves on the lower levels of the South African economy.
Women would do well to remember that they are their own liberators. Throughout our history in South Africa we have emerged as primary catalysts for change, having been found in the front trenches of the struggle against apartheid colonialism.
It should now be evident, for women and society to appreciate, that democracy has laid the foundation for the attainment of equality among the people, including between men and women. However, the challenge is gender equity in the workplace, which needs to be addressed.
The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill intends to address gender equity. However, it has yet to be introduced and tabled in Parliament. The Bill itself will not be effective without a costing plan.
The budget of the department grew from R172,2 million in 2012-13 financial year to R198,3 million in the 2013-14 financial year. Although this is a nominal increase of 2,85%, when inflation is taken into account the budget has actually decreased by 2,6%. Thus, in real terms, the department has less funding to work with than it had in the previous financial year. The implications of this have a direct impact on the core programmes of the department. Moreover, this department's budget constitutes a mere 0,013% of the overall national budget earmarked for the advancement of the rights of women, children and people with disabilities.
As indicated in the 2013 state of the nation address, the National Council Against Gender-based Violence will be part of the solution to violence against women in South Africa. However, it is not yet clear from the budget exactly how much has been allocated to this council.
The budget for this council is housed within the administration programme and not under women, empowerment and gender equality. In addition, it was noted under the administration programme that a CEO would be appointed for the council.
The discrepancies in the number of funded posts between the 2013 Estimates of National Expenditure and the strategic plan require attention. And, more importantly, even though the department had filled 61% of the allocated posts, there were still 12% of funded vacancies in various processes that were not filled, and 27% of the allocated posts were unfunded vacancies. Given the high turnover of staff in the department and the number of posts that have yet to be filled, particularly in core programmes 2, 3 and 4, this poses a challenge and impacts on the department's ability to fulfil its mandate.
Whilst the budgets for administration and the women empowerment and gender equality programme have increased, the budget for programme 4: Rights of People with Disabilities, and programme 3: Children's Rights and Responsibilities, have decreased significantly. This is a huge problem as it is going to affect key issues in dealing with violence and rape.
If the allocation for the Commission on Gender Equality is considered, it is clear that the budget for departmental activities regarding women empowerment and gender equality has actually decreased as well. The overall budget for women empowerment and gender equality for 2013-14 is R82,9 million.
It should be noted that the transfer payment for the Commission on Gender Equality amounts to R63,1 million, leaving a remaining R19,8 million. In the previous financial year, the amount remaining after the transfer of funds to the commission was R21,1 million. Thus across all programmes the available budget has been decreased.
The revised strategic plan and the annual performance plan lacked the requisite details in terms of the targets and indicators that link them to programme activities for administration. Given the broad description of initiatives stipulated, the allocation of funding appears to be limited on account of the lack of detail.
Given the department's limited budget, it was unclear as to how the remaining activities of the turnaround strategy would be implemented when this was not clearly articulated in the revised strategic plan or annual performance plan.
The filling of key vacancies, such as that of director-general and chief financial officer, as well as those for risk management and supply chain management, is commended. However, the establishment and implementation of systems and procedures to mitigate the concerns previously raised by the Auditor-General was crucial, as was the detail on how this would be achieved in the 2013-2014 financial period.
I wish to commend the Minister for instituting the investigation into the Fluxman report. This is a demonstration of the seriousness of the ANC to root out corruption. Some of the achievements by the department include the development of a mainstreaming framework with strategies such as advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, institutional support and capacity-building. This will help departments to submit adequate information to the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities in fulfilling its obligations.
The department also participated in international and regional processes on commitments made by the country. Whilst it is important to submit regional and international reports, it is equally important to ensure that these are implemented. The department developed reports on progress made in meeting commitments which were made in three sectors, such as the initial report on the AU optional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. The department also signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria on gender issues.
As far as economic empowerment is concerned, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is working with funding agencies on economic development for women entrepreneurs/rural-based women, as has already been indicated by the Minister. The committee had an opportunity to visit some of the projects.
I now come to the rights of people with disabilities. According to a recent briefing by the Department of the Public Service and Administration to the Portfolio Committee on the Public Service and Administration on the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service, the 2% target had not yet been achieved. The department indicated that as at 31 December 2012, Persal data showed that there were 5 127 employees with disabilities in the Public Service. Only seven of the 39 national departments had achieved the 2% target. The Department of the Public Service and Administration had only attained 1,08%.
Based on the Public Service Commission's report for 2010, progress with representivity for people with disabilities within the Public Service sector continued to be dismal and stood at 0,22% on 30 September 2009. Performance by provinces between 2008 and 2009 in terms of achieving the 2% target reflects overall poor compliance with attaining the target. Moreover, since 2009 the increase in the number of people with disabilities within the public sector has increased only marginally.
I want to share some of the achievements by the department on children's rights and responsibilities. The department has completed reports on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The Minister also alluded to this.
The key advocacy campaigns and capacity-building programmes include sanitary dignity, education for all, child protection, focus on the girl- child, and strengthening children's participation through the annual Children's Parliament.
In conclusion, when addressing the conference of the women's section of the ANC in Luanda, Angola, in 1981, O R Tambo said, and I quote:
The mobilisation of women is the task, not only of women alone, or of men alone, but of all of us, men and women alike, as comrades in struggle.
Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Applause.]
Hon Chair, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members and all our visitors, thank you so much for sharing in our Budget Vote debate here with us today.
I want to start by paying tribute to all our social workers and dedicated staff who, with minimal resources, huge challenges and brave intentions, fight diligently to implement and monitor legislation made by us in this Parliament.
I also sincerely want to thank all nongovernmental organisations, nonprofit organisations and other civil-society organisations on whom we rely for 60% of welfare services and which tirelessly protect woman, children and people with disabilities against discriminatory action. This is the fourth year since the establishment of the Department of Woman, Children and People with Disabilities, yet the interest received for the investment of approximately R500 million is rather disappointing, and outcomes predicted or expected could not be achieved. Have we again failed our vulnerable groups?
Minister, you often reiterate that your department is not an implementing agent and that your role is limited to monitoring and co-ordination, yet monitoring of all your line departments on the implementation of legislation does not occur.
If the hon Minister is serious about fulfilling her mandate, she should take the lead in co-ordinating a multipronged approach across all government departments to ensure the best possible outcomes for the most vulnerable of society, which are women, children and people with disabilities.
Minister, in the March 2011 review of equity and child rights you said, and I quote:
Childhood should be a happy time for all children. It should be a time when children have opportunities to grow, learn and develop, receive love and care, play freely, feel safe and protected, be healthy, etc.
You then made a commitment that, for the sake of the wellbeing of all children, be it in rural or urban areas, you would be working with all other Ministers of departments and other partners to ensure that no child was left behind.
Though we have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, we have failed in our commitment to make sure that we meet international and regional standards in the realisation of child rights.
Voorsitter, ek noem hierdie dinge, want tydens my onlangse besoek aan die Oos-Kaap was ek geskok om te vind dat kinders in Helenvale, Sewende Laan en Kleinskool - nedersettings van plus- minus 40 jaar oud - in die haglikste omstandighede leef. Ek het dit met my eie o gesien.
Hulle leef in omstandighede waar daar geen toilette is nie, en waar emmertoilette vir ses tot agt weke nie verwyder word nie. Hierdie emmers word dan deur kinders in die nabygele Chattyrivier leeggemaak omdat die ongerief nie langer verduur kan word nie.
Oorvol skole, 'n ho misdaadsyfer, behuisingstekorte en grootskaalse werkloosheid is aan die orde van die dag. Minister, ek het eensklaps besef dat hier definitief geen sprake van u stelling in sig is nie, en ek haal weer aan, "Childhood should be a happy time for all children." Of was dit net vir die plattelandse gebied van Nkandla bedoel?
Daar sal ook bitter min in hierdie finansile jaar vir hulle gedoen kan word omdat u departement se begroting vir die kinderregteprogram gekrimp het, terwyl die begroting vir administrasie die hoogte ingeskiet het met 61% van die totale begroting.
Voorwaar, ek kan nie anders nie as om vanoggend saam met Minister Trevor Manuel te stem toe hy ges het dat die regering van die dag nie langer apartheid vir hul onbevoegdheid en mislukking kan blameer nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I am mentioning these things, because during my recent visit to the Eastern Cape I was shocked to find that children in Helenvale, Sewende Laan and Kleinskool - informal settlements of plus-minus 40 years old - are living in the most appalling conditions. I saw that with my own eyes.
They live in conditions where there are no toilets, and where bucket toilets have not been emptied for six to eight weeks. These buckets are then emptied by children in the Chatty River nearby, because the discomfort has become intolerable.
Overcrowded schools, a high crime rate, housing shortages as well as a high unemployment rate are the order of the day. Minister, all of a sudden I realised that in this instance there is no visible evidence of your statement, and I again quote: "Childhood should be a happy time for all children". Or does this statement only apply to the rural area of Nkandla?
Very little will be done for them during this financial year as well, because your department's budget for the programme on the rights of the child has been decreased while the budget for administration has risen steeply to 61% of the total budget.
Indeed, I have no alternative this morning but to agree with Minister Trevor Manuel when he said that the government of the day can no longer blame apartheid for their incompetence and failures.]
During our oversight visit to the department in Pretoria - surprisingly, the report on this oversight trip is, since the end of March to date, not yet complete - it became quite clear that the working conditions of your staff, staff that are mostly women, are completely unsatisfactory. Surprisingly, these women were too scared to even answer questions relating to their jobs. Some admitted that the conditions are not conducive. Untidy offices, dirty carpets, and no air conditioning greeted us on the first and second floors. It was a different situation on the other floors. Confidential documents, such as CVs and applications for advertised posts, were on the floors, as no files were available. A staff member in the communications section was sharing a desktop computer with someone else. No tools of the trade, Minister! Only after our intervention was he given a laptop.
Since the establishment of the National Council Against Gender-based Violence, costing millions, very little regarding this council is known. Six months down the line and we still need answers on the mandate of the council, the budget of the council, the establishment of the council and its achievements thus far.
During Question time in the House, the chairperson of the council, Deputy President Motlanthe, also seemed doubtful when answering questions. At least he was frank and open to the suggestion to get this council up and running.
In the meantime, our women, children and people with disabilities are still being abused, raped and murdered, and one tends to think that all previously established task teams, intersectoral committees and councils should be combined, working with a holistic approach, to ensure a compassionate, caring, safe society that could lead to a better life for all our vulnerable people.
The department's website is also an absolute mess. Clearly, very little maintenance takes place. So, it is impossible for ordinary South Africans to access any documents or information on what the department has done or is planning to do. The only message I received was: system offline. No government can flourish if it stifles the dreams of half its population. Unless those leading the department embrace the importance of compassion and care for the most vulnerable, the outcomes of the programmes implemented will be restricted.
You have failed dismally, Minister, at being at the frontline in overseeing the performance of line departments tasked with implementing policies and programmes aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable groups. Amidst the spiralling statistics of rape and crime, you lack vision for this department in achieving an inclusive society, free from unfair discrimination, inequality, abuse and exploitation.
Instead of taking advice from members of the committee - sound, opposition political advice - you prefer to verbally attack members when questions are addressed to you, with a rather negative attitude when replying to concerns about your department's administration and skewed spending priorities.
The wellbeing, care and safety of women, children and people with disabilities cannot remain a whispered dream. Minister, we cannot allow you to be the only survivor in this department. Vulnerable groups such as women, children and people with disabilities need to be the survivors. We dare not allow these groups to perish and we will not allow you to make a mockery of their suffering, abuse, rape and murder. I quote from one of the many letters received from one of your officials who resigned in disgust:
Unfortunately, I resigned from the employ of the department because of a lack of integrity, professionalism and mutual respect through all structures of the department. I resorted to rather being unemployed ...
A woman says this in a women's department -
... than being part of such a pathetic organisation. My reputation is already damaged. From being on top of my career to hitting rock bottom didn't do me any good.
One cannot think that this is happening, but it is happening and I have the proof.
In conclusion, I quote, "As the past is interesting to all of us, the future is more."
On behalf of the DA and people like the official just mentioned, children and the disabled, I therefore call on your department to be scrapped in order to free the vulnerable groups of society from your clutches and for them to be where their human rights can be respected. This department can be taken up in either Social Development, or it needs to go back to the Presidency. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members and personnel, how does the department justify a payment on average of R1 million to a third of its employees when we pay 48 skilled and qualified individuals on salary level 13 to 16? What are we getting in return? During the oversight visit in Pretoria, the offices were empty; there were no officials in sight. The filing was not done, and it was a complete mess.
One of the department's crucial roles is to promote gender equality by gender mainstreaming. However, we do have equality courts and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act. It is for this reason that Cope makes it categorically clear that the department has failed the majority of women in South Africa.
During the 2010 Fifa World Cup criminal justice was very swift. One hundred and twenty-two people were brought before the special World Cup courts. That shows that swift action is possible.
Regarding sexual and gender-based violence, the brutality inflicted routinely on women, young and old, is one of the human rights problems paramount in this country. South Africa is leading in violence against women. A woman is raped every minute. Official statistics shows that around 65 000 sexual offences were committed in South Africa last year alone. South Africa's Constitution is famously progressive, but the criminal justice system is out of step.
Only a few reported cases do not fall through the cracks of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Act. In the 6% of reported rape cases that end in conviction, the Act is not implemented by policemen and women. A police official that receives the report of rape is required to inform the victim verbally and in writing about the existence of prophylactic treatment, its time constraints and where to access it.
Gender-based violence increases the risk of HIV for women in South Africa. According to UNAids, women who have experienced violence are up to three times more likely to be infected with HIV and Aids than those who have not.
The rape of elderly women has become a norm in our country. The rape of a 100-year-old partially blind woman in the Eastern Cape highlights just how far our society has sunk into the pit of moral decay. Minister, this shows that there is a fundamental problem in our society. How can the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence help to address this scourge when no funding has been allocated to it? How will it function?
Despite the two-day National Rural Women's Summit held in 2011 in Tzaneen, Limpopo, on which Rl million was spent, rural women are still poor and landless. Forty-five percent of all female-headed households live below the poverty line and the majority are rural women.
The challenges women presented at the summit are still there; nothing has been done. They lack assets and the right to own land. They lack access to electricity, water and sanitation. Rural women also lack safety and security, and this includes awareness campaigns thereon. Summits and campaigns are only useful when they actually make a difference to the women who attend them. Have any of the women who attended the summit benefited?
The budget for the programme on children's rights and responsibility has decreased. This is hugely problematic, given the challenges faced by children in the country at present, for example sexual violence, abuse and neglect, poverty, violence in schools and bullying.
Cope wishes to express its utter dismay at the shifting of goals and targets by the department. The department is still developing a national and provincial plan of action for children's rights, and has put aside R2,4 million for that in the Estimates of Expenditure.
How can it be that the first plan developed on 16 June 1994 by our icon former President Nelson Mandela has taken more than 19 years to be updated? This plan is crucial and serves as the overarching policy plan for guiding the country on children's rights. This plan must be implemented and made available within government and civil society.
The justice system is also failing children who are victims of sexual and psychological abuse. Only 40 offenders are on the Child Protection Register and yet thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse from their minders. Again, Minister, how will the National Council Against Gender- based Violence, with no money, help these children?
In respect of people with disabilities, Cabinet reviewed the target in terms of employment equity and decided that the 2% target of employment of people with disabilities was the correct percentage and should be achieved by 31 March 2010. Reports, including the Minister's reply, are that the target has not been achieved.
Intswelangqesho yande kakhulu kwaye ukungaphangeli akuphazamisi nje ubomi bodwa, buchaphazela nempilo. [Lack of job opportunities is a huge problem and it does not only disrupt human life, but also affects health.]
Our public hearings have shown that people with disabilities still lack access to transport and buildings. Many disabled children are denied their right to attend school or early childhood development programmes. Government buildings do not enact the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, amended in 2008. This violates the constitutional right of people with disabilities to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing. It is a disgrace.
The budget for programme 4 on the rights of people with disabilities has also decreased. How will this department promote, protect and fulfil the rights of persons with disabilities with limited resources?
Regarding consultants and contractors, Cope's real problem with this department is expenses that aren't necessarily justifiable; for example, the hiring of consultants over the medium-term budget for R3,9 million to work on the wage bill. Why is the department bringing in consultants when there are four skilled personnel members in the wage programme paid an average of R1,2 million? Are they not skilled enough? Why is the department bringing in consultants at a cost of ...
Hon member, I'm sorry, but your time has expired.
Ngiyabonga. [Thank you.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Members of Parliament and guests, it is of the utmost importance for the IFP to honour and support women, particularly those that are raising the next generation. Thus, the IFP believes that this department carries one of the most important national mandates.
I was disappointed recently when the hon Minister responded to one of my questions in the House by simply reminding me that the IFP is not in power, as though the IFP has no stake in the success of our country. We believe that the failures of our government are the failures for all of South Africa. We do not wish to see our country fail. When we participate in these debates, we do so to be constructive. I hope that my input today will be regarded as such.
Since its inception, this department has been under scrutiny. Serious damage has been done by the ample evidence of corruption, nepotism and other transgressions. We are thankful that the Minister instituted an investigation into this. One hopes that the department, now seized with its turnaround strategy, can rise from the ashes and finally start to deliver on its core mandate. Yet this seems to be unlikely. As our chairperson mentioned, inflation has outstripped this department's nominal budget increase, leaving the department with less money than it had before.
While the IFP decries the lack of funding, we also decry the manner in which it, at times, is utilised. Parliament's own research unit revealed that the department has overspent since its inception on travelling, venues and compensation of employees. Forty-eight staff members earn a salary of R1 million per annum - that is 48 staff members out of a full staff complement of 149. In other words, one third of the staff of this department earn an average of R1 million a year.
This is an anomaly in government departments and begs the question why these staff members are so handsomely rewarded when they have failed to meet a number of their targets in the past financial year. The question probably has a number of answers. But one answer lies again in Parliament's five-year expenditure report, which reveals that the department appointed staff outside the approved establishment and available budget. While those facts are known, there also seems to be an oversupply of chief directors, directors and deputy directors, but very few staff in the core programmes. Surely, this situation is untenable?
Let me restate that I see no harm in sending smaller delegations to the United Nations to save on travelling costs. While we must participate in international platforms, this department's severely limited resources demand that we channel funding where it is most needed: the critically underfunded core programmes. Taxpayer money cannot be spent with impunity. Administration costs consume the lion's share of this budget, leaving the core programmes to share only R106 million. This is small change compared to what other departments have at their disposal. In fact, to put this into perspective: This is almost the same amount of money the Department of Communications spent on one event, the now infamous ICT Indaba. This really calls into question whether any of these programmes on women's, children's and disabled persons' rights can really achieve any success with the small change they have been given.
Violence against women and children, especially against our elderly and our children, is the most appalling human rights violation and perhaps the most pervasive in our country. Incidents of violence have continued to increase in 2013, signalling that measures to protect women and children are not effective. We, therefore, welcome the launch of the National Council Against Gender-based Violence. However, without powers of implementation, this council might become yet another talkshop.
If this council does get off the ground, the IFP believes it should be tasked with ending the second round of victimisation faced by victims of rape and abuse. Often when victims come forward, they incur further abuse at police stations, in our courts and at our medical facilities. This deterrent is the very reason for our shockingly low conviction rate amongst perpetrators. Urgent intervention is required. The funding crisis faced by many NGOs remains a cause for concern. This department must champion a solution, because these organisations are a vital link in our fight, on behalf of the most vulnerable sectors of our society, against abuse. We cannot fight this battle without them.
Our hon Minister has also acknowledged that she does not have the requisite skills within her department. Clearly, a skills audit must be expedited to ensure that this department can move forward with the appropriately skilled and visionary talent. Low staff morale and critical vacancies also need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
The glaring lack of support from a variety of government departments for this department is also inexcusable. The mammoth task of looking after the most vulnerable sectors of our society cannot be performed by the hon Xingwana and her team alone. It is shameful, to say the least, to see that there are many state departments that are oblivious of their roles and responsibilities when it comes to complying with many UN conventions South Africa has signed. We need a new approach in this regard.
It is time to answer the persistent question raised by many commentators as to whether this department can still play its envisaged role, considering the challenges. The answer lies in creating a leaner, meaner, more effective department that can deliver on its core mandate. We acknowledge, hon Minister, and we thank you for the good work that you have done. But we can and must do more. Women, children and people with disabilities still bear the brunt of social and economic challenges. This is unacceptable. The buck stops here with each one of us, this department and with you, hon Minister. So let us keep pursuing the empowerment of women, of children and of people with disabilities, because it is our collective duty to do so. Let us vigorously drive this pursuit until we see success. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, the department, ladies and gentlemen, I'm dedicating this speech to my son who has cerebral palsy and to all other children with disabilities. Parents should never lose hope when their children are born with certain disabilities. [Applause.]
With the new dispensation after 1994, the ANC-led government put programmes in place to encourage inclusivity - that's English - in society. [Applause.]
The ANC government has a lot to celebrate in the area of removing barriers faced by women with disabilities and in creating an environment conducive to all people with disabilities. In spite of these achievements, there is still a long way to go before we can all declare that we have made a significant difference in making it easy for people with disabilities to learn, work, play and pray in environments that provide them with adequate support.
The ANC calls on the department to heed its call when it says that we should improve services to people with disabilities, especially in the rural areas. Special consideration must be given to accommodate people with disabilities within poverty reduction and economic empowerment programmes. Government and public buildings must be made accessible to people with disabilities, thus the universal access design framework by the department must be finalised.
Society's efforts must be redoubled and focused on the elimination of barriers that limit participation. Disabled people should be treated as equals in society and the economy. This can be achieved by leveraging South African laws and domesticating the United Nations provisions in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in order to achieve the above. As a country, we do not have a scarcity of laws.
The ANC government has enacted various laws which are aimed at bringing about a society which eliminates the inequality faced by women based on sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, class and geography. We call upon the department to implement these laws and to follow up on their implementation through regular, targeted and systematic monitoring of their impact on the lives of people with disabilities.
The role of monitoring and implementing these laws should also relate to other departments to see whether they are, in fact, consciously setting out, in their planning processes, to achieve the legislative mandate of the department.
Our challenge is that we are sometimes overwhelmed by these laws. We have little or no knowledge at all of their existence and therefore we may fail to insist on seeing them implemented. This is where it becomes important to get the department to conduct awareness and empowerment activities and to facilitate access for people with disabilities to networks where they, too, can empower one another and conduct joint advocacy.
In creating these platforms, the department should not run inaccessible and elitist high-flown workshops. As the ANC government, we have to meet the people in their places of comfort, speak the language they understand and explain ourselves when we fail to live up to their expectations.
Society must recognise that children have rights which are enshrined in the Constitution. These rights include the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act of 2007, the Films and Publications Act of 2009, the South African Schools Act of 1996, and the National Education Policy Act of 2010. In these laws, provision is also made for children with disabilities.
A recent report on the representation of people with disabilities in the public sector is cause for concern. The report revealed that over a seven- year period disability representation within the Public Service grew from 0,16% in December 2005 to 1,4% by March 2013.
Reported challenges that feature strongly include inaccessible workplaces in many government buildings and the different interpretation about and attitude towards the provision of reasonable accommodation. These factors appear to contribute significantly to the failure to recruit, employ and retain persons with disabilities. With regard to disability, the Public Service failed to reach the 2% target set by Cabinet for March 2010.
The ANC calls on the department to collaborate with its sister departments to effect change to the above picture. In this regard, we note with appreciation the report from the Department of the Public Service and Administration in which it says that the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, and the Department of Labour, are building capacity and encouraging compliance with the law by meeting equity targets.
In its 2013-14 strategic plan, the department acknowledges that it remains an indisputable fact that women, children and people with disabilities continue to bear the burden of inequality, a burden compounded by poverty, the HIV pandemic and inadequate access to health care and health care systems, and a burden that is also exacerbated by violence perpetrated against them.
The ANC acknowledges the many achievements that have been recorded, but calls upon the Ministry to redouble its efforts to remove the barriers in the way of fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of people with disabilities, particularly women and children.
I think I still have time. Mrs Lamoela, you should not be selective when dealing with matters. You are trying to score political points here, as far as I can see. It seems as if you don't understand your role as a Member of Parliament. You are supposed to hold the Minister accountable - yes - but that was not a favour. [Interjections.]
The ANC supports this Budget Vote. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Applause.]
HON MEMBERS: Igama lamakhosikazi! [The name of women!]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and the department, apart from the lack of leadership and the vague goals of the department, the underfunding of projects is my biggest concern regarding the department. It is sad that a department specifically designed to cater for the needs of vulnerable groups in a country is clearly failing them.
In August 2012 Minister Xingwana launched the National Council Against Gender-based Violence. This was broadly welcomed. The council's responsibilities include, among other things, driving the implementation of the 365-day National Action Plan to End Gender Violence; advising government on policy and intervention programmes; and strengthening national partnerships in the fight against gender-based violence.
It remains unclear whether this council has been properly instituted or given the necessary funding as social injustices against vulnerable groups remain high. The reason I mention this is that in 2011-12 a total of 31 299 sexual offences were reported by adult females according to the SA Police Service. The figure for children who reported sexual offences in the same year was 25 862.
Furthermore, R5 million has been allocated for the co-ordination of special day events and only R950 000 for three research-based projects. There is a serious lack of funds for the support of victims of sexual violence in the criminal justice system. Legal and medical assistance and counselling, together with supporting and developing specialised police units to deal with violent and sexual crime, command the Minister's urgent attention.
With the department participating in international conventions - for example, the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York - its work on the ground to improve the status of women, children and the disabled has not improved or benefited from the expensive trip paid for by the South African taxpayer.
The most alarming fact is the downward adjustment for the budgets for all programmes on children's rights in this financial year. The Minister and her department should be less interested in spending money on fruitless pilot projects that only result in stillbirths, and should rather invest in the wellbeing of our society. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, allow me to observe all protocol in order to save my time. Looking back, we can agree that, even though we could have done better, we have made progress in our task to strengthen collective action towards the realisation of the rights of people with disabilities as equal citizens.
The finalisation of the baseline country report on the rights of people with disabilities in April 2013 has provided us, for the first time, with a comprehensive platform from which we can measure progress and set targets aimed at improving the outcomes of our collective efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the disability rights movement, parents of children with disabilities, disabled people individually and collectively, all three spheres of government, state-owned enterprises, institutions of higher education and training, Parliament, and Chapter 9 and 10 institutions for their contribution to making this United Nations report a reality.
The ANC-led government has done well in putting in place reasonable accommodation measures that unlock opportunities for people with disabilities, remove barriers to participation, enable self-representation and facilitate access. A few that can be mentioned include the following. Taxpayers are able to claim tax benefits for all disability-related costs incurred. We call on all taxpayers who have not made use of this measure to visit their nearest SA Revenue Service office to register for this significant benefit - in particular, parents, guardians and caregivers of children with disabilities. In this way, we will stop equating disability with costs.
Also, voters with visual impairment are now able to vote in secret and unassisted, following the development of a universal ballot template by the Independent Electoral Commission in partnership with the SA National Council for the Blind. As we move towards the elections, nobody will be able to cheat us, as we will be able to make our own mark. [Applause.] In addition, the Reserve Bank has ensured that, by following a participatory consultative process with disabled people's organisations, the Mandela banknotes have special features to ensure accessibility for people with visual impairment. In that way, the hon Danny Kekana will not give somebody a R200 note thinking it is a R20 note.
The ANC, in its 2009 manifesto, set out five national priorities to which we remain committed. We gave life to these commitments through action- driven projects focusing on investing in the empowerment of people with disabilities. We call on South Africans with disabilities to participate effectively in the ANC manifesto development processes in order to ensure that the 2014-2019 manifesto has better articulated disability-specific priorities and outcomes. Vote ANC! The better life is nearly there.
Economic independence for the majority of South Africans remains elusive. Access to finance is but one of the many obstacles faced by entrepreneurs, and disabled entrepreneurs are no exception. My appreciation therefore goes to the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, which has funded the Vuka Academy Driving School that is owned by a disabled entrepreneur and which is intended to facilitate access to driving for those with mobility impairment. It is currently operating in the Free State and the Northern Cape. [Applause.] We believe and trust that more funding will be made available so that this project can expand to other provinces, since access to transport remains a dream for the majority of disabled South Africans. We know that ... hawu! nathi sifuna ukukhipha izimoto [we also want to buy cars ...] ... you know, and drive ourselves.
Organisations such as the Medunsa Organisation for Disabled Entrepreneurs, Mode, the Disability Workshop Development Enterprise, DWDE, and the Work4You social enterprise, to mention a few, have all developed expertise through innovation and forging partnerships in developing the entrepreneurial and productivity skills and capacities of people with disabilities across the impairment spectrum.
The R50 million disability grant allocated by the IDC, and the expertise acquired by the organisations I have mentioned, amongst others, could go a long way in easing the burden of the lack of economic empowerment for entrepreneurs with disabilities, if they join hands.
Allow me to congratulate institutions such as the Athena Private Further Education and Training College and the SA Disability Development Trust that have both formed partnerships with sector education and training authorities, Setas, and companies such as Woolworths, Waltons, Makro, the Foschini Group, the Southern Sun hotel group and rural municipalities, just to mention a few, for skilling young people with disabilities, even those in the deepest rural areas, through learnerships and placements, thereby enabling these companies to exceed their set 2% target. We call upon the private sector and government to yield to the call.
As one of the beneficiaries, Sizakele Mdladlana from Khayelitsha, a wheelchair user, said: "I am a taxpayer. I have my own house, got married and proudly take care of my own family." Indeed, being a disabled woman, an eligible bachelor did not see her wheelchair but a beautiful woman. [Applause.]
There is ability in disability, that is if you define us according to our disabilities. In ensuring that disabled people with their God-given talents benefit and contribute to the Mzansi Golden Economy, as announced by Minister Mashatile, we facilitated and supported the establishment of an agency called the Gifted Stars, with the slogan: It is your time to shine.
Gifted Stars will grow into a one-stop shop for many talented persons with disabilities to access opportunities, as well as for the industry to find talented disabled people. This agency will cater for actors, and for broadcasting, literature, dancing, singing and art, just to mention a few. I see that the hon Lamoela watches 7de Laan. I want to mention that Kosie in 7de Laan also benefited from the Gifted Stars. He is a young person with Down's syndrome. [Applause.]
We would all agree that education remains a crucial weapon with which to liberate people from oppression. The same is true for people with disabilities. To accelerate that reality, we engaged institutions of higher education and training to create an enabling environment for students with disabilities through facilitating the establishment of disability rights units; developing disability policies; including disability in diversity programmes; and consolidating and the establishment of the Higher Education Disability Services Association, Hedsa.
We further ensured that there was a review of the funding guidelines of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, for reasonable accommodation support for students with disabilities, especially as it pertains to assistive devices and personal assistance. It was good that NSFAS bought the hon Thandi a fancy motorised wheelchair when she arrived at varsity. But when Niniwe Mbazima, a deaf student, arrived at university requiring a sign language interpreter, then all of a sudden the sign language interpreter did not constitute being an assistive device. Today it does, so deaf people have access to university. [Applause.] We call on all students, with or without disabilities, to familiarise themselves with these new guidelines and to ensure their adherence. It has never been the belief of the ANC-led government that it alone could solve the social challenges faced by South Africans. Hence, as we realise our goal of working together, it gives hope to every South African.
Allow me to borrow the words of now 19-year-old Chaeli Mycroft. This then 17-year-old, severely disabled young girl, a first-year student at the University of Cape Town this year, said:
Hope is what keeps us going; it's what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more accommodating for all people and not just people with disabilities, because we are all different and we all have the need to be accepted, regardless of having a disability or not.
[Applause.]
These are the same words of hope echoed by the children of the Pontsho disability centre in Khureng village in the Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipality in Limpopo province. Today, they play and learn in a state-of-the-art centre built for them instead of the shack they were cramped up in. The children and their parents had hope that one day their dream of decent and safe facilities would become a reality. Our thanks go to Mutual & Federal, the SA Breweries, Absa Bank, Defy, Nestl, Mr Price, the Al-Imdaad Foundation and the many other local businesses that demonstrated that together we can turn hope into reality, as we did in Khureng village. [Applause.]
Armed with the same commitment to make dreams a reality through partnerships, Konica Minolta, the MTN Foundation and Neotel ensured that a fully accessible computer laboratory, equipped with all access-related hardware and software, became a reality for the students of the University of Limpopo. They have no excuse not to excel. We thank the three organisations.
In the same vein, the Sive School for the Deaf in Kokstad, in the rural Eastern Cape, stands proud today with well-trained teachers, a functional library, and a renovated school and boarding facilities, after being included in the M-Net Naledi Children's Literacy Project, one of the M-Net Cares projects. It is also a school for the deaf. Four more schools for different disabilities have been included in this programme this year. Our thanks go to M-Net Cares.
Hope is what the women of Gombani, a deep rural village in the Mutale Local Municipality in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, had. Today, they are making bricks and constructing their own houses, using the hydrofoam alternative construction technology. This was made possible through a partnership between the MTN Foundation, Pretoria Portland Cement, Lafarge, and Siya Zama. This partnership was co-ordinated by the Independent Development Trust, and supported by Karen Khula, a woman-owned construction company at level seven, as well as by SA Women in Construction for technical assistance and quality control. A better life has indeed arrived in Gombani. [Applause.]
Hope for children with intellectual and mental disabilities and their families is, at times, a distant dream, as the hon Maduna said. However, we are changing this through partnerships. For the learners at Forest Town School, a school for children with severe disabilities - and supported by teachers who believe in them - PPC Cement and other private-sector donors have made it possible for a bakery, a confectionery, a coffee shop, a beauty salon and an ICT repair centre to be established for all those over the age of 16 in order to acquire labour-market skills, rather than go home to nothing. As we are aware, children with intellectual disabilities do not make it in our labour market. However, we stand proud because now they are. We also thank PPC Cement for employing some of the children who have gone through the school-to-work programme.
We handed over these facilities with pride, knowing well that even though these children have intellectual disabilities, they will be contributing to the economy of the country and not be mere beneficiaries of social services. We call on government, Setas, state-owned enterprises, parents, communities and captains of industry to give them a chance by continuing to support them and ensuring that they access the labour market.
South Africa stands proud among nations on many issues, and disability rights are no exception. With the signing and ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, we are beginning to give effect to articles such as Article 32 on international co- operation.
With the support provided to a number of disabled people from other African counties and the world, we have witnessed the goodwill of our African people who have turned hope and a dream of a young Nigerian girl, Adeife Adeniran, into reality. Through her book, Can You Imagine? and her foundation trust, we have collectively managed to raise sufficient funds and pledges during the recent state visit by Nigerian president Jonathan for the construction of a school for visually impaired children in Nigeria. South Africa cannot stand alone. This African continent is our home. [Applause.]
Financial and technical support from the UN family in 2013-2014 will enable us to integrate disability-specific indicators into the country-wide planning, monitoring and evaluation system, to complete the legislative audit and to strengthen disability data management instruments in Statistics SA so that together we can agree who constitutes disabled South Africans. We will also be able to begin with the drafting of the Disability Act, its finalisation and the updating of disability policy. As we move forward, the road to disability inclusion, mainstreaming and integration is a long and winding one. However, slowly but surely we have hope that we will get there together.
Nineteen years later, people with albinism continue to experience discrimination through the language we use for them. We call them all sorts of derogatory names. Assistive devices remain a challenge, because a hat does not constitute an assistive device or sunscreen a cosmetic.
All of that is about to change. This is because, for the first time, we will be convening the first albinism conference in October to look at all the realities for people with albinism. The reality is that sometimes they are not seen as disabled enough to access the benefits meant for people with disabilities, and that is about to change.
Despite chapter 1, section 6 of the South African Constitution that gives effect to the recognition of sign language as the first language of deaf people and that empowers the state to put relevant measures in place, we have thus far not done much. However, this is changing. This year, working hand-in-hand with the Department of Arts and Culture and the Pan-South African Language Board, PanSALB, we will start the process of recognising sign language as the mother-tongue language of deaf people and as the 12th official language of South Africa. We will conclude this process very soon. [Applause.]
In conclusion, we have set the standards to which we can all rise, with the understanding that each finger affects the strength of the whole hand. Thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests in the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, the attainment of democracy in 1994 laid a solid foundation for the creation of a society based on political equality, mutual respect and social inclusivity.
When President Jacob Zuma first announced the creation of the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities in May 2009, he emphasised that the objective was to work towards equity and access to development opportunities for the vulnerable groups in our society. If there were to be a single measure or civilising mission of the struggle for democracy, it would be how we treat the most vulnerable in our society.
This department pursues the mandate of advocating for the promotion and protection of the rights of women, children and people with disabilities. The mandate of this department is broad and it will therefore require staff that are competent and equal to the task and budget thereof. With regard to the rights and responsibilities of children, there is a significant piece of legislation that has been passed to facilitate the improvement of the conditions of children. Under the ANC government, sexual offences have been made statutory offences and special provisions for children and persons with mental disabilities have been made through the Sexual Offences Act of 2007. The Act also provides for the development of a national sex offenders registry, which was set up in 2009.
The Children's Act also provides for full parental rights and responsibilities, whilst the Maintenance Act of 1998 compels a biological father to provide for his children financially, regardless of his marital status. But we continually see cases of fathers neglecting their children and fathers abusing their children, and also neglected children on each and every corner, especially in areas like Cape Town.
Maloko a a tlotlegang a Palamente, set?haba sa rona se fetogile mo malatsing a. Re tlhoka tlhompho, lerato le maitseo. Re latlhile setso sa gore "ngwana wa moagisane ke ngwana wa gago". Bana ga ba sa na tlhompho go batsadi ba bona; ba ineetse mo diritibatsing le bojwala; le basetsana ba ima ba sa le bannye. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Honourable Members of Parliament, our nation has changed nowadays. We need respect, love and good manners. We have lost the tradition of "the neighbour's child is your child". Children are no longer respecting their parents and they have become slaves to drugs and alcohol and girls fall pregnant at an early age.]
We have also witnessed high levels of moral decay in our society: parents drinking alcohol with their own children, learners smoking cigarettes in full view of the public, and elderly people and women being targets of violent crime in our communities. Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society, and this weakens our nation. I can count a number of issues that are affecting our society, but because of time, I chose these few. The biggest questions that need to be responded to are: What has gone wrong, and what can we do to turn the situation around for all of us to live a better life?
It is high time that we all come together and put a lid on this deviant behaviour, which is eroding the moral fibre of our society. We need to go back to our roots and rebuild our nation. [Applause.] We need activists for this campaign of no violence against women and children, and to preach the values of ubuntu. Let us support the Stop Rape campaign, be it in our constituencies, schools, playgrounds, social clubs, funerals. Let us spread the message. This is killing our nation. [Applause.]
Thuthuzela Care Centres are also in place to support victims of abuse. These centres provide a range of prevention and response services, a directory of victims' services, and victim-friendly facilities within police stations.
Another challenge that impacts negatively on children is that women are still underrepresented in the labour market. Furthermore, women earn 72% of men's income on average, and this really affects children as most families are headed by mothers. The interventions by government, however, recognise the need to promote the representivity of women in strategic sectors of the economy to address these historical injustices, and the introduction of women empowerment and gender equality will assist in this regard.
The ANC government is seized with these challenges and continues to grapple with them in the context of the broader economic transformation programme of the ANC, as has been espoused in the resolutions of our national conferences. In spite of these challenges, the ANC government has worked with the people of this country to realise the following achievements, which continue to improve the lives of children: Statistics SA reveals that South Africa's performance in the area of maternal health continues to improve; the United Nations' development goals have already been met ...
Re bone bana kwa dikolong ba amogela dijo tsa mahala e bile mananeo a a fitlheletse bana ba ba kwa dikolong tse dikgolo, ka gonne malapa a le mantsi a aparetswe ke botlhokatiro le lehuma. Ke ka moo re le mokgatlho o o busang; wa batho pele; le o o ikanneng gore o tla fetola matshelo a Maaforikaborwa, o bone go le botlhokwa go tsweletsa mananeo a.
Gape, bana ba rona ba tsena sekolo mahala go tloga kwa sekolong se se potlana go fitlha kwa diyunibesithing. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[We have seen how children are benefiting from our feeding schemes, at different schools and even at high schools, which were brought about as a result of the unemployment and poverty that have affected a lot of families. That is the reason why, as the ruling party, the one that puts people first, we have dedicated ourselves to changing the lives of South Africans and we have also seen the importance of continuing with these programmes.
Our children also get free education from primary school to university.]
Hon member of Cope, I hope you are listening.
O ne o tla se bona kae seo kwa ntle ga puso ya temokerasi; e e senang kgethololo; e e tlisitseng diphetogo mo ngwaneng wa mmala wa sebilo? [Legofi.] Tseo ke ditiro tsa puso e e eteletsweng pele ke ANC.
Re bone kwa Mpumalanga Lefapha la Thuto ya Motheo le bula dikolo tsa bana ba ba golafetseng [special schools] tsa maemo a mantle ... (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.)
[Where were you going to see all this if it weren't for the democratic government that does not discriminate; the one that has brought change to the African child? [Applause.] All those are brought to you by the ANC-led government.
We saw that in Mpumalanga, when the Department of Basic Education opened world-class schools for children with disabilities ...]
... world-class facilities, namely the Pelonolo Special School, the Mantjedi Special School and the Loding Special School, which are all situated in the Dr J S Moroka Local Municipality. This resembles a nation at work.
We have also seen interventions in the sports and recreation sector, wherein the boy- and girl-child are given an opportunity to exhibit their talents. We have seen the SA Football Association, Safa, launching and supporting the under-12 and under-15 football league, wherein young boys and girls will identify their talents and be professional athletes, and also be taken off the streets.
There is a need to empower both the boy- and the girl-child, including those with disabilities. These initiatives include the growing-your-own- timber approach to projects like the Techno Girl programme. This is an initiative piloted by the Department of Basic Education in partnership with the UN Children's Fund and Uweso Consulting. Its aim is to take young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and help them pursue scarce careers most urgently required in South Africa. The programme focuses exclusively on careers in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
This programme entails recruiting more people from disadvantaged areas and public schools. We are placing them in a structured job-shadowing programme for three consecutive holidays annually, for a period of four years. We therefore recommend that this programme be expanded to the deep rural areas.
The department is signatory to various international conventions and protocol. In this regard, the department continues to meet its obligation of reporting to the various international forums on its progress, with its mandate of advocacy for the promotion and protection of the rights of children and people with disabilities. Participation in these strategic bilaterals and multilaterals is an expression of the seriousness with which the ANC government takes children's rights. This is a measure that opens up the country to account to the world on its policies and practices which affect the lives and livelihoods of children, including children with disabilities. Some of the protocols South Africa has reported on include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These conventions are meant to induce a moral commitment from the country to adhere to four general principles, namely that all rights be available to all children and children with disabilities without discrimination of any kind; that the best interests of the child be a primary consideration; that every child has the right to life, survival and development; and that the child's view be considered and taken into account in all matters affecting him or her.
We therefore want to congratulate the department for work well done in making sure that these reports, which have been outstanding for years, are deposited with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. We also want to thank the Speaker of the National Assembly, the hon Sisulu, for acknowledging the work done by the committee on the country report. Further, recommendations were sent to the leader of government business, the hon Motlanthe, for the attention of different departments. We would apprecitate it if, and look forward to , the relevant Ministers could give us progress updates on the recommendations contained in the committee report. [Applause.]
In conclusion, let us join hands, young and old, black and white, to make South Africa safe for all who live in it. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, let me just bow to show respect. The gross negligence in the execution of duties and the management of funds, as reported in the Fluxman report, clearly shows that the department has leadership weaknesses, politically and administratively. It is almost unbelievable that in its short existence it has accumulated such gross instances of maladministration and rot. It is as if it was set up to fail.
High staff turnover always signals a lack of leadership. It is much worse when senior officials leave an organisation. Other than senior staff members that have resigned and those suspended, there is still a lingering and unsatisfied curiosity about the number of senior officials seeking transfers. It is frightening when the level of deceit is from the lowest positioned employees, such as a driver, to the highest positioned employees, such as director-general or chief financial officer. With the new senior officials' appointments, we can only hope that the department will be strategically driven and that the turnaround strategy will be implemented, especially the recommendations by the Auditor-General on supply chain management.
It is hoped that the strengthening of the internal audit unit will aid the department with risk-management issues. It saddens me that this department, which many had viewed and accepted as a difference-maker to the issues of women, children and people with disabilities, is now riddled with gross corruption only a few years after its establishment. Such a disgrace indeed! These management issues are letting down the most vulnerable of our people when the department should be pioneering their citizens' causes.
It is obvious that poor planning and the lack of visionary leadership have led to this crisis in less than five years. The department has had a strategic plan but already there is a turnaround strategy on the strategic plan, and another one is under development. Even the revision of the vision statement appears to reflect a paper-pushing culture, in which people are more concerned about producing good-sounding documents than actually delivering on the mandate and making a difference to the lives of vulnerable citizens.
We do hope to see policy development on the rights of people with disabilities, and we hope to see extensive consultations on it. Similarly, we eagerly wait for the finalisation of women's empowerment and gender equality. The department needs to increase its visibility and play a crucial role in empowering the vulnerable sectors it represents. This is to educate these sectors on their rights and how to access services, and this department must play its role.
Mme Tona, mosadi fa a inama o a be a ikantse motlokolo. Inama mma, o feele matlakala; ntlo ya gago e a nela. Ke wena fela yo o ka thibang wa bo wa aga gore bomme, bana le batho ba ba sa a itekanelang ba bone botoka. Re lebile mo go wena; re na le wena e bile re tla go thusa, fela ke wena o gogang koloi e. A koloi e e tsamae, e tlotliwe, e ratiwe gape e gasagasiwe gotlhe ka boitumelo. Nna ke le mme wa Motswana ka re: Ga go na se se ka thusang kgotsa go utlwisa botlhoko fa mme o eteletseng pele, go na le dipelaelo, dipuo le dingongorego tse di supang gore mme ke ene yo o tshwanetseng go goga le go re bontsha. [Nako e fedile] [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Minister, these are challenges faced by your department. I hope you will be able to respond to these challenges. We have trust in you and would like to assure you of our support as the leader of the department. My experience as a Motswana woman is this: It is so disappointing when a department led by a woman experiences problems and complaints that imply that she is failing when she is actually supposed to be showing us the way.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The UCDP supports Budget Vote No 8. [Applause.]
Hon Chairman, never before have the issues of women, children and disabled people been in the frontline as they are in this democratic era. [Applause.] Women have been more assertive; they are rising up and taking on the issues. Government's intensified campaign of empowering people with disabilities and the fight against gender-based violence are having a great effect.
All government departments today reporting on employment or contracts on their scorecards must show how targets are met with regard to disabled people. According to the United Nations, Africa will be leading the world in the number of disabled entrepreneurs, unlike in the past, when they were sidelined and marginalised when it came to services and rights.
It is right - we should be shocked about the levels of woman and child abuse. We must therefore consistently make an effort to change the culture. The levels of rape and abuse cannot be ignored. They must be a concerning challenge for all of us.
The MF commends the work and consciousness of a whole range of people, and maybe more cases are coming to light because we are giving them attention. We have to be honest about the crisis and do something differently. This crisis is just not acceptable and it affects the entire character of our society. Something is wrong somewhere with the structure and fibre of our families. Are we beginning to restructure our families, or are they growing dysfunctional by themselves?
Hon Minister, women continue to march forward with courage, conviction and determination from the dark days of apartheid into the light of democracy. Today in our Parliament the representation of women is recognised worldwide and we congratulate the ruling party on setting this high standard. [Applause.] And next year, when the MF doubles its representation, we will also adhere to the 50:50 policy. [Applause.] We need to ensure a series of workshops of public awareness on sexual abuse, particularly in rural areas and disadvantaged communities. To combat gender-based violence, the police and the justice system is not enough. Integration is the key, and more funding must, undoubtedly, be directed to nongovernmental organisations, community-based organisations and faith- based organisations.
Hon Minister, we laud your efforts as we are very mindful that when you are a mother, you are not really the only person in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice: for herself and for her child. The MF supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, chair of the portfolio committee, distinguished guests, members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by saying that right from the committee's inception when it was formed in 2009, I was fortunate to be a member.
I must confess that in four years, this is the first time I've heard such fiery and inspiring speeches as I have today ... [Applause.] ... especially speeches that are not based on the paperwork we do in our offices but speeches that are very inspiring based on what is happening out there on the ground.
Let me say that we are told - and this is in addressing the issue - that our core function is to co-ordinate, evaluate and monitor what the department does as far as the rights of women, children and disabled people are concerned. The point is: I think we are somehow misfiring if we throw punches at the Minister. This is like our turning her into a punchbag. The truth is that when things are not happening ... I was there when we called for reports from different departments - Police, Health - all the departments that are in our Ministries. We asked them what they were doing about the rights of women, the rights of children and the rights of people with disabilities.
Some of the departments submitted reports, and those reports were far from satisfactory. That is something that must not be blamed on the Minister, but on those departments. Some of the departments hardly submitted reports. We went to the extent of discussing this with the Minister, and she took the matter up with the President so that they could raise the whole matter with Cabinet. Now I'm surprised. You remind me of De Klerk when he said, "Don't play the man, play the ball." In other words, don't kick the man, kick the football if you want to play soccer.
I'm surprised that we are directing our attacks at the Minister when she has done the best she can ... [Applause.] ... including laying at her door the maladministration and the report thereon. She mentioned right at the beginning that she appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the corruption and maladministration that exist.
Fa ne mme a re mme iname, o setse a iname, nna ga ke itse gore o batla a iname jang ka gore ... [Setshego.] [You earlier challenged her to put her department in order, and she has already done that. Now I am surprised, because what do you really expect her to do ... [Laughter.]
She has already taken corrective measures. The people who were involved, the high officials that were involved in corruption, have already been fired. New people have been employed, and appropriate and corrective measures have been taken.
Ka nnete ga ke bone gore o tla inama jang ka gore janong go inama ga teng o iname ebile o se a baakanye se se tshwanetseng go baankangwa. [Truly, she has already put appropriate measures in place. What else is she supposed to do? There are initiatives under way to address these problems.]
I want to talk about our international activities. We have been signatories to United Nations protocols. We have signed conventions, and this is because we are measuring ourselves and we are complying with what nations of the world are saying about the rights of women, children and people with disabilities. This is very important.
When the Minister spoke about women who are creative in the rural areas in manufacturing - selling things and making a livelihood for themselves without sitting back and crying - I was so inspired. She referred to the Department of Trade and Industry. I thought I heard Rob somewhere around. I would like to encourage him to give more support, because there is no way that we are going to solve the problem of poverty if we don't pull ourselves up by our bootsstraps - stand up for ourselves.
Ga bomme ba sa eme ba tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng. [This can only be achieved if women continue to participate in the socioeconomic projects to eradicate poverty.]
We will never solve the problem of poverty, because that is what is at the core of all these problems, including the violence against women.
When the husband is not employed, he has to go back home to children with empty stomachs and a mother who also has an empty stomach. He doesn't know how to feed his family for the evening because he is unemployed. When we have that, there will never be peace and stability in our society. When people take the initiative - something the Minister and the Deputy Minister referred to in their speeches today - and use their own means and ways to add value to their lives and have a livelihood, that is so inspiring. We don't depend on anybody to liberate us economically. Just as we were politically our own liberators, economically we are going to be our own liberators. I want go give an example. It is said by experts that out of the 10 fastest growing countries in the world, six of them are in Africa. I went to the library and checked. One of those countries is Nigeria. Nigeria is growing economically at a rate of 12% per year. Analysts say that one of the most important reasons it is growing so fast - apart from its oil wealth - is that Nigerians are entrepreneurs. Everybody there is selling something, trying to make a livelihood for him- or herself and not complaining about unemployment.
We can even see them here in South Africa, though at times they are a bit naughty here. [Laughter.] Nigeria is growing very fast, at 12%, because Nigerians are trying their best to add value to their lives. Everybody is entrepreneurial, everybody is acquiring skills and everybody is selling something to make their livelihood. There is no such thing as sitting back and crying for leftovers or hand-outs. Everybody there is out fighting to make a living.
If that spirit grows in South Africa, as we have heard from the Minister, where women in the rural areas - the women, who are the backbone of our nation - start to stand on their own two feet and don't beg for jobs from anybody, but look around and see how they can make a livelihood, it will strengthen the philosophy. I think that is what is going to save our nation.
When I started and said that the speeches were very inspiring, it was because of this feature of a nation, which is doing things for itself and not depending on other nations like America. America will never depend on South Africa, to be honest. If South Africans stand up on their own and do things for themselves, I think we will be on the right path towards growth; towards addressing issues of poverty and stabilising our own society.
This is where the Minister started, and what the Deputy Minister emphasised. That is why I thought, irrespective of the challenges in our Ministry, that if the attitude is to address challenges and not just pointing out the failures, and to find means and ways of addressing them, that is something we should all be proud of.
The portfolio committee and all its members have worked very hard to address the issues of women, children and people with disabilities. As I have said, we have put the issues of women, children and people with disabilities high on the agenda in the National Development Plan. I therefore wish to support the Budget Vote. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the women that the Minister spoke of this morning and to say, "Well done". Unfortunately, you are one in a million.
The National Development Plan clearly stipulates that a developmental state builds the capabilities of people to improve their own lives while intervening to protect the rights of the most vulnerable citizens, and this is the core role and responsibility of this department. Unfortunately, it has failed thus far to develop smart objectives linked to detailed targets and indicators, but high performance bonuses are awarded at the end of the year. For what? For failing to deliver? It's shocking!
The DA believes that the future strength of our country's economy lies within the South African people themselves. Hence, we have developed the 8% growth policy project and have implemented the youth wage subsidy.
The gender-based violence crisis and the rape pandemic have reached disastrous levels. The girl-child continues to suffer abuse and death as the cultural practice of ukuthwala claimed more than 30 lives in one province in one month. The government should intervene urgently and appropriately in order to protect the children from the abuse of this practice.
In August 2012 a workshop was held in Kopanong and the department participated in the deliberations on this practice. Some of the recommendations were that the department should, firstly, develop an intersectoral strategy for the management of ukuthwala; secondly, develop a policy directive to facilitate the management of this practice at grass- roots level and disseminate it to all departments that have a role to play in the care and protection of children; and, lastly, develop a communications strategy on ukuthwala that includes the government's view of the practice, the legal position and the sanctions, and this communications strategy should be widely circulated. However, nine months down the line, nothing has been done.
Almost 50% of social contact crime cases reported are committed against women and children, yet the department continues to fail to plan, consolidate and co-ordinate working instruments.
It is worth noting that the DA-run Western Cape province has created 298 work opportunities for unemployed matriculants. Furthermore, this year the province will establish youth cafs where young people from across the board can meet, gather, socialise, learn and explore.
Earlier this year the committee did an oversight at the department's premises and was shocked to experience the triple challenge of poverty, employment - not unemployment, but employment - and inequality within the same building of this department.
There was severe poverty in most offices, as they lacked basic proper office furniture, such as filing cabinets. Files were lying on the floor in almost 98% of the offices. Frankly, how do we expect them to perform when they don't have the tools of the trade? Staff are working in their offices and using them as tearooms, because no tearooms have been provided. Where is "batho pele" here? Where is employee wellness in this department? Therefore, I say that being employed in this department is a challenge, as my colleague has already stated.
Going to the Minister's office was like moving to another planet within the same building. There is a very posh reception area, which tells you more about the Minister's office which, unfortunately, we could not gain access to or see. Earlier this year it was revealed that the department had splashed out R2,1 million's worth of state funds to decorate the Minister's head office. Therefore the inequality was so evident and unbelievable during our oversight visit.
According to the five-year expenditure review of national departments, this department has been overspending on its budget since inception, mostly on travelling, venues and the compensation of employees. The trend of overspending in the administration programme and underspending on core mandates continues. The 66% underspending on the programme on the rights of people with disabilities is one example. There is overspending in the administration programme: More than a third of last year's budget was earmarked for salaries, with overspending of 112% on employee salaries because staff members were appointed above the designated notches. According to the Deputy Director-General of the National Treasury, Andrew Donaldson, this department is, "clearly a department that has not yet got its financial management in order".
The rate of vacant and funded posts currently stand at 12%. The department should expedite the filling of these posts, including the employment of people with disabilities in its own department. This includes a CEO for the newly established National Council Against Gender-based Violence, which is a huge financial concern.
With the 2013-14 budget allocation for travel and subsistence standing at R16 million, surpassing the budget for children's rights and responsibilities, which is R9,9 million, and the budget for the rights of people with disabilities, which stands at R13,9 million, the department's priorities are clearly still a little bit out of line. The reduction in the allocation to these programmes will result in a disjuncture between programme policies and implementation. This should be closely monitored.
Maladministration and corruption continue to thrive within the department. The Fluxmans report gave shocking findings: an allegation that one official was awarded R180 000 for working overtime; a nurse was appointed as a director over someone who was more qualified for the position; bursaries amounting to thousands of rands were awarded without any repayment agreement; and some of the Minister's friends were given preference over better qualified candidates for senior management positions. This is unethical and directly talks to the reasons why, year in and year out, this department has not moved an inch in achieving its goals. It is no wonder there is always a discrepancy between what the department says it has achieved and what the Auditor-General reports. There is a need to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation system through turnaround times, which should be established and adhered to.
The education system in our country is failing the children of South Africa. If a Grade 6 teacher fails the assessment test that he or she administers to a Grade 6 pupil, what about the learners with disabilities, where we have about 985 educators teaching deaf learners basic South African sign language skills when they do not have the appropriate qualifications? And there are 781 educators who have a basic knowledge of Braille, but don't have qualifications.
The justice system, the health system and the housing department all continue to fail the South African child. It should also be noted that the child support grant is the smallest of all the social grants available to children. The South African child's life and future is in danger, let alone the South African child with disabilities and, even worse, the South African child with disabilities in a rural area.
This department has not finalised the African Union's African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which was due in 2002. It will only be submitted now in July 2013, together with the State Party Report on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The late submission of international and African conventions ... I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson; hon Ministers; hon Deputy Ministers; hon Members of Parliament; the Chairperson of the Commission on Gender Equality and entourage; the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities; the women from the rural areas who are visiting Parliament today; ladies and gentlemen, the ANC's aspirations for an equal society are unparalleled in history. The Freedom Charter envisages a society in which everyone will live in security, peace and comfort.
In fact, the very founding principles of the ANC's struggle are entrenched in the national democratic revolution. This is a commitment to the genuine equality of all people. Key to this is the elimination of all forms of discrimination among the country's citizens. Before 1994, patriarchy was the order of the day and, since then, it is still a struggle. It is still practised, even though it is not as rife as it used to be. During the patriarchy era, women were oppressed. Women could not make decisions; decisions were made on their behalf by their husbands. Ours as women was to practise a submissive role, whereby if you were a submissive "makoti" [bride] or a submissive woman, you would be regarded as a respectful woman. This is not what the ANC believes in. It believes that everybody has the right to choose. As a result ... [Interjections.] Yes, it believes that women have the right to choose, and stereotyped roles cannot be accepted.
Let me point out and say that this period we are embracing, this time for Budget Votes, is not the time to moan, but the time to celebrate our Budget Vote No 8: Women, Children and People with Disabilities. And this must be done by telling the world what our ANC government has done to empower the lives of women and promote gender equality.
I will start here in Parliament, though the chairperson and the Minister have already highlighted that the number of women in Cabinet is at its highest level. There is a high number of women Deputy Ministers and Ministers. Women are actually in positions in the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, in the Department of International Relations and Co- operation, where we have the hon Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, in Home Affairs, where we have the hon Naledi Pandor, and then we have Nomaindia Mfeketo as the Deputy Speaker. We also have the hon Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the Chair of the African Union. I admire her vision in terms of the improvement and changing of the Pan-African Parliament. When she does this, she says she is going to do it with the involvement of women.
The ANC has done so much for women. If we state facts and not propaganda, we know that women have houses - most of them live in houses - and women have electricity. We just go to the wall and press. In Sesotho we say ...
... re penya tshitshidi ebe mollo o ba teng. [We just press on the wall and the light comes on.]
Children go to school, and we have grants for both children and women. Really, the lives of women have changed. Even though there are still challenges, for example women who still go far away to fetch water, at least you can see that changes have been effected. This is not propaganda; these are fact.
I was watching television one day when I saw on e.tv news that open toilets still exist in the Western Cape. [Interjections.] I saw things like mobile toilets. I didn't know what that was. What are they trying to do ... [Interjections.] ... when there is still something like a mobile toilet? I don't know whether it is a mobile toilet or a safe toilet. I am saying that we are going towards elections. You will see "mehlolo" [miracles] coming in different sizes. People will do things that we won't know where they come from. People will come with things that will shock the people.
You are ignoring the Human Rights Commission ...
Coming to Lamoela from the DA, I want to say ...
HON MEMBERS: Honourable!
... Hon Lamoela, sorry.
Hon members, please, I don't know who is debating now. Please, give her a chance. Thank you.
It is Waters, Lamoela and More ... hon Waters, hon Lamoela, and hon More. [Interjections.] I want to say that for every cloud there is a silver lining. As the ANC, that is what we believe in. In a dark tunnel, we believe there is going to be hope, and there is going to be light.
When you look at the DA and the way they debate, whatever they touch and whatever comes from their mouths is darkness, darkness and more darkness. With them, there is no light. I am saying this because I believe that they were never involved in a struggle. [Interjections.] They don't know what is meant by struggle.
Ha ba tsebe hore tshotleho ke. [They don't know what is meant by struggling.]
That is why they will always talk of darkness. Even though they see light, they will say it is not light but darkness, because they were never part of the struggle. They grew up eating cakes and listening to music. [Interjections.] That is why they are not aware of what the struggle means. [Applause.] To us as the ANC light, no matter how small, means a lot.
I heard the hon Lamoela and others talk about the Fluxman report, the corruption that was found in the department, the human resources challenges, and the papers that were lying on the floor. It is so surprising that you never raised these things in the committee.
Yes, we did.
You now come and raise them here. What makes me wonder ... You know there is the Fluxmans report, and you have said that it was good of the Minister to institute the investigation, which resulted in the Fluxmans report. If it was said that there was corruption happening in the department, it is good that the Minister instituted this investigation. You all know, hon members, that the Fluxmans report is with the Public Service Commission. We know that the Public Service Commission is the custodian of government business. So I don't know what it is that makes you come and lament here.
I am entitled to!
I once said that this is a period to rejoice in our Budget Vote, not to lament. I want to say, hon members, let us not use the Fluxmans report for political gain. We are going to come to politics when you will have to campaign, but let us not use the Fluxmans report to gain votes. I appeal to you: Let us not put the cart before the horse. I heard the hon Lamoela saying that the ANC is going to allow this group of designated people to disappear. I want to tell you that will never happen under the ANC, but it will happen under the DA.
We cannot have such a good Constitution, we cannot have such a good Freedom Charter only for you, at the end of the day, to create the propaganda that this designated group will disappear during our reign. It will never happen; never again. You are saying this because you never knew the struggle, as I have said, and you never marched in 1956. That is why you don't understand the pain of not taking care of a person who is ...
HON MEMBERS: Cheers! Cheers!
Cheers! [Laughter.] You never took part in the struggle when women were marching in 1956.
Hon Connie Diemu, you talk about many disabled children being denied their right to attend school. I would like to tell you, hon Diemu, that the Department of Basic Education has made great strides in the schooling system, in inclusive education, by having full-service schools in the nine provinces. I would say to you: Stop lamenting. It is time for you to go and read the reports on basic education, and you will find the truth there.
The DA talks about the wage Bill and about the department taking long with implementation. I am saying that as soon as the wage Bill is out, the line departments will get their frameworks, indicators and guidelines. Do not put the cart before the horse: you know that this is a process, but we will get there. At least something is being done. With you, nothing is done; women are just left in the veld.
As far as travelling is concerned, I hear you talking a lot and crying out that South Africa has gone with a large entourage, and you don't even know why that happened. Yes, we all acknowledge that there was a situation where overspending became the order of the day. You know just as well as we do that South Africa is not an island. As South Africans, we have international treaties and, as a result, we have to comply with those treaties. There is no way in which international events concerning women, children and people with disabilities can happen without South Africa being represented. The only thing for us to do is to look at the way we do things, things such as prioritisation and the number of people who go travelling. But we cannot sit down and say that we are not going.
I am pleased to announce to this House that this year, South Africa was able to produce a first report on women issues. It has complied with one of the expectations of the international conventions that we have. So, for you it seems as if everything is wrong and everything is blue. You don't see anything that shows life for us.
We have the National Council Against Gender-based Violence. I don't know why you are crying, because you are forever saying that there is no co- ordination and that we are working in silos. Now that the Minister has tried to introduce a body that will promote co-ordination, you ask how it can start. Why don't you adopt the saying that we will cross the bridge when we get to it, because she made it clear to you that she has asked for donors and, as we speak, she has received donor assistance. So, I don't know what it is with you. It is as if everything just has to be scratched, and you start nowhere. I don't think that is how life should be.
One other thing is that it seems as if you are forgetting that all the hardships and the inhibitors you are referring to are inherited from your legacy, which you are now supporting. This is the reason you become impatient, because the apartheid legacy ...
They're in your party!
You have inherited the apartheid legacy. [Interjections.] Things were just happening for you. Honey, sugar and diamonds were everywhere. That is why you don't have the patience that one day things will happen. Have patience, and things will happen.
Hon member Lamoela, I don't think it is parliamentary to say to me "nonsense". It is unparliamentary to say that it is "nonsense", and, Chair, I am giving this over to you.
You are speaking nonsense!
You know, when the time for electioneering comes, you will see all these funny things, and you will hear all this propaganda. Even where you have to speak the truth, you will run away from it. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Chair, first of all I would like to advise the hon Lamoela to talk to her premier, who has closed down the Office on the Status of Women, the OSW, the Office on the Rights of the Child, ORC, and the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, OSDP, because they do not care for the vulnerable people of South Africa in the DA. She is the only woman who has brains in the Western Cape. She is the only woman who can run a department - all the others are men. So, go and talk to your leader; go and talk to the DA. [Interjections.]
I am also saying the national council already has an action plan ...
Sorry, Minister. Hon Lamoela, we respected your time when you spoke. Just a minute. Let me finish.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: It's the truth! It's a bitter pill to swallow. You don't care for women and children and people with disabilities in the DA, period! [Interjections.] That is the truth! Take it!
I am also saying to the hon More: This lady, the first one, is right now training 150 women in the Eastern Cape, in a rural area. She is going to move from that area to all over South Africa, training women. How many jobs ... [Interjections.]
Musani ukuba nomona! Musani ukuba nomona! Umona phantsi! I-ANC iyasebenza kwaye yondla abantwana bethu. [You mustn't be jealous! You mustn't be jealous! Down with jealousy! The ANC is doing well and it feeds our children.]
I am just citing one of them. All of them are working. They are organising co-operatives. I say to the hon Diemu of Cope: They are organising their rural women. They are creating jobs. Don't come here with your misinformation. Since we had that summit, we have implemented the resolutions of that summit. When it comes to water, we have delivered to 93% of the people of South Africa universal access to water. We have delivered to 83% of people universal access to electricity. In 1994 only 30% of South Africans had electricity - even in Soweto they had no electricity.
Babebasa amalahle. [They were making fire with coal.]
Don't come with your stories.
Kuba kaloku awumelanga mntu, ungakhethwanga mntu kwaye awuzange waya kwingqungquthela kuba kaloku awunazo neempawu zobunkokheli ungenaso nesimilo. Ubhalelwa ubuxoki bodwa ubuye uze kulahlekisa iPalamente. Animameli! (Translation of IsiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Because you do not represent anyone, you were not elected by anyone. You didn't attend the conference because you do not have leadership skills nor respect. They write lies for you which you bring here to mislead Parliament. You don't listen!]
A national plan of action has to be reviewed. We had the first one in 1996. We have reviewed it again now and we are submitting it to Cabinet.
Since when does the IFP care about women empowerment? You have ruled in KwaZulu-Natal, and we have not seen any women rise up. We are saying that the ANC government is ruling this country. Therefore, as a ruling party we have obligations, we have responsibilities, we have to go and report to the international community.
Uphi uZanele Magwaza? [Where is Zanele Magwaza?]
Because she had the leadership, she was out of the kitchen. The IFP was too hot for her. She had to get out of the kitchen.
Hon House Chair ...
Hon Minister ...
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: I want to say to the ID, you have nothing to celebrate, you have no history, you have no identity.
Chairperson, could the Minister name all the female leaders of the ANC over the last 100 years?
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: I am coming to that.
The investigation by Fluxmans was initiated by me. Fluxmans came with a report. I did not hide it; I gave it to you in the portfolio committee. The recommendations were implemented, hearings were held and people were dismissed. And we have one strategic plan and one turnaround strategy that we are implementing.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Deputy Minister, and to say that in South Africa today we have not just a Deputy Minister, we have Members of Parliament with disabilities. We have 16 Members of Parliament and 76 public representatives throughout the country with disabilities. We are number one in the world. [Interjections.]
Hon Minister, your time has expired.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: I want to thank the UN, Absa, companies and the portfolio committee for all the support we have had. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.