Chairperson, hon members, it is an honour to participate in such a debate, as this is the year in which we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the formation of the ANC Women's League, which galvanised women within the ANC into an organised grouping capable of advancing the interests of women within the movement and society. I'll be upfront in acknowledging the challenges facing domestic workers, farmworkers and casual workers, among others.
During the inaugural meeting of the UN General Assembly in London in February 1946, Eleanor Roosevelt, a UN delegate, read an open letter addressed to the women of the world, stating:
To this end, we call on the governments of the world to encourage women everywhere to take a more active part in national and international affairs and on women who are conscious of their opportunities to come forward and share in the work of peace and reconciliation as they did in war and resistance.
It was as if she was aware that some years later, on 17 April 1954, the women of South Africa would adopt the Women's Charter, which stated:
We, women of South Africa, wives and mothers, working women and housewives, African, Indian, European and coloured, hereby declare our aim of striving for the removal of all laws, regulations, conventions and customs that discriminate against us as women and that deprive us in any way of our inherent right to the advantages, responsibilities and opportunities that society offers to any one section of the population.
It is because of such things that today, under the leadership of the ANC, we are debating the impact of some of the progressive legislation we have adopted as a country.
If we accept that the right to equality contained in section 9 of the Constitution is the remedy for the systematic patterns of social and economic inequalities of the past, then government is faced with the responsibility of ensuring that every single citizen of this country is in a position to exercise this right. It is in this context that the promotion of equality and the prevention of unfair discrimination enacted in February 2000 is intended to give full effect to the right to equality, as contemplated in the Constitution.
The Act consequently deals with the prevention and prohibition of unfair discrimination, as well as the promotion of equality. The objects of the legislation are, among other things, to give effect to the letter and spirit of the Constitution; prevent and prohibit unfair discrimination and provide redress in cases of unfair discrimination; and provide for measures aimed at ensuring the eradication of unfair discrimination and harassment, with special focus on race, gender and disability.
The ANC, as the ruling party, realises that the deeply ingrained and institutionalised inequalities will not disappear of their own accord, even when confronted by progressive legislation and policies. Our approach to inequality is guided by the Freedom Charter and the founding document for a democratic South Africa, the Constitution.
When we drafted this country's Constitution the aim was to ensure that equality and the preservation of human dignity form the basis of our human rights and human development programme. Naturally, then, the Constitution prohibits unfair discrimination in any form and in any facet of our society. It also calls upon government to institute measures that address inequality whenever and in whatever form it manifests itself.
The 2007 ANC conference again pledged its commitment to successfully address the important challenges of persistent racial and gender inequalities, the disempowerment of our youth and people with disabilities and proper care for children and the elderly.
It is this commitment that ensured that the promotion and protection of equality become integral to the long-term development of South Africa. These equality policies and legislation attempt to mitigate the impact of years of discrimination and oppression through decisive measures that focus on the full participation of all South Africans in all facets of our society.
Clearly, in the South African context, equality can only be achieved through the total dismantling of structures and practices which unfairly obstruct the enjoyment thereof. Therefore, measures such as equality courts are rooted in government's desire to achieve equality through enforceable mechanisms that afford an aggrieved party recourse to remedy the damage.
It is encouraging to note the increased public awareness of these courts and what they do. Proper utilisation of the equality legislation and the equality courts presupposes that the people know about the provisions of the Constitution, the statutes and the working of the equality courts.
The public awareness campaigns are underpinned by the realisation that equality cannot be realised solely through legislation. Equality is a value that needs to be shared and upheld by entire communities and by the entire society.
If we are to realise the Freedom Charter and our Constitution's vision of a society free of discrimination and prejudice, it is important that we ensure that the values of equality, respect and dignity take hold in the collective psyche. It is important that we continue to emphasise the critical nature of these values for the promotion of equality and reversal of unfair discrimination.
In conclusion, it means Comrade Mzala was correct when he said:
No one gave us rights. We won them in the struggle. They exist in our hearts before they exist on paper. Yet intellectually it is one of the most important areas in the battle for rights. It is through this concept that we link our dreams to the acts of daily life.
That is why, in the strategy and tactics, as adopted by the 52nd conference of the ANC in 2007, we noted that shortcomings remain in ensuring that all citizens are actually able, in practice, to exercise their rights in regard to the efficiency of the state and in changing mindsets within various state institutions. However, the Constitution and the state system provide prerequisites to implementing the objectives of the NDR. Thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.