Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon chairperson of our committee, MPs, our guests in the gallery, you are all greeted.
Let me also take this opportunity on behalf of the IFP to convey our condolences to the ANC on the passing of the Deputy Chairperson of the ANC Women's League. May her soul rest in peace!
I rise this morning on behalf of the women in my party as well as South Africa's women at large. We are ready to take South Africa into the next phase of its democracy, where we no longer look at just how far we have come but also at what must be done to take our freedom further. This morning we must therefore do a full post mortem of the defunct department to learn lessons from the past and ensure that we don't make the same mistakes in future. We must therefore start by asking whether this department has a good story to tell in terms of the legacy of this department.
I would say yes because good work has been done, but no because the dissolution of the department speaks to a need to take women's empowerment to a state of more radical progress.
Since its inception, the department was under scrutiny. Its leader seemed autocratic in nature and allergic to any input or criticism from this side of the House as if we, the MPs on this side of the House, had no stake in the future of our country. Hon Minister, that must change; we are stronger together.
It also remains an indictment of the portfolio committee that some MPs abetted the former Minister's efforts to block discussions on the Fluxman Report, which highlighted mismanagement and corruption in the department.
It is therefore unsurprising that at times its turnaround strategy misfired. And despite a critical skills shortage, the skills audit remained elusive.
Moreover, the department's budget of R198 million was wholly inadequate for the task it faced. While the IFP decried this lack of funding, we also decried the manner in which it was utilised at times; the bulk of this department's money going to administration, leaving very little for the core programmes to work with. These are lessons to be learned. We need more money for this department.
During the past year, the bulk of the budget was also set aside for the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill, which the former Minister argued would be the panacea for women's empowerment. Yet many of us argued that women's empowerment does not happen in boardrooms but at grassroots level.
We are therefore pleased to hear that Cabinet has realised that the Bill has serious shortcomings. In fact, I have prepared a document - a lengthy one - with some suggestions, and I will make it available and forward to your office.
It is also important that the drafting of legislation with regard to women's empowerment happens in very close consultation with the Commission for Gender Equality, CGE. That's very important. We can't leave them out. They are very important partners in this process.
Hon Minister, you don't have a budget yet, which we can scrutinise, but I must commend you because you seem committed to ushering in a new era of radical progress for our women. But we must acknowledge that too many challenges remain - the inexcusable abuse of our women, children and especially our elderly; the plight of our women, especially those with disabilities who remain on the fringes of our economy and society; and the plight of young women whose interests aren't served by the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA. These are not political issues, Minister. These are issues we all face.
I was raised by a single mother who at times struggled to put food on the table. When, as a young woman, I could not access funding to study, I faced the reality many young women face today. The struggles of the vast majority of our women are my struggles too.
Hon Minister, I look forward to partnering with you on this journey to bring real change to the lives of South Africa's women. It is indeed time for a new era. The IFP will support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]