Hon House Chair, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, it is my most singular honour to participate in the debate to celebrate the father of our nation, the world-renowned statesman, Isithwalandwe, Seapara nkwe [the one who wears the plumes of the rare bird], former President of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
This debate takes place two days after we marked the arrest of President Mandela in 1962 by the then apartheid government. The arrest of President Mandela was seen as a victory by those who were opposed to the ideals of a free and democratic South Africa, which President Mandela stood for. They were of the view that the arrest of President Mandela would mark the end of our struggle against apartheid and the fight for a free and democratic South Africa.
Little did they know that all South Africans, and indeed the whole world, would embrace our struggle for national liberation - a struggle that President Mandela continues to symbolise to this day. To us, this is an indication that the struggle that President Mandela and his generation of freedom fighters symbolise was a just and noble one. It is therefore humbling that today those who at the time viewed President Mandela as a terrorist have now embraced what he and his generation of leaders have long called for.
As we honour President Mandela today, we equally honour many South African heroes and heroines, sung and unsung, and the many people of the world who stood by us in the struggle for a just, prosperous and democratic society, led by the ANC. This important debate also takes place in a month in which we celebrate the heroism and the many sacrifices of the women of our country.
As a nation, we have taken a conscious decision to celebrate the women of our country because of the historic nature of their oppression. This we have characterised as triple oppression, based on gender, class and race. Today, the women of our country continue to be burdened mostly by social and economic injustice and inequalities. We must therefore use this period to strengthen our resolve to advance gender equity and women empowerment. Malibongwe! [Let it be praised!] [Interjections.]
This we must do, fully aware that, as a nation, our struggle will not be complete, our mission not accomplished and our goal not reached until we have secured the total emancipation of the women of our country. As we honour President Mandela, we must draw lessons from how this icon of our struggle for national liberation viewed the role of women in the reconstruction and development of the country.
Speaking on the occasion of Women's Day celebrations on 9 August 1996, President Mandela said:
The legacy of oppression weighs heavily on women. As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance.
President Mandela went on to say:
As long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow. As long as the nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to failure.
Informed by the commitment made by President Mandela, today, as the ANC, we have ensured that women are part, not only of government structures but of decision-making structures in government. We can be proud that the representation of women, even in this Parliament, increased from 27,8% in 1994 to 43,3% currently.
In provincial legislatures, it has increased from 25,4% to 42,4% over the same period. However, we are the first to admit that this is not enough. Working together with the rest of society, we must increase our efforts to ensure women's emancipation in decision-making structures in government and the broader society.
We therefore take this opportunity to also call upon the private sector to equally make a contribution to this important task of promoting gender equity and women empowerment. Together, we must not fail in this strategic task of ensuring that, as directed by President Nelson Mandela, more than half of us as a nation play an equal role in the growth and development of our society.
Last month, the people of South Africa, and indeed the people of the world, took part in activities to mark International Nelson Mandela Day. We take this opportunity to thank all South Africans who responded to the call to set aside time to be of service to fellow South Africans, especially those in need. Part of the activities undertaken to honour the legacy of former President Mandela this year were the cleaning and painting of schools, donating of books, and the handing over of houses in Zeerust in the North West. Going forward, we wish to urge South Africans not only to make every day Mandela Day but also to ensure that initiatives undertaken in honour of this icon of our people are meaningful and sustainable.
This debate also takes place after we convened a successful National Summit on Social Cohesion. Like the generation of President Mandela who convened a gathering in Kliptown in 1955 and adopted the Freedom Charter, the more than 1 000 delegates who attended the Social Cohesion Summit reaffirmed, once more, that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, united in their diversity. The summit also resolved that in order to realise the goal of a truly national democratic society, we must accelerate the pace of transformation in our society. This we must do in order to ensure that Africans in particular, and black people in general, become part of the mainstream of the economy.
In this regard, we are called upon to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequalities by, among other things, expanding access to employment and other economic opportunities for all the people of South Africa, especially the young people. As the ANC government we must do this in order to give meaning to the words of President Mandela, who said:
The purpose that will drive this government shall be the expansion of the frontiers of human fulfilment, the continuous extension of the frontiers of freedom.
We must therefore renew our resolve to expand the frontiers of human fulfilment and the frontiers of freedom, so that we can realise the goal of creating a socially inclusive and prosperous society. Delegates to the National Summit on Social Cohesion agreed on a programme of action that would be implemented jointly by government, civil society, labour, business and all other stakeholders. This programme of action is aimed at assisting us as South Africans to make new and decisive advances towards the noble goal of one nation, one country, one people and a shared destiny that belongs to all.
Delegates to that historic summit also resolved to work together to build a society where there is respect, equality and human dignity for all. They resolved to promote freedom, the rule of law and democracy, to improve the material wellbeing of all citizens and to ensure economic justice. They further committed themselves to enhance sound family and community values; uphold honesty, integrity and loyalty; ensure harmony in culture, belief and conscience; show respect and concern for all people; strive for justice, fairness and peaceful coexistence; and also to protect the environment.
All of these commitments are reflective of the values that former President Nelson Mandela and his generation of leaders stood for and dedicated all their lives to. Indeed, these are the values that continue to guide the ANC, the organisation that President Mandela has made his home up to this day. This is the organisation that shaped who he is and the organisation to which he owes much of his personal growth and development as a freedom fighter. As part of preserving President Nelson Mandela's proud heritage, we are working with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory to digitally archive Madiba's life and times.
In conclusion, we believe this project will lead to greater access to the story of this great icon of our people. On this important day, I therefore want to end by saying, long live Madiba, long live!
HON MEMBERS: Long live!