House Chairperson, hon M J Mahlangu, and all hon members, our visit to the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality took place within a particular context. Apart from pursuing our objectives for this term of Parliament, there was a strong human rights element, given that this visit took place in March.
Interestingly, International Women's Day falls on 8 March, while our National Women's Day falls on 9 August, the month we chose for the consideration of this report. In line with the struggle for women's rights, I have picked up one particular concern in the report that relates to women, children and people with disabilities.
The report notes that the needs of these groups are often not met, especially in relation to jobs, education, housing and access to transport, as well as access to buildings by people with disabilities. It states that women are vulnerable to violence, human trafficking and harmful cultural practices such as ukuthwala, which is the kidnapping of young women - girls, to be specific - who are forced into marriages, often with much older men.
The questions that we must ask ourselves are: How can this happen in the age of human rights? What can we do, especially in this Women's Month, to ensure that these violations of human rights and women's rights are stopped? Our commitment to addressing these challenges is not in question. In fact, we have a progressive Constitution that enshrines the rights of all groups in society. Perhaps the challenge we must tackle is the pace at which we are moving towards addressing them.
As part of our oversight function, we have to ensure that people's lives are improved and get better. Our strategic document notes that: In the performance of oversight over the above-mentioned areas there is a need to look at the impact on vulnerable groups, including women and children. Oversight work should take into consideration government's commitments to job creation and the improvement of the living and working conditions of the people.
We know that we have inadequate resources to tackle the challenges, but we need to check, especially through our committees, whether our priorities in the area of social transformation are in line with our aspirations.
One of the core functions of Parliament is to facilitate public participation, hence the NCOP embarked on this programme to meet the people in Limpopo. Public participation is the key to ensuring that government understands the needs of the people, to make decisions that will meet those needs in the best way possible. There is no better way to understand the needs of the people than to go to them to see, feel, listen to and be part of their daily struggles.
Now that we have engaged in dialogue with the people of Limpopo, the next logical step is to forge ways to find the desired solutions. The report makes some recommendations which we must consider as we reflect on the outcome of this exercise. For example, the report recommends that the NCOP should support government's commitment to assist vulnerable groups to enhance their quality of life through the provision of a full range of services, including access to transport, bursaries and the inclusive approach to education which would integrate the needs of those with disabilities.
The NCOP's commitment in this regard is not in doubt. We must remember that the Constitution strategically places us, as the NCOP, within our intergovernmental relations system. The Constitution states that all spheres of government - national, provincial and local - have to make it easy for people to participate in government.
However, government alone cannot build a better life. It is important that communities and all stakeholders become partners of government. So, it is us, Parliament, as the voice of the people, who must encourage them to participate in government programmes and in influencing decisions, as we have done in Limpopo.
The issues raised by the people of Burgersfort are still indelible in our minds. And it makes one proud that our democracy is able to promote and sustain rigorous discussion on serious service delivery challenges in trying to reconstruct our country. Section 72(1) of the Constitution provides that the National Council of Provinces must facilitate public involvement in the legislative and other processes of the Council and its committees. It must conduct its business in an open manner and hold its sittings, and those of its committees, in public.
The Taking Parliament to the People programme in Limpopo underscored the importance of people's involvement in their own governance. It communicated a clear message to our people that nothing about them can ever be done without their presence and full participation. The report itself leaves no doubt that we have to do a follow-up. This is explicit in some of the recommendations made in the report, and we have already started engaging the legislature in Limpopo on the same issues.
Committees that are following up on the various issues raised in the report must pay particular attention to the integrated development plans, IDPs, of the various municipalities. I say this because most of the complaints and issues raised by the people relate to issues that are reflected, in some way, in the IDP. IDPs are important to us, as we are the overseers of intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance. They are an important part of our oversight work, and I am pleading with everybody in this House that, if we work together, we are bound to overcome quite a lot of hurdles.
Let us forget about different affiliations when we deal with the very destitute people in rural areas. Let us tell ourselves that we are part of the African community, and pledge ourselves to see to it that we pull them out of those ruts and enable them to live a better life. Thank you. [Applause.]