Hon Chairperson, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. In recognition of this important anniversary, the theme of this year's International Women's Day, which was observed worldwide yesterday on 8 March, is: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All.
I believe that on this momentous day we must reflect on the economic, political and social achievements of women, past and present. We must look critically at the progress and shortcomings of the past 15 years and evaluate how far we have come in achieving equal rights and equal opportunities for our women.
I take great pride in the fact that the IFP has fought for women's rights for 35 years, working tirelessly to ensure that women take up their role in our liberation struggle, in our democratic transformation, and in the building of our future. We in the IFP lead by example. That is why we have made women's empowerment a priority.
Contrary to the views of hon Minister Tokyo Sexwale and the KwaZulu-Natal ANC Women's League, the IFP has always fought for equal rights and equal opportunities for women, not only in our own party, but in our society at large.
The IFP president, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was the first to promote the liberation of women when he recognised their role in the leadership of Inkatha. As the ruling party of the erstwhile KwaZulu government, we took unprecedented legislative initiatives to amend the Natal Code of Native Law to enable women to own property like their male counterparts, thereby eliminating forever the legal presumption that adult married women are minors throughout their lives.
We went even further by opening the institution of traditional leadership to women and we allowed for the first female traditional leader to be installed.
For us, the struggle for liberation will never be over as long as people are oppressed by ignorance, unemployment and poverty due to lack of education, and as long as women are oppressed merely on account of their gender and regarded as lesser citizens than their male counterparts.
Whilst we all agree that since the dawn of democracy in 1994 and after the conclusion of the Beijing conference in 1995 a lot has changed for the better for the women of South Africa, the uneasy truth remains that despite these achievements many of our women still bear the brunt of our societal ills such as poverty, domestic violence, crime and human trafficking.
While the IFP endorses the widespread provision of grants to needy women and children, this needs to be balanced against long-term, more sustainable interventions which encourage self-sufficiency and self-help. We believe that rural agriculture must be resuscitated. The IFP believes that special attention must be paid to teaching women the basics of subsistence farming, which will enable them to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families. With initiatives such as these we can improve the lives of millions of women and girls.
Discrimination against women persists everywhere and in its worst form it manifests as violence. In fact, the abuse of women, both physical and mental, is rife in South Africa.
In order to free women from all forms of oppression, we must change attitudes in families, workplaces and communities. Momentum needs to be built from the grass-roots level. At school and at home both boys and girls must be treated as equals and given opportunities aimed at achieving gender parity and putting an end to misguided gender stereotypes. This needs to be embedded in our society and become the norm.
In line with the Beijing Declaration let us recognise ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]