Of course! The ANC is part of the society. The ANC was the first political party on the continent to recognise that women are equal to men and that they must participate equally in the struggle. [Applause.] We must also take the necessary decision to make sure that we uproot the scourge of sexism and advance the struggle of women's emancipation. [Interjections.]
There are of course many international instruments, including African instruments, for women's emancipation, but there is still a big gap between commitment and implementation. The Women's Decade that has been announced by the African Union should be a decade of implementation, particularly of the Beijing Platform for Action, which should remain our compass towards the total emancipation of women.
The world, including South Africa, will never reach its full potential unless women are at the centre of every human endeavour. You must remember that women are more than half the population of the world and they produce the other half! [Laughter.] [Applause.]
I just want to say to hon Duncan, hon Gunda, hon Groenewald, and hon Dudley that I was disappointed to see them using this platform and this day to try to score cheap political points.
I wish to say to hon Duncan that the ANC has led the struggle for the emancipation of women and will continue to do so, whereas the only DA-led province does not have a single woman in its executive. [Applause.] This is because they don't understand women's emancipation. Their leader thinks that because she has made it in the men's world, she must kick the ladder away so that no other women can climb up. [Applause.] The result of that is these open toilets without walls. If you had had women in your executive, that would not have happened. [Interjections.]
I want to say to hon Gunda of the ID that he should have been standing here telling us what the ID is doing to promote women's emancipation in his party and in society.
I want to say to hon Groenewald that black women in this country suffered triple oppression as a result of their race, gender and class. The struggle for the emancipation of women does not mean fighting for only one white woman who is trying to get promotion; it means more than that. [Applause.]
Hon Dudley, if you were genuine about these numbers of people ...