Hon Chair, hon members, hon guests, Cope fully identifies with the United Nations-initiated International Day of Rural Women. Although this day is only in its second year, there have been some remarkable developments already. In New Zealand, for example, journalists and communicators were invited to compete for the Rural Women New Zealand Award. This is such a brilliant idea. Rural women and what they do are forgotten simply because the media has always tended to forget about them.
On our continent, rural women grow 80% of the food produced in Africa. This is a stupendous contribution. Where would we be without this effort? Yet, women receive only 5% of the credit made available for food producers. These sorts of injustices perpetrated against women have continued unabated throughout history until the present time.
This is a fact, and it is a known fact. Yet, has government done enough about redressing this wrong? Does the Land Bank have a progressive policy in this regard?
There is also another issue that greatly concerns Cope. Two thirds of rural women in the world are illiterate. The proportion may very well be applicable also in South Africa. Has government done enough to alter this tragic situation? The number of rural women living in poverty continues to increase.
It is a moot issue having World Rural Women's Day take place on October 15 every year, one day before the Food and Agriculture Organisation's World Food Day. As the crisis arising from climate change intensifies, we will need to look to rural women to become familiar with a sustainable approach to food production. This is urgent.
Finally, we as Cope advocate that South Africa become an activist state, where all sectors of society are structurally supported by activists in their cause. Because rural women have never been activists, they were ignored by the state. We would like for them to become activists so that they can have increased opportunities in order to become literate, have access to information technology and resources, own a greater share of land and emerge into freedom from this feudal state in which they have been trapped for all these years. Forward with rural women! Forward! I thank you. [Applause.]