Thank you very much, hon member Phosa. It is not always easy but I took advantage of the fact that she is a former Speaker so she understands very well what I am going through as a result of her time expiring.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo ohloniphekile waleNdlu, Phini likaSihlalo sojodu omkhulu wakuleNdlu, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, oNgqongqoshe-ke abancane bezifundazwe abakhona phakathi kwethu, ngithi ke, usuku lwanamhlanje usuku lwezizwe zihlanganyela ukuhalalisela abesifazane ekwenzeni izinto ezinkulu noma ekuphatheni imizi labo abasemakhaya. Ngithi mina, isifazane sesizwe siwumgogodla wesizwe, isizwe esingenaso isifazane saso akusona isizwe leso. Ngithi omama yibona abazi ubunzima bamakhaya, ngithi-ke kuyihlazo nje ke ukuthi yonke leminyaka babekade bengabonakali indima yabo ebalulekile abayidlalayo ekubusweni kwezwe. Ngithi ke ekuphathweni kwekhaya omama yibona izinsika zezwe ezazi ukuthi izingane zidlile noma azidlanga, ngoba thina singamabhunguka nje njengoba umuntu ebhunguke lapha eKapa nje awazi ekhaya kwenzekani, umama owazi kahle ngengane nekhaya ukuthi kwenzekani.
Ngithi-ke, labomama besizwe kufuneka ukuthi uNgqongqoshe weZolimo njengoba ephethe umgogodla wezwe, ngoba inhlabathi le esifihlayo uma sesihambile emhlabeni iyona futhi esiphila ngayo, iyona futhi ingubo yethu. Ngithi-ke, kusemqoka Ngqongqoshe ukuthi kufuneka uzibheke zonke lezi zifundazwe eziyisishiyagalolunye ukuthi omama bayanikezwa yini na amathuba namathuluzi okuthi bakwazi ukondla izisu zethu nezingane zethu. Ngoba kuke kushiwo ukuthi intandane enhle ngumakhothwa ngunina nje, uma efile unkosikazi mina ndonda ngakusasa nje ngoba amadoda asizili abuye ahambe ayobheka omunye umama, kanti umama uyakwazi ukuthi a zilele mina njengendoda iminyaka emibili abe ondla izingane zakhe. Ngithi kulokho Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe noma nenze konke okusemandleni njengohulumeni wethu ukuba nibhekelele izindawo zasemakhaya.
Ngingavumelani ngokuthi omama babengenalo ilungelo lokusho okuthile, ngizekelisa ngoMthani indlovukazi, yaphatha izwe kwaZulu, uMkabayi kaJama. Izwe ngabe laliphethwe uMandlakazi uma wayengekho uMkabayi, wahamba wayoshelela uyise intombi yagana yazala uSenzangakhona.
Indlovukazi ukaMsweli yaphatha izwe ngesikhathi uDinizulu eboshiwe indodana yakhe iboshelwa e-St Helena eNyakatho Kapa, waphatha izwe wabutha amabutho kwaZulu. Ngithi ke abafazi babelalelwa kwelakithi namanje uma ekhuluma umkami ehleba ngiyakwazi ukulalela ukuthi uthini bese ngivuka ekuseni ngikhulume. Ngibonge mphathi wohlelo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Hon Chairperson of this House, Deputy Chairperson, chief of this House, hon Minister and the provincial MECs that are amongst us here, today is International Day of Rural Women, when all nations celebrate women in doing great things or for managing homes and those who are stay-at-home mothers. The nation's womenfolk are its backbone - a nation without womenfolk is not a nation. Women are the ones who know domestic hardships. It is therefore shameful that the important role that women play in the running of the country has been overlooked all these years. In respect of running a home, women are the pillars of the nation as they are the ones who know if the children have eaten or not. I am saying this because as we are here, we are migrants who have migrated to Cape Town - we do not know what is happening at home, but the mother knows very well about the home and the child. It is important for the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to investigate whether women from all nine provinces are provided with farming opportunities and implements, to enable them to feed us and our children. The Minister heads the department that is the backbone of the nation, because the soil that we live by is the very soil that we are buried in when we have passed on and this soil is also our blanket. It is sometimes said that for a child to look well his or her mother should look after him or her, but if my wife should die, I as a man -like all other civilised men - will go and look for another wife, whereas a woman mourns her husband for a period of two years while maintaining her children at the same time. With that in mind, hon Minister, you, as our government, would have done everything in your power if you could look out for rural areas.
But, I do not agree with the notion that women had no right to say anything in the past - I can mention Queen Mthani and Mkabayi kaJama who ruled KwaZulu. The land would have been ruled by Mandlakazi if Mkabayi had not been available. Mkabayi at some stage went to declare love to a young maiden on behalf of her father. He later married the maiden and she bore him a son, Senzangakhona.
Queen kaMsweli ruled the land when Dinizulu her son was incarcerated at St Helena in the Northern Cape - she ruled the land and recruited the army in KwaZulu. I am therefore saying that women were listened to in my ancestral land and even today I listen to my wife when she speaks - when she whispers in my ear at night - then I wake up in the morning and talk. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]