Chairperson, hon members and, of course, our special guests here today, the red looks nice, the green looks nice and the blue especially looks nice. One nation, one future! Viva, Helen Zille! Viva! [Applause.]
I am reminded of a beautiful saying which has stuck with me, and it is: "If you have come to help me, please go home. But if you have come because your liberation is somehow bound up with mine, then we may work together."
Our liberation is bound together. We need to remember that South Africa witnessed not one single liberation, but two: one for its people and one for its women. We emerged from these separate liberations as one and are bound together as one. Let us never again oppress another, be it man oppressing man, woman oppressing woman, or man oppressing woman. We are all equal.
In response to the selected theme for the debate on national Women's Month, "Together empowering women for gender development and equality", I wish to contribute as follows.
Firstly, we are challenged to provide service delivery with excellence that includes meeting the needs of women and that practically translates into visible change in regard to equality of opportunity and benefit. The following statistics provide reasons for the need for such delivery.
Generally women with disabilities constitute a larger percentage than men with disabilities and nondisabled women who are unemployed. The employment of persons with disabilities in the Public Service remains problematic, and still stands at 0,2%, indicating that the target of 2% set by cabinet for March 2010 will not be met. Limited information is available with regard to statistics in the private sector on employment of persons with disabilities.
A report by the Zimbabwe Torture Victims Project highlights the results of a study conducted in Gauteng, that among the Zimbabweans who fled their homes to come to South Africa, 40% were women, and only 2% of those who had applied for refugee status had been granted it.
Women face challenges in accessing land. Even though they produce 80% of crops, they own only 1% of land.
The World Prison Brief indicates that on 30 April 2009 a total of 164 596 persons were incarcerated in correctional facilities throughout South Africa, with female prisoners constituting 2,2% of the total prison population. The types of programmes offered to women, in comparison with those of their male counterparts, are reinforcing gender stereotypes. These are some of the real hardcore issues that the Ministry, together with the department, is confronted with.
We are challenged with sharing skills, knowledge, expertise and financial resources more equitably among the three spheres of government, from both the political and the administrative points of view. With this in mind, Minister Mayende-Sibiya, I agreed with you when you said in your speech to the National Assembly on 24 June 2009 that you and your department would work with other departments, provincial and local government, the private sector, labour and civil society in mainstreaming issues relating to targeted groups, one of which was women. This is indeed necessary, as the bulk of resources continues to be within all other departments in the different spheres of government, nongovernmental organisations and the private sector.
The roles and responsibilities of all departments do not suddenly disappear with the emergence of this new Ministry. However, the responsibility rests with the whole of government if this new Ministry wishes to make a success of the issues of women's empowerment.
As the DA, we welcome the new Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. As much as we are cognisant of the various challenges facing the new Ministry, I would also like to stress that as the official opposition we will be diligent in speaking out if progress is slow, and opportunity and benefit do not materialise for women and other targeted groups; if there appears to be a tendency towards turf protection at the expense of an obvious need for an intersectoral intervention; if relationships between political leaders and officials are destructive and hamper progress; and if co-ordination in regard to sharing skills, knowledge, expertise and resources among the spheres of government is poor. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]