Chairperson, hon President of the Republic, hon Deputy President, hon Cabinet Ministers and hon members, it is a well-known fact that for much of history, women have somehow been seen as less than men. Once again the issues of women are being seen as part of a pot of problems.
The establishment of a Ministry is a gesture and no more than that. The big question is: How effective will it be? It is a known fact that a women's Ministry has never worked elsewhere in the world because the issues that affect women are cross-cutting and wide-ranging.
A women's Ministry that narrows the focus will impede the struggle of women. Furthermore, Cope does not believe that adequate consultation took place prior to its establishment. It might have taken 12 months to create this Ministry, but it will now take 12 years to get it to work effectively, if at all. [Interjections.]