Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698135688117.pdf (South Africa)
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 1 WEDNESDAY, 09 MARCH 2022 ____ PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVIINCES ____ The Council met at 14:02.

The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

The Chairperson announced that the virtual sitting constituted a sitting of the National Council of Provinces.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE (Draft Resolution) The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES: Chairperson, I move: That the Council notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 31(1) of the Rules of the National Council of Provinces, grants hon B T Mathevula leave of absence from UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 2 proceedings of both the Council and committees of the Council in terms of Rule 31(2) from 22 February 2022 until 22 June 2022.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PARLIAMENTARY FORUM MOTION AMENDMENT (Draft Resolution) Mr M I RAYI: Hon Chairperson, I move: That the Council amends the motion regarding the election of members of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, SADC-PF, adopted by the Council on 9 July 2019, in accordance with article 6(3) of the Constitution of the forum by replacing Mr Tshitereke UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 3 Baldwin Matibe, ANC-Limpopo, with Mr Seiso Joel Mohai, ANC-Free State.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

Mr E J NJANDU: Chairperson of the NCOP, Deputy Chairperson, Chief Whip of the Council, Minister of Finance and the Deputy Minister, MECs, and members, the Report of the Standing Committee on Finance on the 2022 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals 8 March 2022.

The Minister of Finance ...

[Inaudible.]

...


The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Njadu, just take your time and speak a bit louder and slower into the mic.

Mr E J NJANDU: ...

Thank you, Chairperson.

In terms of Section 27 of the Public Finance Management Act, Act No.

1 of 1999, PFMA, and Section 7 (1) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 4 and Related Matters Act, Act No.
9 of 2009, Money Bills Act, the Minister together with the director-general, DG, senior officials from the Treasury briefed the Portfolio Committee on Finance on 24 February 2022.

The committee received post budget tabling input from the Parliamentary Budgetary Office, PBO, and the Financial and Fiscal Commission, FFC, on 1 March 2022.
The committee held public hearings on 2 March 2022 and receive a total of eleven written and oral submissions from the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Cosatu, Fiscal Cliff Study Group, South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, the South African Institute of Tax Practitioners, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Healthy Alliance, the South African Breweries, Institute for Economic Juctice, 1Road Consulting, Amandla.mobi and Women on Farms Project.
The South African Revenue, Sars, responded to the issues raised during the public hearings and engaged with the committee and the stakeholders together with National Treasury on 4 March ...

[Inaudible.]

...

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Njadu, there seems to be a bit of a problem with your connection, please keep on trying.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 5 As I said before speak a bit louder and speak to the mic.

Please proceed.
Please proceed.

Mr E J NJANDU: Thank you, Chairperson.

Mr M I RAYI: Switch off your video, hon member.

Mr E J NJANDU: Must I switch off the video?

Mr M I RAYI: Yes.

Mr E J NJANDU: ...

Okay.

The Minister acknowledged that the country has been operating under difficult times but the higher than expected revenue provided some space to address some of the spending challenges.
But the R180 billion revenue over collection assisted the government in responding to the unrest that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces in July 2021.

And adding R7 billion to support South African Special Risk Insurance Association, SASRIA.

The Minister acknowledges that the additional revenue was not a silver bullet for South Africa’s financial position as part of it had already been allocated to critical spending programmes before the 2022 budget was tabled.
It was also UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 6 reported that the 2022 budget strengthens the fight against crime with an additional allocation of R8,7 billion to the police, R1,1 billion to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, R32 billion to National Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, while the Office of the Chief Justice received an additional R39,9 billion.

The Presidential Youth and Employment Programmes also received a boost.
The Minister indicated that despite all that the department reduces the fiscal deficit as a crucial part of the debt management strategy and that the government continues to ensure the health of public finances.

He said that the budget provides some relief to taxpayers, households and companies.

Chairperson, it is important to mention some highlights from the stakeholders as well as their recommendations.

The PBO recommended that economic recovery and reconstruction has to be inclusive.
Also, a new economic growth path should be built on increasing the well-being and buying power of the poor majority as that will enhance the ability of millions of unemployed South Africans to effectively contribute to the economic future of the country.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 7 The Institute for Economic Justice, IEJ, recommends that more than revenue windfall should be allocated towards supporting economic recovery.
The Financial and Fiscal Commission, FFC, recommends that the infrastructure fund should operate within the confines of the intergovernmental fiscal relations principled in respect of equitable distribution of projects and being assigned to a vote.

The commission further recommends that the budget process for 2023-24 should focus on aligning the allocations to the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, ERRP, informed by the comprehensive budget and expenditure review.
COSATU recommended that the Presidential Employment Programme should be reversed in the 2022 MTBPS, that is, it should rather be expanded to ensure that it can create at least 1 million jobs in light of an all-time high unemployment rate of 46 per cent and rising.

About 2.2 million workers have lost their jobs since the COVID-19 pandemic.

With regards to attempts to create jobs, FFC recommended more significant structural reforms focused on artisanal skills to address unemployment in the long run.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 8 For the government to realise its key role in job creation and retention, the EIA recommends that the Presidential Employment Programme must be scaled up and get field together with a broader public sector job strategy.
Chairperson, on the recommendations of the committee, the committee welcomes the 2022 Budget and acknowledges that it strikes a balance a difficult balance between growth of the economy ensuring fiscal sustainability maintaining expenditure over the medium term and providing tax relief for individuals and companies.

Acknowledges some progress made in addressing structural ...

[Inaudible.]

... to growth recorded in both the 2022 state of the nation, sona, and the 2022 Budget Review.
But urges for speedily and practical implementation of economic reforms that will advance economic ...

[Inaudible.]

... Progress report made every quarter on structural reforms including ... while recognising that more work still needs to be done at the South African Revenue Service, the committee acknowledges and commends the progress made in rebuilding Sars in the past few years.
The committee further recognises that we need more resources and suggests that the Select Committee UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 9 on Appropriations consider recommending that Sars budget should be increased to enable it to efficiently collect revenue and deliver on its mandate.

Further, Chairperson, while the wage bill has an impact on the Fiscal framework, this matter is better placed with the Appropriations Committee for further considerations.
The committee recommends that the government should continue to negotiate with the trade unions to seek ...

[Inaudible.]

... comprises on the Wage Bill and develop a specific shot to medium term plan to address this.

The committee reiterates its position that the Presidency needs to encourage members of the executive to buy cars that are assembled in South Africa.

The committee will pursue this further with the Minister of Finance and the Presidency.
The committee recognises that not all models of particular brand of the cars assembled in South Africa ...

[Inaudible.]

... that there are other related challenges.

However, without being prescriptive.

the committee should be encouraged to as far as possible buy cars assembled in the country.

Public representatives generally and others who serve in the public service to also be encouraged to do this.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 10 The committee will raise this with the Portfolio Committee on Trade Industry and Competition to also take this matter forward as part of the Buy Local campaign.

Chairperson, on other budget related matters, the committee reiterate its recommendation on zero-base budgeting carried out in the July 2020 Special Adjustment Budget Fiscal Framework Report.
The committee requires to be briefed on the implications of zero-based budgeting.

The committee requires the Minister and Treasury to do this briefing at the next quarterly meeting.

Lastly, further recommends that Public Procurement Bill should be brought to Parliament.

The committee recognises the need for National Treasury to address legal and other challenges affecting the Public Procurement Bill.

Therefore, the Report has been tabled before the House for adoption.

Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Chair.

Declaration of votes: Ms C LABUSCHAGNE: Hon Chair, the Revised Fiscal Framework has been well interrogated by the committee and this report is a good reflection of the discussions with the inputs received during the public participation process.

Some key issues are UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 11 worth highlighting.
The current uncertainty brought about by the imperialist Russian invasion into Ukraine is a matter of grave concern, and while the developments are so recent that they did not form part of the tabled fiscal policy, they were certainly part of our discussions.

The entire world is bracing for economic hardship and we are poorly prepared and still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy-ravaging lockdowns.

At times like this, taxpayers need to know two things.
Firstly, that they are being fairly treated, and secondly that the money they contribute is being well spent.

The deliberations of the committee confirmed that there is a way to go before SARS wins back the trust of taxpayers, and systems currently in place are not working optimally when complexities emerge.

As for the money being well spent, there is great concern about how the government is directing our resources.
The issue of a lack of accountability has been repeatedly raised, and it is high time that there be proper consequences for financial irregularities.

Redeployment, promotion or simple avoidance can no longer be tolerated as the tax pool shrinks, more demands are placed on UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 12 the fiscus, and every cent needs to be spent wisely.

Which brings me to the spending of departments.


Annual incremental increases can no longer be the norm where we merely give a department an inflation linked increase to carry on its business.

We must be more careful.

Every project in every department needs to be reviewed for the value that it adds to South Africa.

Where the cost exceeds the value the project must be shelved.

This is zero-based budgeting.

This is simple economics.

This must be done urgently.


The fiscal framework is ideologically stagnant and cannot be supported.

I thank you.

Mr Y I CARRIM: Thank you, Chairperson.

Firstly, I am not sure what ideologically stagnant means, and the DA has never been stronger on ideology as far as I know – on policy, yes – on ideology – no, I don’t know.

So, basically without being clear what the critic is, it’s simply like an empty slogan, anybody can say anything, anywhere, anytime.
On the matter of tax payers not getting a fair deal which in fact what she said, yes, Ms Labuschagne, I don’t know how valid that is.
What we do know is there were complaints by some of the tax experts, some valid, some not and we said UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 13 okay, instead of us having this public hearings all the time why isn’t SARS meet with relevant stakeholders and settle their differences to the extent they can and report back at the first quarterly briefing that follows from now.
Now, all along, SARS is doing an excellent job by any measure, even the members of the DA admitted in our committee.

I am not sure where Ms Labuschagne got some of her statements from but they never ...

[Inaudible.]

... as far as I can remember in that form in the hearings that she was not part of or in the deliberations yesterday.

Basically, about winning back trust, I mean it’s a very sweeping statement.
The winning back of trust has actually begun to occur under the new regime, under the new leadership.

It is going to take a long haul and it’s not as if it can happen overnight, if anything, SARS needs to be complemented for the work they have done in the last few years, not ...

[Inaudible.]

... tackling the ills of economy, but as they themselves have said, there is a long way to go and they do need more resources.

In fact, our committee ...

[Inaudible.]


... put it to the appropriations committee they consider, we can’t decide for them, an increase in the SARS budget because UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 14 of the huge task they have and staffing and other resources challenges that they do.

So they are doing a good job overall.


It is a cluster of people probably shares the values of the DA, I don’t know, but so it seems to me in some of their positions and they should be met.

They are all much of the democracy as anybody else is, like we suggested.

On the issue of the money being well spent, we agree.

That is the responsibility not of the executives alone ...

[Interjections.]

... responsibility of Parliament, which includes Ms Labuschagne.

I mean she interrupts me though I don’t do her.


Next time I will be interrupting her because it’s too short of space for me to respond to the ...

[Inaudible.]

... that came out of her speech and three minutes is not enough.

So next time since she is doing this I shall be intervening while she is speaking and retorted every other sentence.

She had an opportunity.

She gave us an empty CD of glimpse statements, now she must answer for that.
What exactly does she mean by some of these things that they are not getting fairness and so on.

Who says that?

It’s a cluster of people, technical experts who themselves are very specific constituencies.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 15 But as we say, SARS like any institution, ...

[Inaudible.]

... committees, can do far more and should do far more.
The biggest issues are, though this is a good budget, as Treasury itself acknowledges, there are too many uncertainties, ...

[Inaudible.]

... the Russian and Ukraine at the moment, whatever your take is on it.

That is not the issue as so much.

We know the consequences of that war, globally, but for our country in particular, there are talks of petrol price going up to R40 per litre.

Mr Fanie Du Toit from the FF Plus raised the effect of the fertilizer increases on farmers and so on.
And of course as always, this ...

[Inaudible.]

... will be the poor and disadvantaged, as we all know, so indeed the most progressives in this Parliament.

It is the poor and the disadvantages who will suffer disproportionately, even if all of us will.

Those are the bigger issues.

Obviously Treasury couldn’t factor in the consequences of war because when the fiscal framework was shaped there was no war definitely on the cards.

But here it is, we have to live with it, with the ...

[Inaudible.]
[Inaudible.]

... where we come from and making glimpse statements isn’t going to help.

We need concrete answers to these questions and more importantly, our committed in particular, Parliament as a whole, we have to be more effective in our oversight.

Thank you, Chairperson.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 16 Voting [TAKEN FROM MINUTES] Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution DEBATE ON 2021 WOMEN’S CHARTER FOR ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT: SETTING A 25 YEAR VISION AND AGENDA TO ADVANCE WOMEN’S EQUALITY, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms S E Lucas): Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, House Chairpersons, the Chief Whip of the National Council of Provinces, Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, ladies and gentlemen, permanent delegates as well as special delegates, allow me first of all to take this opportunity to welcome you all to this very important debate on the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development.
This debate takes place just a day after we commemorated International Women’s Day, which symbolises the collective struggle of women’s resolve to attain equality across all sectors of society.
Let me begin the debate with a few thought-provoking words once spoken by Mahatma Gandhi, when he said: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 17 The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.
These are important considerations in the current context of our society at large, where social and political systems articulate equality but the hegemony of these democratic and equal rights-based systems are both negated and continually retracted.

This is particularly the case in the lived reality of women, whose development is impeded by sociopolitical and cultural contexts that are devoid of the commitment to bring about effective change in the lives of the women of our country.
This is not only the responsibility of governing systems alone but also the collective responsibility of society at large, which must move to cultivate a new sociopolitical, cultural and economic order, which places women as equal participants across the development spectrum of our country.

Hence, today’s debate marks an important day in the sustained continuum of gender transformation in South Africa.
It symbolises the culmination of a 20 month review process of the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 18 1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality, which resulted in the adoption of the 2021 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality, for the realisation of tangible women’s rights.
As we bring together very critical leaders in the continuum of gender equality in today’s debate, we seek to activate all three spheres of government to work in concert for gender equality.

Through our collective and sustained efforts, we must purposefully create a society where the women of South Africa can attain tangible freedom and tangible equality, as actualised through tangible economic freedom in our lifetime.
The voices of women throughout the review process also affirmed that: The eradication of patriarchy needs all forces of society, more so because it coexists and survives under the most progressive political systems; because it is articulated in many diverse subtle and hidden or open and crude forms; because it is explained away in many logical sounding ways ranging from the natural, biological to religious and cultural arguments; because one of its strongest bases is the family, the home and among loved ones, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 19 it is the most complex and entrenched systems, embedded in and permeating through all spheres of life, it needs all forms of struggle, persuasion, contestation, compromise, pressure and confrontation.
We are here today to reassert the Women’s Charter as a demand document and instrument to drive our transformation agenda, to confront the barriers of patriarchy and to build an equal society where women can attain a better quality of life based on the values of our Constitution.

I’m going to give a brief background on what transpired during our process.
In 2019, at the inaugural Women’s Parliament of the sixth dispensation, a historic resolution was taken by the women of our country at that session that Parliament must undertake an extensive review of the 1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality.

This resolution was impelled by the fact that women continue to grapple with the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, which are intensified by poverty, gender-based violence, GBV, femicide and economic exclusion.
Statistics also confirm that mostly black African females in South Africa are negatively affected.
The review process was underpinned by the following key pillars: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 20 Firstly, a gender analysis of local government which included a review of the integrated development planning processes, gender responsive planning and budgeting at local government level, as well as the gendered provision of services at local government level; Secondly, a gender analysis of provincial government which included a review of provincial planning processes, the provincial growth and development strategies, as well as gender responsive planning and budgeting across all provincial departments; Thirdly, an in-depth review of the systemic weaknesses in the national gender machinery — national, provincial and district; Fourthly, an in-depth review of the systemic and institutional arrangements, particularly at provincial and local government level, which weaken or create exclusionary systemic processes, thereby undermining the gender transformation agenda; Fifthly, a review of systemic weaknesses that impede gender responsive planning and budgeting across the three spheres of government in order to ensure that women benefit fairly from the state’s financial and other resources; and UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 21 Lastly, the review process also included a review of existing legislation and policies through a gender lens in order to identify gaps in our laws and policies so as to address structural constraints which perpetuate poverty and inequality amongst our women.
The review process was underpinned by a strong public participation component, enabling women across every district, in all nine provinces in the country, to participate in the review process.

Through the review process, we also undertook to assess progress that has been made in implementing the provisions of the 1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality.
The review process confirmed that both the 1954 and the 1994 Women’s Charters, respectively and jointly, represent the culmination of women’s active participation in South Africa’s liberation movement towards the realisation of freedom, democracy and gender equality.

Both charters articulate a vision for a democratic society and give content to the idea of gender equality as it was envisaged to be achieved in the context of a postcolonial, postapartheid South Africa.
Both charters further represent critical building blocks in our struggle history, further signifying women’s commitment to challenge the status quo in an unequal society and UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 22 subsequently constructing to a body of socioeconomic, civic and political rights based on these strategic manuscripts to advance gender equality.
Over the years, concerns have mounted at the enormous gap between the charters’ commitments and the indicators of women’s continued embattled social standing on the other hand.

The gap between policy and practice is glaring.
The review process has uncovered a number of salient issues which affect all aspects of women’s lives, including the following: Firstly, despite the plethora of policy and legislative instruments enacted since the advent of democracy in 1994, women in South Africa still continue to bear the brunt of the high level of inequality, economic exclusion, unemployment, GBV and femicide; Secondly, various indicators are linked to the persistence of the multiple vulnerabilities of South African women.
Importantly, female-headed households continue to be the poorest of the poor, with unemployment and not in education or training rates being particularly high amongst female youth; UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 23 Thirdly, government’s existing gender planning and budgeting mechanisms are often fragmented and lack coherence, broad- based political support and are nonbinding; Fourthly, out of nine provincial machinery structures in South Africa, only seven are still located as per the provision of the National Gender Policy Framework of 2000; Fifthly, no province was found to have an articulated theory of change embedded on women empowerment principles and gender equality prescripts; and Lastly, there is a lack of mechanisms to institutionalise gender through the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, PGDS, of provinces.
Currently, there is no province with its PGDS underpinned by gender responsive planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, as well as gender auditing.

If we speak about the participation of women in the economy, the review process found that women are at the receiving end of a continued onslaught of sociopolitical and economic oppression because they continue to be deprived of their indivisible human rights.
Gender inequality and patriarchy pose major constraints to the development of our democratic UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 24 societies, particularly when women are not able to fully participate in the economic structures of society.

Warren Samuels shares key perspectives from his book, The Legal-Economic Nexus: Fundamental Processes, where he postulates the interrelated issues of law, economy and policy.
These issues are of particular importance as we seek to reposition our economy in the unfolding and fluid context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which many argue has had a regressive impact on women’s quality of life.

We must therefore interrogate how law, economy and policy function co- operatively in order to leverage these interrelations, to accelerate the implementation of key priorities that pertain to gender equality.

He states the following in his book.


In social reconstruction, the fundamental policy question always is, whose interests are to count, and it contains inevitable distributional or structural problems.

Even if one were to affirm that individual preferences count, the fundamental policy question remains, whose interests or preferences are to count?
The legal economic nexus is the complex social process through which answers to these questions are reworked and in which thereby the social reconstruction of reality is effectuated.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 25 Samuels positions the concept of reconstruction within the legal economic nexus for purposes of addressing distributional and structural changes.
The South African historical context frames the necessity for wealth redistribution, which is located in the macroeconomic strategy and development objectives of this country.

In this context, the needs and preferences of the poorest, particularly black African women, remain central, as guided by the imperative to bring about transformation through the appropriate reconstruction projects.
A study conducted by the World Bank — and I’m repeating this thing because I’ve been repeating it many times — postulates the view that gender progress benefits everyone, not just women and girls.

When economies thrive, women, men, girls and boys have equal access to opportunities, and more so, communities prosper when women and men are equally empowered.
Most importantly, disparities in gender equality come with economic costs, they short-change the next generation and lead to suboptimal institutions and policies.

That World Bank study also found that globally, women account for only 38% of human capital wealth versus the 62% for men.

In low and lower-middle income countries, women account for a third or less of human capital wealth.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 26 On a per capita basis, gender inequality in earnings could lead to losses in wealth of 23,620 dollars per person globally.

These losses differ between regions and countries because levels of human capital wealth, and thereby losses in wealth due to gender inequality, tend to increase in absolute values with economic development.
For these reasons, in absolute terms the losses are said to be the largest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, countries.

Globally, for the 141 countries included in the analysis, the loss in human capital wealth due to gender inequality is estimated at 160,2 trillion dollars, if we simply assume that women would earn as much as men.

This is about twice the value of the gross domestic product, GDP, globally.
Said differently, human capital wealth could increase by 21,7% globally and total wealth by 14% with gender equality, in earnings.

In their paper, Facing the challenge of transformation, Albertyn and Goldblatt: require a complete reconstruction of the state and society, including a redistribution of power and resources along egalitarian lines.
The challenge of achieving equality within this transformation UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 27 project involves the eradication of systemic forms of domination and material disadvantage based on race, gender, class and other grounds of inequality.

It also entails the development of opportunities which allow people to realise their full human potential within positive social relationships.
For as long as women are prevented from participating fully and effectively in the sociopolitical and economic sectors of our society, we will continue to function with less than half the capacity required to accelerate human development.

Women will continue to remain trapped in abusive and violent relationships, with many resulting in femicide, more so if economic exclusion persists in our country.

The eradication of gender inequality and patriarchy requires the participation of all sectors of society.
It requires the participation of both men and women to uproot it.

The realisation of gender equality is not the responsibility that resides with female Members of Parliament only.

Male Members of Parliament have a crucial role to play in the process to deconstruct patriarchy and gender inequality.
This also requires the participation of men from all sectors of society who must play a decisive role in the implementation of the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 28 provisions of the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development.

The Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development demands that the theory of change be embedded in all facets of the state machinery, so as to ensure that gender equality is effectively materialised.
The charter provides a clearly articulated road map to guide our collective mainstreaming approach, for the realisation of high-level implementation in the pursuit of gender equality.

The 2021 Women’s Charter also articulates far-reaching policy and legislative matters for urgent prioritisation and serves as an instrument for continued efficacy assessment.

What is to be done to make the charter effective?


The charter will require a social compact and a resolute commitment to re-engineer systematic and institutional arrangements across the three spheres of government, to enable gender sensitive good governance, policy redesign, planning, budgeting and implementation processes.
Poverty mapping perspectives in gender responsive planning and budgeting should be institutionalised as an imperative for UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 29 responsive planning across provinces, districts, metros and localities.

The Auditor-General should also include gender performance indicators in the assessment of financial management processes.
We need to facilitate for the reviewing of the appointment level of gender focal persons in accordance with the provisions of the National Gender Policy Framework of 2000.

There should be intensive capacity-building programmes on gender mainstreaming for the provincial gender machinery and provincial administration, including local government, so that all key role-players may have a common understanding of the importance of gender mainstreaming approaches and their implementation.
We have already begun to activate a structured oversight and accountability programme, which will be underpinned by quarterly report-back, monitoring and evaluation processes.
I want to conclude with this quote from Thomas Paine when he said, “The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 30 and to do good is my religion.” An argument can be made that if we make good deeds our religion, then the scourge that afflicts women, such as GBV, rape and economic marginalisation, can be eliminated.
The progress we make as a society can only have full and deeper meaning if it is accompanied by significant progress in the struggle for the emancipation of women.

I believe that we should accept the proposition that we must measure the success of progress towards social transformation by the advances we make in the struggle for a nonsexist society.

Indeed, we must measure the progress towards a democratic transformation by the progress we record in the struggle for gender equality.
The ideology of patriarchy has surpassed the ideological construct of racism.

We need to address the issues as two different constructs.

We need to decolonise our thinking, deconstruct the idea of patriarchy and begin to reconstruct a new way of thinking about gender equality as a norm.

In other words, we need to move for a total paradigm shift in our thinking, our practices and our perspectives.
The struggle against patriarchy is therefore a struggle within the struggle UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 31 and it cannot be forged by women alone.

All of us have to bring our forces together, both men and women.

The 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development is a clarion call for accelerated action.

It is a demand for effective equality in our lifetime.

Forward to the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development, forward!
Thank you, very much, Chairperson.

Ms B FANTA: Hon.

Chairperson of the NCOP, hon.

Members of Parliament in the NCOP, Ministers and Deputy Ministers present in this august House, delegates from provinces, distinguished guests, I greet you all in the name of Jesus.

Hon Chair, it is a pleasure to take part in a debate which is at the core of our struggle for a prosperous, nonsexist and nonracial democratic South Africa.
I feel humbled and honoured to debate in celebrating International Women’s Day, being a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, the ANC Provincial Women’s League Chairperson and Chairperson of Multiparty Women’s Caucus in the legislature.

Hon Chair, the International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of twentieth century across North America and Europe.
The UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 32 commemoration of International Women’s Day is the global history in honouring the achievements of women and promoting women’s rights, irrespective of race and dignity.

Across the world in rich and poor countries, alike women are being beaten, trafficked, raped, killed and slaughtered like sheep.
The women are oppressed by capital patriarchy enduring race patens of economic activity, COVID-19 and growing levels of inequality and global dynamics enhanced by war.

The SA government of the apartheid system threatened to reintroduce pass laws for women, as these had been relaxed after the success of earlier resistance and fought against passes for our women of 1956.
The national struggles of women in different countries have culminated into global united effort, to oppose and eradicate the subjugation of women in all tiers of our society.

The global effort has mainly been responsible for the progress made by humanity in the fight against oppression of women.

Hon Chair, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa promotes the equality which states that: Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
Equality UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 33 includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.

To promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other measures designed to protect or advance persons, or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination may be taken.

Hon Chair, women participate in large numbers and in sectors of the economy which are characterised by low wages and poor working conditions.
Low remuneration is worsened by discrimination against women in the receipt of social benefits.

Numerous international and regional instruments have drawn attention to gender-related dimensions of human rights issues.

The most important being the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted in 1979.
It has been stated in the International Bill of Rights for Women that: Despite some progress in women’s wages in the 1990, women still earn less that men even for similar kinds of work.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 34 As global women we need to eliminate such discrimination of women by accelerating development of women in all tiers internationally and locally.
Hon Chair, the President of South Africa Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa in his address of the 110th birthday celebrations mentioned that: Over the years, women’s organisations have been at the forefront of the struggles to assert the rights and improve the status of women within our democratic formations and broader society.
Our President also mentioned that, the ANC must support the women’s league to act as the voice not only of women members of the ANC, but of the mass of South African women including young women, in a broad front of gender transformation and societal change.

Accessible and appropriate institutions to be established to enable accessible, quality education, thereby enabling the active participation of women in all forms of platforms and sectors of society, rural women, single mothers and disabled women.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 35 Hon Chair, we are proud as the Eastern Cape Province as our Premier who is responsible to appoint heads of departments, HODs, seven out of 10 HODs in our province are women.

That for us is a plus and we highly appreciate what our premier has done to make sure that, women are taking strategic positions in the government led by the ANC.
IsiXhosa: Siyabulela kakhulu kwaye ... English: ... we are looking forward that, even in all levels of government, women are in the strategic positions.

For the first time in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, we have a secretary who is a woman.

We have chief financial officers in the legislature, we have provincial commissioner who is a woman.

That is highly appreciated because ... IsiXhosa: ... ukuba isakhono samakhosikazi siyabonwa.
Sibulela kakhulu ke ... English: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 36 ... even to our President who assented Gender-Based Violence and Criminal Procedure Act Amendment Bill.

IsiXhosa: Yanga ihlabathi lingakopa kwezi zinto urhulumente wethu azenzayo, ukuze amakhosikazi akhuseleke eMzantsi Afrika nakwilizwe lonke.

English: I cannot go down without mentioning the issue of gender-based violence that our President has declared a pandemic.
We are worried as women are still dying like flies in 2022.

IsiXhosa: Siyatsho ukuthi ... English: ... as we support the International Women’s Rights ... IsiXhosa: ... amakhosikazi mawakhuselwe ... English: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 37 ... in all spheres of our government.

There should be clear programmes to fight the scourge of gender-based violence.

The gender machinery that are there must work hard, to make sure that, there are programmes.
The issue of a boy child in South Africa is a problem.

We need Members of Parliament, we need faith-based organisations, we need all the people to make sure that, we are dealing with the boy child because by the look of thing, they are the most perpetrators in killing women.

Chair I support and wish everyone a happy International Women’s Month and International Women’s Day.
I thank you Ms D C CHRISTAINS: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, and fellow South Africans, good day, the Women’s Charter was first developed in 1954 in order to provide a more equal society for the women of South Africa.

The review of the charter in 2021 emphasised the extent of poverty and inequality against women, and the importance of advancing gender equality in our country.
The Women’s Charter remains one of the country’s most important instruments to achieve this as it provides a roadmap of the role of government; and its partnership with civil society that outlines the next steps to ensure the equality between genders.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 38 It provides a blueprint to government to accelerate the development of women in order to construct gender sensitive policies and legislative instruments.
The implementation of these policies and instruments across national, provincial and local governments is therefore of paramount importance.

Statistics SA reported in 2020 that South Africa had a population of 59,62 million of which 51,1% are women and 48,9% male.

The latest overall expanded unemployment rate in the country is currently 46,6% with 51% of women being unemployed.

Black African women being the most vulnerable, with an unemployment rate far exceeding other women.
The proportion of women employed in the unprotected informal sector of the economy is 75% higher than men.

Women spend 2,5 times more in unpaid care and domestic work than men.

In both Quarter 1 of 2019 and Quarter 2 of 2020, more than four in every 10 young females were not in employment, education or training.

Female-headed households are experiencing much greater levels of poverty than male-headed households and so much more, especially in our rural provinces.
At the moment it is estimated that 30 million South Africans are living below the poverty line with women much more affected by poverty than men.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 39 Women and girls in South Africa still face many challenges, including gender-based violence, child marriages and teenage pregnancies, this despite the abundance of policy and legislative instruments passed since the advent of democracy in 1994.
Women in South Africa still continue to bear the brunt of high levels of inequality, economic exclusion, unemployment, gender-based violence as well as femicide.

We have to acknowledge the disturbing realities and countless obstacles hindering the advancement of women in our country and it is no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated it.
There should be accelerated urgency in scrutinising the targets of departments and administrators in this regards and hold those assigned to advance women’s rights accountable.

Performance targets have to be met and adequate budgets need to be pledged to reflect this commitment in order to bring about real transformation and ensure equality.
The review of the Women’s Charter has exposed the obvious gap between policy and implementation; and the disconnect between public endorsement of gender equality and actual institutional practice.

This disparate share of poverty, inequality and unemployment held by South African women, is further intensified by the persistent levels of gender-based violence and femicide.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 40 The Women’s Charter sets 15 strategic objectives to advance women’s rights in order to break down barriers that hold women back from participating in our democratic society.

However, these objectives are merely a declaration of advocacy but not backed by action, leadership or funding.
The charter emphases this disparity in its opening remarks where it states that the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, including the pervasive levels of gender-based violence and femicide, represent the amalgamated and most persistent challenges faced by women.
It further emphases in the charter that the feminisation of poverty is significant because poverty is experienced differently by women, as compared to men, more so due to the economic political, and social dynamics prevalent in the country.

Overcoming this deeply entrenched poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment, will therefore require concerted and persistent efforts from all sectors of society.
Women shoulder the responsibility of raising children, with more than 42% of women heading households and see to the well-being of extended family members.

The Women’s Charter must be interrogated and articulated into tangible, practical and measurable objectives which in turn must reflect in all our departments across the country.
We must ensure adequate investment in women in terms of quality childcare, education, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 41 skills development, access to quality health care, justice, housing and infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and access to good quality jobs, security and of course ending patriarchy to mention but a few dilemmas facing the women in this country.
In South Africa we cannot speak about gender equality and women’s rights without condemning the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide in the country.

Between 2015 and 2020, 13 815 women over the age of 18 were murdered – that’s close to seven women a day and sadly we remember that these women who have lost their lives.
We need to intensify our efforts to protect women and act harshly on the men who commit these murders and to ensure that women and girl children are not left vulnerable to the whims of men.

The charter speaks extensively on the eradication of all forms of violence against women and children, however, without adequate support from government departments as well as implementation of policies we will not win this war.
Equality for women should be categorised as a basic human right and government should make it a priority to implement the policies as set out by the Women’s Charter in order to remove all social and economic barriers.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 42 Empowering and investing in women is critical in the development of South Africa as it will ensure economic prosperity for all in the country.
We applaud the women who have worked diligently on the development and further reviews of the Women’s Charter in order to build a dignified nation where girls and women are advanced, respected and protected.

Over the years these women have worked tirelessly to remove the barriers and build a dignified nation which includes women and continues endeavors to overcome the obstacles facing women.
We support and commit ourselves to the realisation of the Women’s Charter in order to advance women’s equality, growth and development.

I thank you, Chairperson.

IsiZulu: Nk S A LUTHULI: Angibonge Sihlalo, ngibingelele ... English: When the first Women’s Charter was developed in 1954... IsiZulu: ... iNinghizimu Afrika yayikwesinye isigaba ngokwezepolitiki.
Kwathi uma isigaba sesibili se-Women’s Charter sesithulwa ngowe-1954 izinkulungwane zabantu besifazane babuyelwa UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 43 yithemba elikhulu.

Iningi labantu besifazane baseNingizimu Afrika baba nelikhulu ithemba becabanga ukuthi yonke le mithetho yayibekiwe ukucindezela nokulwa nelungelo lomuntu wesifazane ngaphambili ngowe-1994 yayisishabalala.
Kepha kube yinamhlanje singabantu besifazane asikakhululeki sisazibona futhi sicindezelekile, singalingani.

English: The ushering in of a new Constitutional era meant that women, Black women in particular, were finally acknowledged as ‘full citizens’ of South Africa.

IsiZulu: Kepha Sihlalo, ngaphansi kweqembu elibusayo abantu besifazane abakabisezingeni lokulingana nokukhuliswa.

Sizibona siqhubeka nokucindezeleka nokungabonwa ngeso lenkululeko njengasekuqaleni.
Sihlalo, abantu besifazane lapha eNingizimu Afrika basenezingqinamba eziningi.

English: As women we continue fighting for what should be basic human rights, because women’s rights are human rights.

And while the challenges facing our development have evolved over time, the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 44 key elements of the problems hampering women’s development remain essentially the same.
IsiZulu: Kunegebe elikhulu elisaqhubeka uma kuziwa ebantwini besifazane lapha iNingizimu Afrika nakwezemiholo ukusishiya kunesithombe esingacacile kahle kule lizwe.

Udlame olubhekiswe kubantu besifazane lusadlala indima enkulu yize sesaba namalungelo abantu ashicilelwe.
English: Violence filters into the lives of all women, as women are impacted not only by violence itself but also by the constant threat of violence and the extraordinary lengths which we have to go through to avoid it, including how we present ourselves in public, with how we dress, speak and with whom we associate.

South Africa also remains the rape capital of the world.
We need no convincing of this as our latest quarterly crime statistics reported that 11 315 people were raped in the country between the period of October and December 2021.

Chairperson, the labour market remains more favourable to men than women.

Women in South Africa and around the world still face a number of challenges that hinders them from accessing UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 45 employment.
And men are still more likely to be in paid employment than women, regardless of race, while women are more likely than men to be doing unpaid work.

IsiZulu: Imizi engaphezulu kumaphesenti angama-42 lapha eNingizimu Afrika iphethwe ngabantu besifazane.

Lokho nje kusho ukuthi abantu besifazane bathwele ukukhulisa abantwana baphinde babhekelele inhlalakahle yemindeni yabo.

Izinga lokungabikhona kwemisebenzi kubantu besifazane lingaphezulu kunalokho okubhekene nabantu besilisa.
Abantu besifazane abangasebenzi balinganiselwa phakathi kumaphesenti angama-90 kanye namaphesenti angama-30 kunabantu besilisa.

English: Women are at the coalface of poverty, they suffer the most from crime, scorned the most in public institutions and almost always get the short end of the stick when it comes to access to justice, and are also the ones who do not get paid equally for equal work.
All across the world, women continue to face a number of obstacles in leadership positions as we still live in a world where regardless of race, class or ethnicity, women are still UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 46 considered as outsiders whose life experiences are minimally recognised, as women are still confined to domestic roles.

These are the structural challenges which are today the realisation of the objectives set out for in the Women’s Charter.
If we are to ever unleash the full potential of women’s development, we must be able to address these challenges.

We need to be in a position to convert these ideals and encapsulate them in The Charter, into concrete, workable and measurable objectives for each of the government departments.

In doing so, growth and the development of gender equality relies on ending discrimination towards women and providing equal access to education and opportunities for employment.
IsiZulu: Amaphoyisa kumele abe nendlela esezingeni eliphezulu lokuphatha amacala okunyukubeza abantu besifazane.

Akwamukeleki futhi akugculisi ukwazi ukuthi amacala amaningi awalitholi ithuba lokungena enkantolo ngenxa yokungabi nesineke sokuphenywa nokuthi akunabufakazi okwanele bokuthulwa ezinkantolo.
English: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 47 The justice system in its entirety must be the one that is sensitised to the system and the nature of women’s oppression.

IsiZulu: Sihlalo, abantu besifazane kumele babelwe umhlaba futhi kumele basekwe uma befuna ukuqala ezamabhizinisi.

Badinga imisebenzi ngaphandle kokuthi baphoqwe ukuthi balale ukuze bathole le misebenzi.
English: True equality and development lies in the basic and fundamental ideals and these are not possible when we still have a state which primarily serves the interest of capital such as the state we have today.

IsiZulu: Okubalulekile, ukudlula konke ukuthi lo Mqulu [Charter] angeke usiyise ndawo uma singazimiseli ukuphindaphinda, sikuphindanise kaningi ... English: ... our efforts of ensuring that women obtain economic freedom in our lifetime.
As the EFF, we are for the full development of women, we are and have always been ready for UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 48 women’s leadership.

We are for the elimination of all forms of discrimination that are mainly pointed at our women.

Those ideals we will fight for until the end of time.

I thank you.

Ms A D MALEKA: The Chief Whip, Minister, Deputy Minister, permanent and special delegates, good afternoon.
Hon Chairperson and members, the inaugural Women’s Charter of 1954 where the women of our country organised under the banner of the Federation of South African Women made a clarion call for a non-sexist society based on the principles of democracy, freedom and liberty, and impartial significantly changed the trajectory of the struggle against apartheid colonialism.
The coherent proposals made by the women activists in the charter would go on to find expression in the Freedom Charter the following year in 1955, as we all know the Freedom Charter became the load star for the forces of liberation and continues to guide the democratic state.

The Charter was significant in the sense that it placed at the centre stage the gender question.
This was at the height of apartheid racial and class system of exploitation, and highlighted the point that even at that time women bear the brunt of the exploitation and marginalisation.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 49 Drawing from their experience with the colonial system of oppression the women’s movement put across concrete demands to the regime, amongst them, are the following.
The right to vote and to be elected to all state bodies, without restriction or discrimination.

The right to full opportunities for employment with equal pay and possibilities of promotion in all spheres of work.

Equal rights with men in relation to property, marriage and children, and for the removal of all laws and customs that deny women such equal rights.
For the removal of all laws that restrict free movement, that prevent or hinder the right of free association and activity in democratic organisations, and the right to participate in the work of these organisations.

There is no doubt that as a liberation movement and as a country we have come a long way in advancing these objectives since the charter was adopted in 1954 and the democratisation of our country since 1994.
Women have always been the motive forces of change in the struggle against colonialism.

This is simply because the system of colonial-apartheid oppression was more brutal to women than any strata in society.
While women suffered from patriarchy in precolonial society in Africa under the communal UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 50 and feudal systems, however the process of colonialism and class exploitation relegated them to non-entities with no political, social, and economic rights.

This is traceable from the promulgation of the Glen Grey Act of 1894 by the Cape Colonial Government.
This Act established a system of individual land ownership and introduced a labour tax forcing men to employment in commercial farms.

The Glen Grey Act was promulgated at the time when land was the only means of production and survival dependent on access.

The impact was that because tax was imposed on men it meant women were denied the right to work as they were not regarded as tax paying citizens.
Prior to the Glen Gray Act land was regarded as a collective property of the African community and women enjoyed access and participated in the agricultural economy.

The process of colonialism, not only ushered a system of exploitation which excluded women from economic activity and created income inequalities skewed in favour of men, but it also transformed patriarchal relations in Africa by ushering in new cultural practices which are characterised by the commodification women as the property.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 51 It is common course that the apartheid colonialism existed to protect and preserve the system of capitalist accumulation.

It promulgated pass laws to regulate the movement of Africans in the cities who were meant to provide cheap labour in the mines and surrounding industries.

Women could not exist in certain spaces without having a husband who can vouch for them or unless they were carrying a permit.
The women’s movement was the first amongst the oppressed groups to protest the pass laws.

In as early as 1919 the Bantu Women’s League, under its first president Dr Charlotte Maxeke, undertook a passive resistance against the application of pass laws to women by mobilising 5 000 African and coloured women to sign a petition.
In 1930 addressing a conference of European and Bantu Christian Students Organisation, Dr Charlotte Maxeke captured the perilous conditions which defined the existence of women in the cities under the pass laws when she said: If these circumstances obtain when husband and wife live together in the towns, imagine the case of the woman, whose husband has gone to town and left her, forgetting apparently all his responsibilities.
Here we get young UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 52 women, the flower of the youth of the Bantu, going up in towns in search of their husbands, and as I have already stated, living as the reputed wives of other men, because of the location requirements, or becoming housekeepers to men in the locations and towns, and eventually their nominal wives.
We can deduce that the process of apartheid colonialism thrusted upon African women a situation where with very little choice they had to work as sex workers.

This is as much of a reality today as it was back in those days.

We need to pay attention to the plight of sex workers and the conditions they face in their line work, and to respond to calls made by civil society for the decriminalisation of sex work because sex work is also work.
Criminalisation of sex work enabled widespread abuses, especially by the police.

It also exacerbates the stigma associated with sex work, but also prevent access to fundamental rights.

For example, it is critically important that sex workers have access to health care facilities in order to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 53 There is also a need for government to consider well-crafted programmes for when sex workers exited their profession.

Therefore, we welcome the decision by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to hold consultative meetings on the issue of decriminalisation of sex-work.
Hon Chairperson and members, there can be no doubt that the women’s movement has come a long way since the Women’s Charters of 1954 and 1994.

Significant milestones have been achieved since 1994 such as ensuring the participation of women in the political and legislative authorities.

We have been able to open up opportunities in education and skilling sectors for women and we have ensured that we create a social security net with interventions that prioritise women.
However, despite our impressive record, the legacy of apartheid colonialism continues to haunt us and the conditions of women, as those who constitute the majority of the population, continue to be nervous.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global gender gap report, South Africa ranks 14th in political empowerment, 10th in the percentage of women in parliament, and 12th in the percentage of women in ministerial positions.
However, it ranks 92nd in economic participation and opportunity, and UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 54 131st for wage equality for similar work where the gender gap is still 49.6%.

This should highlight the urgency of the program for radical socioeconomic transformation.
Hon Chairperson, as we conclude, we would like to point out that the Women’s Charter 2021 calls upon us to make a paradigm shift in our approach in order to effect the changes that we have sought since the promise of 1994.

We must ensure that, amongst other things, gender sensitive amendments in policy design, gender budgeting, and the mainstreaming of gender perspectives find expression in the implementation of programmes.
This will ensure that the developmental state, which must mobilise market and non-market stakeholders towards a developmental agenda, prioritises women and the gender question as it resolves the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequalities.

I thank you, Chairperson.

Ms C N RAKGOALE (Limpopo: MEC for Social Development): Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Ma’am Sylvia Lucas, hon members, good afternoon.
It is my pleasure to be part of today’s National Council of Provinces’ debate on the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development.

This debate comes a day after the celebration of International Women’s Day which was held in Limpopo, led by Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 55 Disabilities, Mme Maite Nkoana Mashabane.
It is important that during times like these, we celebrate all the positive strides that have been made in the development and empowerment of women.

The celebration presented an opportunity for all of us to pause and reflect on the significant strides that have been made by the ANC led government in ensuring that the rights of women, economic empowerment and gender parity are realised in the democratic dispensation.
I must say without fear of contradiction that the democratic government has done a lot in ensuring that there is not only constant, but consistent growth in fending for the rights of our women, children and people living with disabilities across the board.

Statistics suggests that at the provincial level, women’s representation has increased from 30% to 43% after the 2019 national elections.
Limpopo province has the largest proportion of women, with 53% of seats in the legislature occupied by women, surpassing the Southern African Development Community’s parity target.

Additionally, women constitute 43% of the Cabinet and 40% of councillors in local government.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 56 However, the generation of today must ensure that the dreams of our earlier generations’ women such as, Umama uCharlotte Mannya Maxeke, Lillian Ngoyi, Sophia de Bruyn, Albertina Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and many more are realised.

Government and the private sector must redouble efforts in ensuring that total women emancipation is achieved in our lifetime.
Our forebears worked tirelessly to see to it that our people are serviced irrespective of race, culture and gender.

Their every action was aimed at achieving liberation and equality in society and creating platforms for advancing women’s rights.

As the situation stands, the majority of South Africans, especially those in rural provinces such as Limpopo, are largely dependent on government’s social grants, which are mainly within the Department of Social Development.
These grants are in fact the main source of income for about 18 million citizens across the country.

In Limpopo, half of the population’s households depend on the provision of these grants.

Further, the South African government extended the R350 social relief of distress, SRD, grant to further assist our people who are in dire situation.
We must all take comfort to the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 57 fact that government is doing its best in ensuring that our citizens, our people are kept afloat, and it continues to create an enabling environment for the private sector to invest and create employment opportunities.
Guided by this reality we are indeed delighted that the sixth administration as led by President Cyril Ramaphosa is determined to ensure that no South African, especially the vulnerable groups of our society go to bed on an empty stomach.

We must also use this day to confront some of these issues that are still hampering the empowerment and development of our women.
In Limpopo, like in some parts of the country, we still experience social ills such as; gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, school bullying, substance abuse and general violence meted out against the vulnerable groups of society.

We can never fully celebrate this day while we are still experiencing some of these challenges mentioned above in our communities.
Gender-based violence and other social ills remain stumbling blocks to the progress we should be making towards the complete liberation of women.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 58 In his state of the province address delivered a few weeks ago, the Limpopo Premier, Chupu Stanley Mathabatha, spoke sharply against this phenomenon.
He said, and I quote: Our particular attention is focused on gender-based violence which has reached unprecedented levels of brutality and barbarism.

Perpetrators of this violence are becoming more vicious with each day that passes.

We have seen women being killed in their homes, women are killed on the street, women are victimised at workplaces and women are still being killed while in possession of a protection order against their abusive partners.
We simply cannot afford to fold our arms and watch while the women of our country become endangered species.

Faced by this reality, the Limpopo Provincial Government, established a technical committee on gender-based violence in order to bolster accountability, co-ordination and leadership in the fight against the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide.

A step in the right direction, but we cannot fight this war alone.
I am inviting all sectors of our society, from the religious community, traditional leadership, NGOs, political parties and everyone, to join hands with government UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 59 in confronting this vicious monster called gender-based violence and femicide.

This is a fight we all cannot afford to lose.

This is a monster that affects all of us and is fast becoming a pandemic of its own proportion.
There is also a strong relationship between violence and substance abuse.

The fight against the abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a fight for a peaceful and orderly society.

It is my strong conviction that gender-based violence will only end when each one of us takes responsibility for the happenings in their own homes, in their backyards, communities, in their workplaces, in their places of worship and in their schools.
I must indicate that for as long as women remain burdened by the societal conditioning towards sexual vulnerability; as long as women shoulder the greatest burden of poverty; for as long as they form the largest part of those unemployed in our society; for as long as they are paid less than their male counterparts; for as long as they struggle to start businesses; for as long as they face discrimination in the workplace; for as long as women confront these and other countless challenges, our vision of an equal and just society will remain elusive.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 60 We must all of us be directed by the Women’s Charter which was adopted in 1954 to set the tone for today’s democratic order.

The charter was reviewed in 1994 under the Women’s National Coalition which adopted the Women’s Charter for Effective Equality.

Women’s Charter review process was taken during the Women’s Parliament held in August 2019, to cover all nine provinces.
In 2020 the Limpopo government managed to convene the district review sessions to take stock on the progress made in implementing the articles of the Women’s Charter since the advent of freedom and democracy.

The review process was conducted in all the five districts of the province.

This was a multi-stakeholder initiative with a sole purpose of advancing women’s economic empowerment and inclusion.
Since the dawn of our democracy, work has been done to transform our society, to bridge the material divides between black and white, between men and women, between boys and girls, between urban and rural.

We have made significant progress in several areas, not least in the provision of health care, education and essential services and infrastructure to the poor.
But we have not fundamentally transformed patterns of ownership, control and benefit in our UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 61 economy.

The empowerment of women is not negotiable and is therefore an integral part of our effort to achieve inclusive growth, create jobs and expand economic opportunities for all.

It is a task that requires a dedicated and unrelenting attention.
There is another reason why this 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development initiative is so vitally important.

The economic empowerment of women is one of the pillars of our National Strategic Plan of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, as I have already alluded to.

By improving the economic circumstances of women, we are reducing their vulnerability to abuse and violence.

By being less economically dependent on male partners, women have a better chance ...

[Interjections.]
[Interjections.]

A word of warning to us all seated here, COVID-19 arrived on our shores and as a country, we did what we needed to do to save lives.

There have been consequences that have followed as an aftermath, and we are all alive to this reality.

It is now more crucial than ever to ensure that all our collective efforts in empowering the women of our society do not begin to degenerate.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 62 I want to leave you with the encouraging words of President Ramaphosa when he was delivering the state of the nation address last month and he said: Time and time again, we have pulled ourselves back from the brink of despair and inspired hope, renewal, and progress.

Now, we must do so again.


Let us forge a new consensus to confront a new reality, a consensus that unites us behind our shared determination to reform our economy and rebuild our institutions.

As we are regrouping to build our economy again, we will make sure that all people, irrespective of gender are empowered fully and equally.

I thank you.

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY FOR WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Chair, good evening.
I thank you again for the opportunity to participate in this very important Women’s Charter Review for Accelerated Development, which is taking place a day after the commemoration of the International Women’s Day.
I must say that we had a very good interaction yesterday with Member of Executive Council, MEC, Rakgoale and more than 100 UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 63 women farmers as we are preparing for the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, CSW66.
CSW66 this year will be different because we have been given the honour to be, as a country, the chair of the session whose theme is: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes; which will be under the Chairship of South Africa – as I said.
CSW is an important organ of the United Nations, UN, that must be utilized to maximize the advancement of gender equality and empowerment of women.

The timing of the chairing of the Commission is critical.
In preparation for South Africa’s participation in the 66th Session, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities together with the Departments of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment as well as Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development have been coordinating sessions on the priority theme with different stakeholders including women farmers to hear how climate change has affected them.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 64 We seek to carry to New York a South African position that reflects the collective strength of women in driving gender equality through key reforms.

We have concluded two of the three ongoing consultations planned at the national level to consolidate a national position.

As I said, yesterday we spent time in Limpopo; we will be in North West.

Our director-general is the Northern Cape; we will continue doing that.
What emerged even yesterday, I’m sure MEC Rakgoale had spoken to this, are the persisting challenges that continue to impede women’s advancement in these male dominated fields, especially the issue of water licences, that affect them negatively because you cannot be a farmer and not have water for your crops and animals.

Furthermore, South Africa is one of the 12 countries selected by the UN women to present its country review on the economic empowerment of women in the changing world of work.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 65 Hon members and Chair, ANC-led government inherited, in 1994, a country built on the systematic exclusion of women.

The South African economy had been shaped by a century of patriarchal, segregationist and exclusionary policies that marginalized most of the women from meaningful economic participation.
A major legacy of apartheid has been the feminisation of poverty and gendered inequalities that continue to impact on the lives of many South African women today.
The road to strengthening our democracy must be anchored in the actions outlined in the Generation Equality Forum that seeks to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action which is the instrument developed by women from all walks of life and is being monitored by UN women and reported and discussed by member states annually at the CSW.

South Africa has a long history of women’s collective struggle waged against intersecting struggles.
It is through this bold revolutionary efforts of great women that we enjoy the rights and freedoms of their actions, like Mme [Ms] Charlotte Mannya Maxeke.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 66 The formation of the Women’s National Coalition in 1992 was critical in ensuring that the democratic transition of South Africa envisions freedom of all people, particularly minority groups including women, children, persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual and many other gender and sexual identities, LGBTQIA+ and other persons.
The Charter Campaign became the vehicle to which to drive a narrative of inclusive development for all South Africans.

Through the Charter Campaign, the Women’s National Coalition drafted and presented the Women’s Charter for Effective Equality to Convention for a Democratic SA, CODESA, for inclusion in the Bill of Rights.

This Charter was adopted in 1994 and served as the basis on which the gender agenda was promised.
Hon Chairperson, the period since 1994 has been characterized by government efforts to effect political, economic and social transformation.

In addition, our government has sought to overcome the barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment with a clear intent to transform historical gender imbalances.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 67 Chapter 1 and 2 of the Constitution provides an enabling framework that guides the introduction of policies and laws to enforce transformation, non-discrimination; non-sexism and equality for women and their equal representation and full participation in national government structures, decision- making and leadership positions.
Chair and hon members, economic transformation and empowerment of women is part of the mandate we established in 1994.

While many strides have been made, more still needs to be done.

We need to remove all barriers put by patriarchy and its enablers to ensure that women participate effectively in the mainstream economy.
Government has introduced a range of policies and programmes designed to facilitate women’s economic empowerment, to provide business resources, information and opportunities for South African women entrepreneurs.

However, there has been limited success.

Women’s unequal share of unpaid care and domestic work is an important barrier to economic empowerment and wellbeing.

And this reflects the time-intensive nature of some tasks performed around the home, such as caring for other household members.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 68 While there is still a long way to go, women have started to break through the glass ceilings in the corporate world.

This, especially in previously male dominated fields such as manufacturing, finance, big business, science, engineering, mathematics, technology, Information and Communication Technology, ICT, related fields, mining and construction, just to count but a few.
Overall, women have made significant strides in ensuring that they are better represented and have a voice in Parliament, in the judiciary, in cabinet, in the public service, in the corporate world and in the society at large.
Chair and ladies and gentlemen, it is important to reflect on key gender priorities on how to overcome persisting challenges as we move towards the target date of the UN Agenda 2030, the National Development Plan: Vision 2030 as well as working towards the African Union, AU, Agenda 2063.

I wish to thank hon Sylvia Lucas and her esteemed team, the hon members of the NCOP in leading a review of the Women’s Charters across all 9 provinces, 44 districts and 8 metropolitan municipalities from 2019-20.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 69 It is out of this extensive review that the Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development 2021 emerged.

It is truly a demand document for the women of South Africa.

Hon Chair, in 1995 the country adopted the Beijing Platform for Action.

The core principle underpinning the implementation of this instrument to advance women and girls and achieve gender equality in this approach and gender mainstreaming.
Gender mainstreaming demonstrates the need for significant shift in focus and approach to the budgetary process as an important policy framework, administrative tool and governance ethics.

Since democracy, South Africa has initiated a number of gender responsive budget initiatives and is seen as leading both in the continent and globally.

Yet women remain economically and socially impoverished.
As the members are aware, the Cabinet approved the Gender Responsive Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing Framework in 2019.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 70 This framework is being implemented across the government and Gender Responsive Budgeting, GRB, is an important component of the framework and aims to bring gender mainstreaming to public finances, which ultimately results in gender responsive budgets.
Gender responsive budgets are not separate budgets for women but are general budgets that are planned, approved, executed, monitored and audited in a gender responsive way.

In February this year the department, with the support of the European Union, hosted a policy dialogue on Gender Responsive Budgeting to improve understanding and implementation of GRB.
I am proud and honoured to announce that this dialogue was attended virtually by over 700 participants from all over the world who wanted to hear what South Africa is doing.

This shows the critical nature of this process.

At the heart of gender budgeting is a response to the needs of the recipients of public services.
Measuring the degree to which public services provided for by public finances, meet the needs of men and women, boys and girls, for whom they were UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 71 designed, is the first step toward making budgets that are gender sensitive.
Clear target setting per industry Sectoral Master Plan and economic empowerment it’s what we all should gear up for and continue working together even including running workshops where it is necessary, for us to know what to ask for but above all work together with all the society but in particular government.

I thank you, Chair.
I thank you, Chair.

Ms B P SHIBA (Mpumalanga): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, House Chairperson, hon members of the House, hon Chief Whip of the NCOP, permanent and special delegates of the NCOP, Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, my colleagues Members of the Executive Council, MECs present, good afternoon.

House Chairperson, the Women’s Charter gives expression to the diverse experiences, visions and aspirations of South African Women.
The Women’s Charter Accelerated Development drafted in 2021, demonstrated that when women are united for a common course they are able to achieve more.

Hon House Chairperson, we all know that the 1954 Women’s Charter was adopted at the Founding Conference of the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 72 Federation of South African Women in Johannesburg, on 17 April 1954.
Some of the giants on whose shoulders the Women’s Charter stand are veteran activists such as Helen Joseph, Lilian Ngoyi Florence Mkhize, Ray Alexander, Dora Tamana and many who dared the brutal regime and fought for women’s rights.

At the time the charter expressed the philosophy and aims of the then newly established Federation of South African Women, FEDSAW.
These include: The right to vote and to be elected to all state bodies, without restriction or discrimination, the right to full opportunities for employment with equal pay and possibilities of promotion in all spheres of work, equal rights with men in relation to property, marriage and children, and for the removal of all laws and customs that deny women such equal rights.
For the development of every child through free compulsory education for all, for the protection of mother and child through maternity homes, welfare clinics, crèches and nursery schools, in countryside and towns, through proper homes for all, and through the provision of water, light, transport, sanitation, and other amenities of modern civilization.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 73 For the removal of all laws that restrict free movement, that prevent or hinder the right of free association and activity in democratic organisations, and the right to participate in the work of these organisations.

To build and strengthen women’s sections in the national liberatory movements and the organisation of women in trade unions, and through the peoples’ varied organisation.
To co-operate with all other organisations that have similar aims in South Africa as well as throughout the world.

To strive for permanent peace throughout the world.
Hon House Chairperson and members, the real essence of the charter is well captured on its preamble which reads as follows: We, the women of South Africa, wives and mothers, working women and housewives, African, Indians, European and Coloured, hereby declare our aim of striving for the removal of all laws, regulations, conventions and customs that discriminate against us as women, and that deprive us in any way of our inherent right to the advantages, responsibilities and opportunities that society offers to any one section of the population.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 74 Through this charter, women pledged themselves to keep high the banner of equality, fraternity and liberty.

They took the challenge and burden of removing from our society all the social differences developed in past times between men and women, that entrenches the effect of keeping women’s gender in a position of inferiority and subordination.
They resolved to struggle for the removal of laws and customs that deny African women the right to own, inherit or alienate property.

They resolved to work for a change in the laws of marriage, which have the effect of placing wives in the position of legal subjection to husbands, and giving husbands the power to dispose of wives’ property and earnings, and dictate to them in all matters affecting them and their children.
Hon House Chairperson, a lot of ground has been covered since the adoption of the initial Women’s Charter and a number of ground-breaking legislation have been passed and are today the cornerstone of the women emancipation.

One of those is the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 0f 1996, Chapter 2, the equality clause that lays the foundation for protecting women’s rights.
The UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 75 equality clause provides the legal framework within which gender equality is protected and forbids discrimination against anyone on the grounds of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation and ethnic or social origin.
Hon House Chairperson and members, the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, including the pervasive levels of gender based violence and femicide, represent the amalgamated and most persistent challenges faced by women.
The depth of this challenge is well captured by the former Malawi President and the author of the book, From Day One, Joyce Banda, when she said: Discrimination and social norms that penalize girls and women do not start at the adolescence, and by the time girls turn 10, it is often too late to undo the damage that has already been done.
The feminisation of poverty is significant because poverty is experienced differently by women, as compared to men, more so due to the economic political and social dynamics prevalent in UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 76 the country, which is the most unequal in the world and incomes are highly polarized.
Overcoming this deeply entrenched and cyclical nature of generational poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment, particularly as disproportionately experienced by women, will require concerted and sustained efforts from sectors of society.

Hon House Chairperson, in conclusion let me highlight a bit that Women in Mpumalanga have proven that when women are given an opportunity to access land, they make good use of that land.
Women in Mpumalanga contested in the forestry, livestock, agro processing and crop production in the adult, youth and persons with disabilities categories in the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, DALLRD Female Entrepreneur Awards and achieved up to the overall national prizes.

These shows that despite the limitation posts on women, when they find an opportunity, they display their resilience.

Thank you very much, House Chairperson for the opportunity.
Ms T MODISE: Hon Chair, hon members, my colleagues, let me start with a quotation from tata Nelson Mandela: “Freedom UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 77 cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression.” We can never fully enjoy ... am I protected?

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr K M Mmoeimang): Hon MEC, can you mute, please?

You are protected.

You can continue.


Ms T MODISE: We can never fully enjoy the fruits of our democracy without the emancipation of women.

We have identified gender-based violence and femicide, GBVF, as an endemic in our country.

Sorry Chairperson, I am using two gadgets due to the network problem.

It does not only impede the development of women but also of our country, economically.

Statistics have indicated that South Africa is the most dangerous country for a woman to live in.
It is said that only 25% of women in our country feel safe when walking alone at night.

We must change this reality for our women, we must continue our efforts to build a safe society for women and children, in fact, for everyone in our country, to feel safe.

It cannot be that year by year the, figures on the number of women killed or violated increases.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 78 The violence aimed at women is deeply embedded in patriarchy and the high levels of inequality is our society.

The Women’s Charter explains that “domestic violence in South Africa is a consequence of the complex interplay of patriarchy, culture and the negative masculine construct”.
This patriarchal cultural belief, still prevalent today, emphasises male assertiveness and domination of women, influences the constructions of masculinity and reinforces domestic violence.

Noting and understating the roots of the challenge of gender- based violence and femicide that we are seized with today, the National Strategic Plan, NSP, on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide addresses issues of toxic masculinity, to further drive our agenda of social cohesion.
The NSP makes provision for addressing this issue through pillar two of prevention, and the rebuilding of social cohesion.

In doing so, we try to shift away from toxic masculinity, towards embracing positive alternative approaches to explaining masculinities and other sexual and gender identities.
Acknowledging that violence is deeply entrenched in the social-cultural fibre of families, communities and extended to the broader society, it therefore becomes imperative to involve communities and families, if we are to truly engage UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 79 and solve the challenges that we face.
After all, gender-based violence is not only a government problem, it is a societal problem that requires a multifaceted approach, if we are to deal with it.

In the first year of the implementation of the NSP, we have continued to address a number of initiatives to address harmful social norms, by respective government departments, civil organisations, the labour movement, faith-based organisations and the private sector.
These sectors comprehend the importance of stopping gender-based violence before it even happens.

The Department of Social Development has bolstered preventative efforts amongst communities, in partnership with civil organisations.

We have also integrated programming interventions within departments to address the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide more strategically, to widen and deepen impact.
As government, we are also increasing capacity in the public sector through the National School of Government amongst public servants, to identify and respond to gender-based violence through a five-day gender course and its course of championing antidiscrimination in the public service.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 80 We are also working with the education sector, by building the capacity of educators and school management, to facilitate inclusive teaching and learning.

If we are to address gender- based violence, we also have to be aware of the manner that we socialise to teach our children - girls and boys.

We must utilise mechanisms appealing to children to address matters of violence.
The Department of Basic Education is a key department in prevention and has undertaken a range of important interventions, including the use of sport and play to address social ills, particularly those that are contributing factors to gender-based violence such at, bullyism, substance abuse, human trafficking and sexual abuse even amongst themselves.
These measures are also in the form of running webinars to locate GBVF prevention and as part of the wider social cohesion, prevention and nation-building agenda and through interventions, to facilitate gender responsiveness at the level of education textbooks and tools.

There has been vast progress that has been made in the implementation of the NSP on GBVF.
As government, our primary priority is to institutionalise the NSP on GBV across UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 81 government and it has been our key focus in order to build a stable foundation for the effective implementation of the plan.

We note the challenges along the way.


However, as government, through the Department of Women Youth and Persons with Disabilities, we continue to play a catalyst and oversight role, for effective co-ordination and institutionalisation of the NSP.

The process of rolling out the NSP took place in various provinces, and the following successes were recorded.

Firstly, the NSP-GBVF is aligned in existing structures, to expedite the process of implementation of the plan.
Continuing with the spirit of the multisectoral approach, there is visible progress in provinces where civil organisations are actively involved in the provincial structures.

And in most provinces, the monitoring and evaluation plans are in place.
Secondly, progress has also been made to address the systematic challenges that have resulted in an inadequate response to the management of GBV cases, and the facilitation UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 82 of access to justice, safety and protection in response to the needs of GBVF.

Setswana: The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr K M Mmoeimang): Lebala ke la gago.
Ms T MODISE: This is some of the progress that government has done to mitigate the scourge of gender-based violence, however we do acknowledge that much still needs to be done.

We have to improve the state of our shelters to also cater for persons belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

In provinces where ... Gender-based violence requires all of us to be activist, and confront toxic behaviours when confronted by them.
It is up to all of us to work towards the goals of the NDP where women and children feel safe and secure.

South Africa, let us change the narrative that we are the most dangerous country for a woman live in.

Our Constitution is seen to be the most progressive in the world, and it promotes and acknowledges rights for everyone, promoting tolerance in our country.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 83 In conclusion, let us make this country safe for future generations and stop pointing fingers, but instead, solve the problem that affects and impacts all of us despite race, class or gender.
As in my opening quote, I quote Nelson Mandela: “Freedom cannot be achieved, unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression.” As I conclude, I leave you with this quote from our former statesman: “If you want to change the world, help the women.” The Acting HOUSE CHAIRPERS (Mr K M Mmoiemang): Thank you, hon Modise for taking part in the debate with the theme: Setting a 25-Year vision and agenda to advance Women’s equality, growth and development Afrikaans: Mnr S F DU TOIT: Agb Voorsitter, ek is trots op vroue wat ten spyte van uitsluitende wetgewing, ankers vir die nasie, opvoeding vir ‘n volk, ’n voorbeeld vir die wêreld en liefde in die huis is.
English: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 84 The adoption of the first Women’s Charter on 17 April 1954 during the founding conference of the Federation of South African Women, called for the “empowerment of men and women of all races, for equal opportunities in employment, equal pay for equal work, equal rights in relation to property rights, marriage and children, and the removal of all laws and customs that denied women such equality”.

Did this happen?
Did this happen?

What happened instead?

Department of Environmental Affairs has implemented the gender action plan, that gives preference to the appointment of black Woman, to achieve its gender empowerment and equality mandate, ie not all woman benefit from this.

Afrikaans: Hierdie wetgewing gee nie voorkeur aan alle vroue nie, maar aan swart vroue!
English: The following legislation, Acts and empowerment models, are some of the measures that was put in place to ensure advancement of some, not on the basis of merit, but gender, resulting in woman benefiting from these initiatives to be reduced to mere quotas: broad-based black economic UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 85 empowerment, Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, the National Environmental Management Act, the South African Network for Women in Transport, the National Housing Act, the Social Housing Act, SALGA’s Women’s Commission introduced the 50/50 approach, where 50% of the people elected in leadership positions must be women.
It has been argued in some circles that some of the woman in government structures that are in leadership positions are frowned upon.

Why?

Because it is uncertain if they are there on merit or gender?

Afrikaans: Vroue word deur hierdie wetgewing bemagtig op die basis van hul geslag en nie op meriete nie, dus word baie van hierdie vroue gereduseer tot kwotas wat voordeel uit wetgewing en voorskrifte ontvang het.
English: It’s a privilege and honour to acknowledge women that have achieved success, in spite of all the current social economic and domestic challenges.

Afrikaans: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 86 Die VF Plus glo in gelyke regte en gelyke geleenthede vir vroue en haal ons hoed af vir elke vrou wat in strukture sukses volgens meriete behaal het.

Julle verdien dit!

Baie huishoudings is ook deur wetgewing soos regstellende aksie benadeel.
Vele Vroue wat deur wetgewing gedwing is om alleen die broodwinner in die huis te wees, ma en mentor te wees, en steeds ondersteunende vrou tot bekwame werklose man te wees, nie omdat hy onwillig is om te werk nie, maar omdat wetgewing hom verhoed om sy volwaardige rol in die huishouding en samelewing te vertolk en as hulp tot sy vrou op te tree.

Ek bedank vandag vroue wat nie moed opgee nie, ten spyte van onregverdige wetgewing wat haar daarvan ontneem om haar passie op welke wyse uit te leef.
Dankie aan elke vrou wat boerderye deur droogtes gebid het, wat stukkende gesinne met geloof in God na plaasaanvalle bygestaan het.

Dankie aan elke vrou wat raap en skraap om honger monde te voed, ’n kind se dors na kennis te les en steeds tyd maak om met deernis ’n skurwe moeë hand ’n drukkie te gee na ’n UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 87 moeilike dag, wat deur hul optrede bewys dat vroue nie spesiale voorkeur nodig het om sukses te behaal nie!
Julle is in staat en is spesiaal!

Dankie, aan die vrou wat haarself nie beperk en as die gesig van armoede in Suid-Afrika sien nie.

Julle is die morele kompas in baie se lewens!

Hierdie is vroue wat bewys het dat geen bevoordelende wetgewing, die bepalende faktor was om hul as leiers en suksesvolle inividue bo die res te laat uitstyg nie!

Hierdie vroue het ’n wilsbesluit, deursettingsvermoë, inisiatief, kriatiewe denke en ’n onuitblusbare passie vir sukses en oorlewing!

Vroue van formaat!
Vroue van formaat!

English: Great respect to modern female giants that achieved great success without allowing to be labelled: Melanie Jacobs, motivational speaker and life coach; entrepreneurs like Michelle Brits, Elizabeth van der Bijl, Alita du Plessis.

All, Women of stature!

Thank you.


Mr M I RAYI: Thank you very much, hon House Chairperson, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 88 hon Chief Whip, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon MECs, hon fellow delegates and special delegates, I am honoured to participate in this debate.
My focus will be on recognising women as a motive force of change in Africa, struggles of women and girls and how South Africa has contributed to these struggles globally.

Understanding women’s organisational leadership in Africa is complicated.

Firstly, because of a lack of data; and secondly, due to constraints within organisational environments.
What we do know though, is that organisational culture does perpetuate stereotypes and biases about what women can do, sculpting women’s leadership and roles to fit predefined norms.

The ever-evolving human desire drives the development of men and women alike.

Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed a conspicuous change in women’s consciousness in Africa.
Many more women wish to be less and less involved in household management and child care, and are increasingly expanding their involvement in other areas of society.

However, there are always challenges particularly in business.

Women in business all around the world face barriers and Africa is no exception.
In Africa, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 89 there are more women in chief executive officers, CEOs, and board roles than the global average, according to McKinney’s 2016 report on Women Matter Africa.

Still, there are too few women in leadership positions in our country and in our continent.
Almost three decades ago, African women had reason to expect change following a much-heralded global conference that set ambitious targets to transform the lives of women across the world.

This year marks the 27th anniversary of that milestone event, the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, in 1995.

Like their counterparts elsewhere, African women are taking stock of progress and are asking to what extent promised reforms have been implemented?
They are also examining why progress has been limited in many countries and are seeking ways to overcome the obstacles.

During the last 30 years, there have been a number of signs of improvement.

There have been moves to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, a UN protocol, as well as the development of new policies and guidelines and creation of networks of gender experts.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 90 Hon members, poverty has a woman’s face.

For many African women, the Beijing platform and the various international instruments our governments have signed have yet to translate into positive changes in their daily lives.

They remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy, with poor access to land, credit, health and education.
While some of the agreements that African governments have ratified, enshrined property and inheritance rights, in most countries women are denied those very rights.

Compounding the situation are setbacks such as the HIV/Aids pandemic that is destroying the health of more women than men in Africa, eroding some of the development gains women have attained.

As a result, poverty in Africa continues to wear a woman’s face.
The findings of the Zimbabwe-based nongovernmental organization which is called Women in Law and Development in Africa, WILDAF, were distressing.

They found that 20 years after Beijing, African women were much poorer.

Perhaps the most inhibiting factor to women’s development is that women in Africa and in parts of our own country continue to be denied education, often the only ticket out of poverty.
Disparities between girls and boys start in primary school and the differences widen up through the entire educational UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 91 system.

The positive news though is that in total enrolment in primary education, Africa registered the highest relative increase during the last two decades.

Many now acknowledge that to enable women to escape poverty, development policies should place more emphasis on their contributions to the economy.
Even though women make up a significant proportion of the economically active population, their contribution is not fully recorded because they are mainly engaged in family farming or in the informal sector.

In other cases, what they do, such as household work, is not considered economic activities.

In agriculture, sub-Saharan Africa’s most vital economic sector, women contribute 60–80% of labour in food production, both for household consumption and for sale.
When we consider the phenomenon of climate change, we believe that it affects everyone, but it is the world’s poorest and those in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls, who bear the brunt of environmental, economic, and social shocks.

The same women and girls are also early adopters of new agricultural techniques, first responders when disaster strikes, and important decision-makers at home about energy UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 92 and waste.
We would argue that climate action cannot be successful or sustainable if it does not involve women.

The UN Secretary-General, His Excellency António Guterres, has singled out women’s leadership for their unique ability as drivers of solutions when they are empowered.

The UN analysis has shown that men and women have different coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities in the face of climate change.
It is not surprisingly, then, that gender dynamics are a factor in the consideration in designing and implementing strategies for adaptive approaches to climate change.

Patriarchal practices remain one of the biggest stumbling block to progress in South Africa and the continent.

Gender stereotypes can be a result of gender socialization.
Girls and boys are expected to act in certain ways, and these ways are socialized from birth by many parents and society, for example, in many households, girls are still expected to be clean and quiet, while boys are messy and loud.

As children get older, gender stereotypes become more apparent in styles of dress and choice of leisure activities.

Boys and girls who do not conform to gender stereotypes are usually ostracized by same age peers for being different.
This can lead to negative effects, such as lower self-esteem, substance abuse, suicides UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 93 and other antisocial behaviours, for instance, boys are more active, physical and play in larger spaces than girls.

In contrast, girls are more compliant, prosocial and play closer to adults than boys.
One important way in which children learn about gender roles and develop gender-type behaviour and attitudes is through their interactions with peers.

Hon members, women are most poorly represented at the highest level in management and leadership in both government and the private sector.

A 2017 South Africa survey found that while 20,7% of directors and 29,4% of executive managers were women, women accounted for only 11,8% of CEOs and chairpersons.

Women have traditionally faced a lack of ... okay.


Despite the challenges, more and more women are paving the way for young girls to become leaders in their own communities.

We hear every day of the accomplishments of South African women, from the everyday frontline work of women against the pandemic to the elevation of others to positions of influence and responsibility.
At this momentous time in the history of the global trading system, we celebrate one of our own, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 94 former Nigerian Finance Minister, former managing director of the World Bank Group, and non-resident distinguished fellow with the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative, who became the first woman ever and first African to head the World Trade Organization, WTO.

Thank you so much, hon House Chairperson.


Mr N M HADEBE: Thank you, House Chairperson, hon Chair, Deputy Chair, Chief Whip of the NCOP, provincial Whips and colleagues, as we are nearing the end of the fourth wave of the pandemic, we must take stock of the fact that the social and economic consequences of COVID-19 undeniably had a much greater impact on the women of our country.
According to Statistics SA, the rate of unemployment amongst women was recorded at 36,8% for the second quarter of 2021, compared to 32,4% amongst men.

This reality, coupled with the reality of climate change and the devastating consequences thereof on our natural resources, place an additional burden on women.

Women, according to the United Nations, UN, are much more vulnerable, as they are more dependent on natural resources and constitute the majority of the world’s poor.
This is even UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 95 more true for women in rural areas, whose livelihood depends on the sustainability of natural resources and access to land.

As we celebrated International Women’s Day on 8 March, under the theme: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, we must recognise this harsh reality.

We must ask ourselves, what we are doing?

And more importantly, what is the government doing to lessen this burden on women?
We urgently require the political will to implement policies aimed at empowering and uplifting women, especially in rural communities.

We cannot merely continue, year-on-year, to discuss the issue of gender equality and how to increase women’s access to land, especially in rural areas.

We need firm commitments from our government, and more importantly, we require the rollout of these initiatives.

We need to see these promises become reality.


Policies and programmes specifically designed to benefit women mean very little if women are not aware of these programmes, and if government fails to meet targets and timeframes provided for in these policies.
We therefore must ask ourselves, what is being done to inform women, specifically in rural areas of government initiatives that are aimed at empowering and uplifting women in the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 96 agricultural sector, and in the green economy.

How many women in rural areas are actually aware of skills training initiatives launched by government departments?
Again, we can continue to talk and talk, and publish lengthy discussion papers on the matter.

This will all mean very little if we do not analyse the outcomes of these initiatives.

Let us demand action and implementation.

Let us work together to empower and celebrate our women.

I thank you.

IsiXhosa: USEKELA MPHATHISWA WEZOLIMO, UBUYEKEZO LWEZEMIHLABA NOPHUHLISO LWAMAPHANDLE: Sihlalo weNdlu, uSihlalo kunye noSekela Sihlalo weNCOP, abameli abatshintsha-tshintshayo, amalungu asisigxina ayo le Ndlu.
Mandithathe eli thuba ndiliphiwayo lokuba nam ndithathe inxaxheba kulo mba mkhulu kangaka namhlanje.

Lo ngumba ojongene nokuba kungenziwa njani ukuphakamisa le komishoni ukuze baqhube babheke phambili abantu abangoomama, ngokukodwa ke amakhosazana asaze ngobuso elizweni ukuze akulungele ukukhokela i-Afrika nelizwe ngokubanzi.
Ndizakuqala ke ngokuzibulisela kubo bonke aBaphathiswa bamaPhondo abathe bandifaka esikolweni ngokuthi ndithathe UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 97 inxaxheba ngokuphulaphula, kananjalo nabaPhathiswa besikhanyisela ngakumbi ngezinto ezenziwa kumaphondo ethu.

Ndihlabeke kakhulu ke Sihlalo weNdlu, kuba eneneni ndiye ndayazi ngokubanzi ukuba ngamakhosikazi aphakamisayo ukuqinisekisa ukuba kukho ukutya kweli lizwe.
Zichaziwe ke ngabantu abathe bazizithethi phambi kwam izinto, iinxaxheba kwakunye neenkqubo ezikuwo la maphondo.

Ndiyavuya ke njengoko ilizwi lawo la makhosikazi eli loMzantsi Afrika lizakuvakala phakathi kwamazwi phaya eNew York, ngokukhokelwa nguMphathiswa wethu nabo bonke abazizithunywa besithi ... English: ... our voice as women in South Africa will be amongst the voices of the women of the world.
I’m very proud to say that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is already endorsing and agreeing that some work is being done.

I can tell that the new land tenure system has allowed women of this country to be allocated 117 000 hectares that is in their own hands today.
I also want to highlight the part that says, women in rural areas have inheritance in one way or UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 98 another where households were allocated land as a tradition still remains and those hectares remain in the hands of those homesteads.

But, indeed I agree with those who actually said not enough funds have been allocated to ensure that that land is put to use.

To an extent, it is always referred to the land that [Inaudible.]
I am also of the view and justifiably so, that it is not not the lack of the skills that these women are not successful in production rather it is the means of production where you don’t have water, where you don’t have required implements and as time change the climate changes and we therefore want to say that the department is actually prepared and our guidance through all the policies that were put created an ecosystem that is user friendly to our women and young people to engage in agriculture.
We are actually on track and our step plan is very clear on that and our policies agree that such programmes will be accelerated.

However, I would want to warn that all the human beings have actually adapted from where they come from.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 99 It is also important to understand the basic principles of adult education.
People, human beings learn only when education is brought to their doorstep and secondly remembering what former President Thabo Mbeki said in one of the manifestos.
He actually said, “We will place senior skilled professionals amongst our people where they are in order to support them.” I would argue that if at some stage we will not always be in a helicopter type of view but rather be local and localisation must take place and therefore there will be change and there will be a bottom approach to help our people.

Going forward, I would also argue that there is information, there is work under those books that our women wear.
There is wealth of information that is in those elderly women we now see in queues waiting for the grant.

If only they were empowered as we all agree to actually do what they used to do best.

Most of us in this House debating today, only went to school because agricultural products were a support for us to pay for UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 100 our fees.
May we in our wisdom pay respect to those and focus on the indigenous information because it will be helpful.

I also would want to say as long as we run in parallel lines, that in science are always referred to as never neat, we will not achieve the goals.

Hon chairperson and hon members, now is the time for us to focus on the new way of doing things.
That is the district development model to ensure that we come together as a way to attack the poverty, crimes and rape but let us be visible where our people are.

Chair in conclusion, I want to mention a few things that gender mainstreaming is an important issue within the climate negotiations space.

This climate matter will damage South Africa and the continent.

We need to start now and recognise why there was National Environmental Management Act.
It was to enable all of us in this House to preserve the land for the coming generation that is not here.

We can’t’ be allowed to ruin this land in a way of saying we are producing.

Let us preserve, let us focus on sustainable development by ensuring that we love our land.
We must also not forget that whatever burdens we carry as women, we must ensure that we are in a position to actually look after our UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 101 families in whatever businesses we are busy with but one other thing, we are good homemakers, we are those people who promote peace, understanding and love in a family life.

With that as a team we will win.


Hon members, thank you for listening to me and allowing me to participate in this historic debate after listening to the best debate yesterday.

It was so warm that it felt like we were in the same venue.

Thank you very much.

Mr M R BARA: Thank you, House Chairperson.

Hon House Chair, hon Minister, hon members, and fellow South Africans good day.
The Women’s Charter was adopted in 1954, and it played an important role in setting the tone for today’s democratic order by providing a foundation to build from.

It was when reviewed in 1994, under the Women’s National Coalition, which adopted the Women’s Charter for effective equality.

The Women’s Charter is a declaration of intent by the Federation of South African Women which clearly defines the rights, and privileges for women, by women in South Africa.
Under the Women’s Charter, it seeks to advocate that only women are entitled to seek maintenance from their spouse.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 102 However, mainly and most importantly, the right to full opportunities for employment with equal pay and possibilities of promotion in all spheres of work.
It also stipulated clearly equal rights with men in relation to property, marriage and children, and for the removal of all laws and customs that deny women such equal rights.

It therefore continues to unite women against political, social, legal and economic injustices.

It is therefore important to take stock of how far we have come as a nation to measure our successes in trying to strike a balance on gender bias in South Africa.
It is important to know how far we have come in creating a country that is favourable to South Africans in order to achieve gender parity in South Africa.

In the 6th Parliament of South Africa, women’s representation in the National Assembly stood at 46% and in the National Council of Provinces it is at 36%.

This is what we need to build on as a nation, positive representation for young South African women to see what is achievable.
The best we can do is to ensure that we open up our political landscape to ensure that all our community groups are adequately represented.
We must ensure that voices of women and other vulnerable groups are heard not only identifying who participates in these programmes, but that women can actively participate in these UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 103 programmes and can actively shape and influence how these programmes are put together to inform the needs and desires of women and other vulnerable groups.
It is important to create a gender sensitive – inclusive economic growth so as to give opportunities to women in South Africa.

In that way we would be able to ensure that labour policies and interventions effectively create opportunities for women participation and equal benefits.

Women economic empowerment is central to realising women’s rights and gender equality.
That in essence means agency and meaningful participation in economic decision making at all levels from the household to international institutions.

One of the key challenges that women have to go through is inaccessibility of heath care services.

Women in rural areas have to travel long distances before getting to medical facilities.

The government must ensure that health care services are accessible to women and with a special consideration of women in rural areas.
There have been specific cases when women from rural areas end up giving birth under unbearable conditions.

Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 104 achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

When women work, economies grow.

One key issue that has to be addressed is the fact that women are paid less than men even when the responsibilities are the same.
This unfortunately is a global trend that has to be addressed immediately to eradicate this unfair discriminate practice.

Violence, and harassment in the workplace affects women regardless of age, location, income or social status.

It is crucial for women to be protected as to ensure that gender- based violence and sexual harassment does not have space in the workplace and in society as a whole.

There must be legal protection for all women against sexual and racial harassment, abuse and assault.
There must be facilities staffed by trained personnel where women can report cases of rape, battery and sexual assault, undergo medical examination and receive appropriate treatment and counselling can be provided.

Therefore, all endeavours must be put in place including legal covers to protect women in society.

It is quite important for men to accept women as equal partners starting at home and to teach the young men and boys to treat women correctly.
Men must know that they can’t liberate themselves from discrimination practices and UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 105 prejudices and yet fail to extend the same to women in law and in practice.

We still have cases where adult male teachers find pleasure in impregnating young girls in various schools in South Africa.

The Department of Basic Education and the Department of Health must ensure that learner pregnancy in our schools comes to an end.
This happens while adult male teachers only recognise their own children as still young.

The national policy for the prevention and management of learner pregnancy interventions must be implemented to prevent learner or teenage pregnancy.

Women must have equal political leadership opportunity and access at all levels of government, the private sector and civil society organisations.

No political position should be based on gender or race.
Rural women must be part of decision- making structures in traditional communities.

We have seen no wrong doing where women are in chieftaincy in any community across the country.

South Africa has the best Constitution in the world.

We have the best Chapter 9 institutions compared to many countries around the globe.

All we need to do, is to ensure that South African citizens benefit from the good that the Constitution seeks to achieve.
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 106 House Chairperson, we have a lot of ground to cover for us to be really where we should be.

However, we have gone too far to go back.

Let’s soldier on, as we can see the finish line.

I thank you, House Chairperson.

Ms M N GILLION: Hon Chairperson, the oppression of women has affected their political, social and their economic life.
Within the socio aspect, various dimensions affect the socio position of women and their freedoms.

Our society being patriarchal breed a lot on discrimination and marginalisation of women.

Culture is one dimension which has had a profound impact on the freedoms of women and the type of reproductive practices they can undertake.

Religion is another social institution which also influences our women to exercise their reproductive rights.
From an economic point of access, reproductive health care very skewed to the level of inequality in our society.

Despite the access provided by our public health care system.

The inequalities in our dual health care systems has an impact to access.
It is for this reason that the National Health Insurance is a necessary policy imperative of the ANC as it will expand UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 107 access and this will contribute in providing health care for all women as public health care as other capacity challenges.
As Cathy Albertyn in a paper claiming and defending abortion rights in South Africa noted that interestingly for women in the exiled ANC, the conditions of exile serve to inform them on issues of reproductive choice.

At this point the burdens of motherhood, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies combined with poor health acre, unsafe and illegal abortions.
Further increasing relief by the ANC women section that abortion should be ligalised in a democratic South Africa providing a basis for the development of public health and feminists arguments of the 1990s.

South Africa legalized abortion services through the choice on the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996.

The law is considered as the most progressive abortion laws globally.

Since its inception in 1996, abortion related deaths and injuries are estimated to have reduced by over 90%.
This is the paradigm shift on reproductive health in our country.

This is an outcome of a protected process due to the different diversion views of citizens on access to reproductive health care such as abortion.

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 108 The abortion law has transferred the freedom of women and their right to take decisions which have to do with their reproductive rights.
The most important aspect of the choice on the Termination of Pregnancy Act, is the fact that it allows pregnant women to take deceptions without the authority of anyone else to terminate a pregnancy.

This is to protect the reproductive rights of women without being pressured by anyone else including their partner.

The Women’s Charter in article 11, on health clearly outlines that women in particular are unaware of their rights in relation to health services.
The health services have not been appropriately orientated to meet women’s health needs and priorities the lack of basic life sustaining services such as water and sanitation has denied the majority of South Africans access to the resources necessary to ensure good health.

The Charter calls for equal, affordable and accessible health care services which means specific women’s health needs shall be provided.
Women have the right to control over their bodies which includes the right to reproductive decisions.

Access to information and knowledge to enable women to make informed UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 109 choices about their bodies and bout the health care should be provided.

Education about family planning and family planning services should be provided free of charge to both men and women.
Appropriate and accessible mental health care services must be provided to women The Women’s Charter and Priority actions on social protection as a mechanism to advance gender equality has prioritised providing access to adequate protections for girls and women of reproductive age, including pregnant women, girls and new mothers.

This is a concrete expression of power to the people and ensuring that the rights of women are restored.

Reproduction rights are human rights.


The implementation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act has also come with challenges.

One of the major challenges is around access to reproductive health care which is timeous and holistic in providing comprehensive support for women.

There are a number of factors that impact access that can be poor services provided by health practitioners stigmatizing reproductive health care in the community.
The privacy and safe psychosocial support are important, noting the deferent UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 110 attitudes and perspectives on abortion, an example or access to other birth control measures that are important.

In other location, reproductive serves are accessible distant from communities that have led to an increase of private services in reproductive rights.
We are gravely concerned as the ANC on illegal providers offering reproductive health services in rural and urban areas.

Research has reported that approximately 50% of abortions are ocarina outside of designated health facilities.

Many women and girls especially those from poor backgrounds and marginalised communities still struggle to access safe abortion services due to structural and systemic barriers.
Chairperson, in order to address this problem, it is important that we increase awareness and information sharing among all women in our country so that they fully understand the sexual and reproductive rights and the different services that our government provides.
Hon Chairperson, as I conclude, the ANC with the people of South Africa, has laid a basis for the continuation of women struggle and generations to come will surely live in a better UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 111 society where women have equal and better opportunities.

I thank you, Chairperson.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Papa, Jomo Nyambi, hon Chairperson, as the protocol has been established, I would like to continue in saying I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the members and provinces who participated in this debate, and we could see that members acknowledged that this document, our Women’s Charter as it is reviewed, on the surface one of the key instruments in serving as a guide and a roadmap to accelerate the realisation of gender equality.
I think there is quite a considerable consensus that this will require that we do not continue to pay lip service to the issues facing the women of the country.

Just like the members, the women of South Africa spoke unanimously that we must employ every instrument available to change the material conditions of women.

The women of South Africa see us and Parliament as a champion of their plight.

Before I continue, I want to appreciate the members that have participated in this debate.
I would love to, if time allows, just take out one or two issues from what the members have said to indicate that it is true that our members are taking the issues of gender UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 112 equality seriously.

We are also taking the fact that the Women's Charter is the roadmap and the document they provide for us.
We want to congratulate the Eastern Cape for the fact that it is indicating that more and more women are being appointed in positions of power, particularly the administration.

And also there is one issue that was raised by the hon Christians, the issue of child marriages.
I think in our consultation and hon Christians, as one members that was quite consistent in attending the consultation processes, will know that the issue of customary law was an issue that was consistently raised, where women in their dispensation and not really necessarily being accommodated in a way that is conducive for themselves.

And also the disconnect, that is now the gap between the legislation and the implementation, is something that was also raised.
I think the issues, the particular issue that I am taking from what the hon Maleka was saying, is the issue of the decriminalisation of sex work has become a very important issue, and because sex work in South Africa until today is still not seen as work.
So that is one of the issues that I think is very important, and I am raising these issues UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 113 specifically to show that the Women's Charter, as it is reviewed, should not be a document for our shelves but should be a live document.

Hon Rakgoale spoke about the issue of the social compact that we should use to unite everyone around a common objective and that is the objective of achieving gender equality.
We particularly want to commend the Minister and thank her for the comment where she is commending us as the NCOP for the work that we have done in ensuring that we review the Women's Chapter, but also for her commitment to move with greater speed in changing the plight of the women of our country.

We particularly appreciate the commitment made by the hon Minister to ensure that women are given tangible opportunities to participate in the mainstream of our economy.
Indeed, women's ability to participate in the mainstream economy is indeed a key catalyst for changing the status of women in South Africa.

She also outlined very specific and detailed interventions that are geared towards implementing the 2021 Women's Charter for Effective Equality which symbolises a firm commitment by our government to give clear expression in the planning, budgeting, and implementation processes which must give effect and expression to the charter.
We will continue to work together with the Ministry of Women, Youth and Persons UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 114 with Disabilities to ensure that the charter finds expression across all sectors of our society.

But we also want to congratulate South Africa on the chairpersonship of one of the sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, CSW.

It is very important that women of the world should continue to participate in the CSW sessions.
I have seen there will be virtual or hybrid sessions, but it was very informative and very empowering for us to be able to go to New York, to be part of the sessions of the CSW before COVID-19 hampered that.

Hon Rayi, for a continental perspective on the issues of gender equality and also women empowerment, and we agree that in many African countries you find women are being put in the administration whilst men occupy the positions that they think are the true positions of power.
And if you see the face of poverty on the continent, it remains black, a female face let me put it like that.

Hon Bara, particularly on the issues of education, and I am just picking from every member just to show that we have listened attentively because we know that every one of you before you came here you prepared yourself on looking into the issues that were raised within the Women's Chapter for Accelerated Development.
The hon Deputy Minister, particularly UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 115 on the issues of land and climate matters, something that is close to the heart of the current chairperson that is presiding over the session, the issues of climate change and climate matters, and I want to thank also hon Bara for the fact that you have, that you have encouraged us to soldier on in to making sure that we reach a dispensation where women will be equally seen as an equal partner within society and broadly.
And thank you, hon Gillion, also for your very important issue around the issue of reproductive health care, and particularly on the issue of psychosocial support.

That is so important, particularly for women, because two people will eventually reproduce, but in the end it is the woman that must take the responsibility there is to, to ensure that it's either to abort or bring into life a healthy new member of society.
Hon Chairperson, with that, we want to express our appreciation to everyone that made this debate possible, but also to our Chief Whip in particular, for allowing us to bring this very important document to table it today in this House of the NCOP.

Thank you very much.

[Interjections.]

UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022 Page: 116 The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Thank you, Deputy Chair.

Hon delegates!

Hon delegates.

That concludes the business of the day.


I wish to thank the Minister, the Deputy Minister, MECs, all special delegates for availing themselves with this very important debate.

Debate concluded.

The Council adjourned at 17:18.