Issued by African National Congress - Parliament
10 February 2004
Madam Speaker
Your Excellency the President,
Honourable ministers
Honourable members,
Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
The struggle for the ideal of women liberation is a fiery child that was born on the laps of our liberation movement. This was endorsed in 1954 by the " Women's Charter ", which called for the enfranchisement of men and women of all races, equality of opportunity and employment, equal pay for equal work, equal rights in relation to property, marriage and children, and the removal of all laws and customs that denied women such equality.
Madam Speaker, women in our country, especially during the rule of the previous dispensation, were made to suffer from morning to sunset and day in and day out. It was their forced responsibility to look after children and prepare them to go to school, to go and get water from the river, 5o get firewood to make fire to warm the water to wash the children as well as cook porridge for the children to eat before leaving for school.
The whole exercise was time consuming, in that in that it took more that an hour to go and fetch water and more or less the same time to go and look for firewood, and mark you after all that there added responsibilities, zoomama, that in winter ngumsebenzi kamama ukuvuna, while in summer nobody else hlakulas ngaphandle koomama.
Madam speaker, whether one likes it or not change has occurred during the past years, ….as women more especially, rural women, our lives have now been made better, by what this, our government has done during the period of our ten years of democracy, in that.water is now within walking distance from our homes, we have electricity in our homes.
Beyond any doubt, the apartheid government was not committed to make the lives of women better, BUT NOW, as women we know that our lives have been made better. Even as domestic workers, who work in the kitchen we are now registered as workers and our minimum wages is legislated
Madam Speaker, it is the African women, more especially rural women, more than any others, who have borne the brunt of oppression in this country. We have borne it with patience and courage and above all we have remained human. It is because of our patience and courage, that the late Cde Oliver Tambo had this to say to us in a rally to relaunch the ANC's Women's league in Durban during August 1990,I quote, " I am asking you to take the action to help ensure that the future of our country matches the aspirations for which our people, and particularly our women, have struggled for so long ". Close quote.
It is because of those requests we as women we steadfastly worked towards the realisation of a non-racial and democratic South Africa which celebrates ten years of achieving that freedom now, where women with potential are no longer house wives but have opportunities open for them for advancement in all sectors and spheres of government, industry etc. in our country.
These concrete changes in the democratisation of our country were made or achieved because we also as women acted and organised ourselves to bring about changes in attitudes amongst both men and women that perpetuated the situation.
Madam speaker, amongst the struggles that we as women of this country were currently engaged on, which situation makes us proud today of having positively contributed to the achievement of this democracy celebrating its tenth anniversary, now, I remember in 1957 in Zeerust, in the North West, when we protested against the extension of the passes to us, women, and ended up warning the then Prime Minister, Strydom, that, we as African women, shall not rest until ALL pass laws and all forms of permits restricting our freedoms have been abolished, and that, we shall not rest until we have won for our children their fundamental rights of freedom, justice and security. And we literally told him, Strydom, that, now you have touched the women, Strydom, you have struck a rock, and you will be crushed! It was the same women, honourable members who took a stand and revolted when black men were only allowed to have five head of cattle in 1958.
Madam speaker, it is therefore not surprising, that even under the conditions that Chief Albert Luthuli was subjected to, he was awarded the Nobel-Peace Prize and in acceptance of which had this to say, I quote, " I recognise, however, that in my country, South Africa, the spirit of peace is subject to some of the severest tensions known to man. For that reason, South Africa has been and continues to be in the focus of world attention. I therefore regard this award as recognition of the sacrifices by my people f all races, particularly the African people, who have endured and suffered so much for so long.
It can only be on behalf of the people of South Africa, especially the freedom-loving people, that I accept this award. I accept it also as an honour to the peace-loving people of the entire world and an encouragement to us all to redouble our efforts in the struggle for peace and friendship." Close quote.
In conclusion, I have this to say: to govern does not mean imposing the rule in the people or exercising the authority on the people, Governing is a work of service to the people, a service directing the people for good life, that is what we have done during the ten years of our democracy.