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DA: Nosimo Balindlela: Address by Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation, during the Heritage Day Debate, on Women’s crucial role in shaping SA’s heritage (18/09/2014)

DA: Nosimo Balindlela: Address by Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation, during the Heritage Day Debate, on Women’s crucial role in shaping SA’s heritage (18/09/2014)
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18th September 2014

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Honourable Speaker,

Our heritage does not only consist of valued objects and buildings or the natural wonders of our country, it is also the cultural traditions, practices and beliefs that we inherited from our forefathers.

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I give praise to the beautiful legacy of the heritage left to us by our elders, bonke amakhalipha esizwe angasekhoyo nala asekhoyo endibala kuwo igqala  obekekileyo uNkosi Buthelezi (yena usadla inkobe)

I think we can all agree that we should increase efforts to save the rhino and safeguard our natural heritage; we should ensure that our museums are lively and vibrant places where South Africans can learn about those that lived here before us; and we should celebrate sacred places and formidable individuals so that we never forget how far we have come.

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But our most important legacy will be ensuring that our traditions, practices and beliefs are permeated with the values of respect and dignity and freedom.

Honourable Speaker,

Culture is not static. The customs and beliefs that we inherit from our forefathers should constantly be re-evaluated to determine if we want them to form part of the legacy we want to leave our children. But this is not always an easy task.

I want to mention some formidable women who challenged the norms of their time and who bequeathed to us a better world and richer heritage.

South African writer Olive Schreiner who died in 1920 was not a woman who would be constrained by the practices and beliefs of her time.

At the beginning of the Victorian era in which Schreiner grew up, women did, amongst other injustices, not have the right to vote, but she became a spokeswoman for the feminist cause. She was also a campaigner for pacifist causes, anti-imperialism and the rights of black servants.

And she was also right when she said: “There was never a great man who had not a great mother.”

One of these great mothers is Ma Mbeki who sacrificed her life for the liberation of South Africans. Up until her death in June this year she was concerned about the economic circumstances of the women and children of this country.

And within this parliamentary precinct Helen Suzman served for 36 years – 13 of them as the only member of her party – fighting against the governing National Party’s policies of apartheid. Even after the ANC was elected to government she continued to speak out against abuses of power.

I’d like to celebrate the legacy of women like these who – despite the challenging societies they lived in – managed to contribute so richly to our heritage.

We owe it to individuals like them to interrogate our beliefs and practices and to make sure that they are what we want to have as part of our legacy.

Honourable Speaker,

We cannot go backwards.

Yet, the ANC insists on bringing legislation to parliament that will not improve the lives our women.

The Traditional Court’s Bill would have enforced controversial versions of customary law that infringe upon women’s constitutional rights. The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill would have done nothing for the most vulnerable women of this country.

Women have continually been undermined with regards to land ownership and in some instances have been disempowered to rightfully own land due to the Chiefs or leaders of their communities forcing them out in the case of communal land ownership.

Due to the dysfunctional Department of Women, Children and People of Disabilities it seems as if the new Ministry for Women basically has to start from scratch. This means we will have to wait even longer for a coordinated response from government to eliminate real inequality.

One example of such inequality is the practice of Ukuthwala – the forced marriage of young girls – can never be tolerated under the guise of “tradition”. Parents have long ago spoken out against this crime and we should work to once and for all eliminate this shameful practice.

Our generation should take up the challenges of inequality and gender discrimination to ensure that our contribution to this country’s heritage includes respect, dignity and freedom.

Section 9 of our Constitution guarantees formal equality and in 2005 our Constitutional court ruled that the state could not deny same-sex couples the ability to marry.

However, the battle is not over. There are certain groups who want the removal of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex rights from the Constitution and we should challenge their backward thinking at every opportunity.

Honourable Speaker,

“Corrective rape” is surely one of the most disgraceful occurrences in our society.

In August this year 18-year-old Gift Makau was brutally raped and murdered in the North West. She is one of many women – and men – who have to endure this most vicious manifestation of bigotry.

We cannot let any form of homophobia stay part of our heritage.

Of course our cause is not helped when  a national government minister walks out of an art exhibition featuring photographs of nude lesbian couples because she found it “immoral” and “against nation-building”.

(Xhosa word) Lesbian couples belong to us and they do not deserve to be excluded from society.

Honourable Speaker,

The legacy that we leave will become the heritage of future generations.

Changing attitudes and beliefs is not easy, but people like the brave women I mentioned earlier have shown us the way.

When we talk about heritage in this national forum we should not simply reflect on past achievements, but urgently discuss ways in which we can ensure our culture legacy is one upon which future generations can be proud of.

Every South African should do their part to leave a legacy no matter how big or small for example in my constituency of Kubusi in the Eastern Cape, I have encouraged young woman like Babalwa Maswana, Alfina Wosten, Xoliswa Bavuma, Siphokazi Mpayipeli, Goodman Antoni and Ndileka Ngxakangxaka to complete their computer literacy courses and to empower themselves by obtaining their drivers licences.

They will now be in a position to empower others and that should be part of the legacy we leave behind.

In order to build this strong heritage for our children we must all men and women – learn to love one another irrespective colour or creed or political affiliation.

Understand one another

Help to carry one another’s burden

Let us also learn to laugh at our mistakes and try again

O! ilobola yona singayijiki, otata mabalobole please. Sonke singabalapha eMzantsi.

Sizalelwe sadla iinkobe apha eMzantsi.

Ndiyabonga.

Issued by the DA

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