Date: 25/06/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Answers to questions in NA
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLY BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 25 June 2003
QUESTION NUMBER: 17
Mr JP Cronin (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the resolutions and strategic programme decided upon at the recent Growth and Development Summit, with regard to job creation and poverty alleviation, have any bearing on the programme of the moral regeneration movement; if so, what are the relevant details?
REPLY
The Moral Regeneration Movement, at its launch, identified the challenge of overcoming poverty as a critical priority for any moral regeneration effort within our society. Whilst we have progressively expanded access to a better life over these last nine years, millions of our people still live in households and communities scarred by the ravages of apartheid era oppression. We acknowledge that the levels of unemployment remain a serious challenge.
The struggle against the inequalities and injustices that created and continue to perpetuate this poverty is itself a profoundly moral struggle. The challenge of building sustainable households and sustainable communities is a moral imperative. To tackle poverty is certainly a moral struggle. To reduce levels of poverty creates the conditions for morality to flourish.
The resolutions and perspectives of the Growth and Development Summit earlier this month have made a very important contribution in this regard. Economic development is vital to stability in our communities, as it goes a long way to addressing social ills, which mushroom in conditions of poverty and unemployment or lack of access to basic needs.
The manner in which the work of the Growth and Development Summit was approached was important. Government, business, the trade unions and the community sector agreed that we have to work together to tackle our problems. Ideas have to be shared, resources and energies pooled together if we are to achieve sustainable growth and development and overcome unemployment. Business and unions for instance agreed that they would each work towards investing 5% of their investible income in job creating programmes. In this and many other ways, the participants at the Summit committed themselves to moving beyond their own specific issues, which are at times regarded as narrow and short-term sectoral interests.
The Summit resolutions call for a massive increase in learnership programmes, for an extended public works programme, for labour intensity and for the building of a broad cooperative movement.
I believe that the Summit and the Moral Regeneration Movement complement each other in their core values and perspectives.
QUESTION NUMBER: 18
Mr F Beukman (New NP) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether any proactive steps are currently being taken to promote national pride, national symbols and the unity of the South African people amongst all sections of the population; if not, why not; if so, what steps?
REPLY
The Government has a number of projects to popularise the national symbols and to promote national pride. These have a huge potential in building a unified nation where all people identify with the same national symbols and are proud of their country.
In the light of the limited time available to me, I would like to focus on three of them.
Firstly National Heritage Day is an annual event, which since 2001 has been dedicated to the celebration of our National Symbols and institutions.
Even those who do not attend the official functions are reached. The week prior to the day is dedicated to mass media advertising and radio interviews. It is through radio interviews that the general public gets an opportunity to learn more about the symbolism of each symbol.
Secondly, our new set of National Orders was designed in keeping with our new democracy.
The National Order Award Ceremony held in December 2002 was a great success. The proceedings of the day demonstrated the power of national symbols in enhancing the pride of a new nation and went a long way in affirming the Government objective of multiculturalism and nation building.
Lastly the Government is currently working on the ten-year anniversary of our democracy. A "Flag in every House' project is being worked on which aims at the celebration of the flag and the demonstration of national pride. The project will see the national flag distributed through various channels and also made cheaply available to those who cannot afford it. The main objective is to have every house in South Africa flying the flag on national days such as Heritage Day.
QUESTION NUMBER: 19
Ms H P Mentor (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the Government has made any progress within NEPAD, the African Union and in the sprit of the African Renaissance towards resuscitating the African values of caring for women, children, the weak and the helpless; if so, (a) what contribution is South Africa making within the African Union to ensure that African states recommit themselves by way of programmes and projects to resuscitate these values and (b) what are the relevant details?
REPLY
Great progress has been made within NEPAD and the African Union towards resuscitating the African values of caring and supporting the vulnerable and South Africa has been making an important contribution in this regard.
South Africa has also been instrumental in the drafting of the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which will be presented for adoption at the forthcoming African Union Summit in Maputo in July this year. This Protocol pays specific attention to the rights of the elderly, the girl child and women with disability; it focus on the rights of women in situations of conflict and as peace builders; and in the context of our continent it seeks to protect women from harmful cultural and traditional practices.
South Africa has by example, and in its statements within the AU, encouraged member states to take heed of the provisions of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The Resolution acknowledges the manifestly negative impact of violence and conflict on the development of women in Africa and their particular vulnerability to the impact of war and aggression. In keeping with this Resolution, South Africa has recognised the importance of including women in all peace processes, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace building, peace keeping and in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Last year, South Africa became Chair of the Regional Committee of Women in Development. The Committee is pioneering, through the Africa Centre for Women in Development (based at the UNECA headquarters in Addis Ababa), the Africa Gender Index and the African Women's Report. These mechanisms will track progress made by African States in implementing the Beijing Platform of Action; the Dakar Plan of Action; the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women; and other international instruments to which African States have acceded.
In April this year a NEPAD Gender Forum, convened under the auspices of the NEPAD Secretariat, gathered at Libreville, Gabon. Member states (including South Africa) met with the singular purpose of ensuring that gender equality is mainstreamed into the NEPAD implementation process. In convening this meeting, African Heads of State and Government acknowledge that the development of African women is integral to the development of Africa and its people and that pursuit of one without the other is contrary to the founding values of the African Union and NEPAD itself.
Issued by The Presidency
25 June 2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Answers to questions in NA
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLY BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 25 June 2003
QUESTION NUMBER: 17
Mr JP Cronin (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the resolutions and strategic programme decided upon at the recent Growth and Development Summit, with regard to job creation and poverty alleviation, have any bearing on the programme of the moral regeneration movement; if so, what are the relevant details?
REPLY
The Moral Regeneration Movement, at its launch, identified the challenge of overcoming poverty as a critical priority for any moral regeneration effort within our society. Whilst we have progressively expanded access to a better life over these last nine years, millions of our people still live in households and communities scarred by the ravages of apartheid era oppression. We acknowledge that the levels of unemployment remain a serious challenge.
The struggle against the inequalities and injustices that created and continue to perpetuate this poverty is itself a profoundly moral struggle. The challenge of building sustainable households and sustainable communities is a moral imperative. To tackle poverty is certainly a moral struggle. To reduce levels of poverty creates the conditions for morality to flourish.
The resolutions and perspectives of the Growth and Development Summit earlier this month have made a very important contribution in this regard. Economic development is vital to stability in our communities, as it goes a long way to addressing social ills, which mushroom in conditions of poverty and unemployment or lack of access to basic needs.
The manner in which the work of the Growth and Development Summit was approached was important. Government, business, the trade unions and the community sector agreed that we have to work together to tackle our problems. Ideas have to be shared, resources and energies pooled together if we are to achieve sustainable growth and development and overcome unemployment. Business and unions for instance agreed that they would each work towards investing 5% of their investible income in job creating programmes. In this and many other ways, the participants at the Summit committed themselves to moving beyond their own specific issues, which are at times regarded as narrow and short-term sectoral interests.
The Summit resolutions call for a massive increase in learnership programmes, for an extended public works programme, for labour intensity and for the building of a broad cooperative movement.
I believe that the Summit and the Moral Regeneration Movement complement each other in their core values and perspectives.
QUESTION NUMBER: 18
Mr F Beukman (New NP) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether any proactive steps are currently being taken to promote national pride, national symbols and the unity of the South African people amongst all sections of the population; if not, why not; if so, what steps?
REPLY
The Government has a number of projects to popularise the national symbols and to promote national pride. These have a huge potential in building a unified nation where all people identify with the same national symbols and are proud of their country.
In the light of the limited time available to me, I would like to focus on three of them.
Firstly National Heritage Day is an annual event, which since 2001 has been dedicated to the celebration of our National Symbols and institutions.
Even those who do not attend the official functions are reached. The week prior to the day is dedicated to mass media advertising and radio interviews. It is through radio interviews that the general public gets an opportunity to learn more about the symbolism of each symbol.
Secondly, our new set of National Orders was designed in keeping with our new democracy.
The National Order Award Ceremony held in December 2002 was a great success. The proceedings of the day demonstrated the power of national symbols in enhancing the pride of a new nation and went a long way in affirming the Government objective of multiculturalism and nation building.
Lastly the Government is currently working on the ten-year anniversary of our democracy. A "Flag in every House' project is being worked on which aims at the celebration of the flag and the demonstration of national pride. The project will see the national flag distributed through various channels and also made cheaply available to those who cannot afford it. The main objective is to have every house in South Africa flying the flag on national days such as Heritage Day.
QUESTION NUMBER: 19
Ms H P Mentor (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the Government has made any progress within NEPAD, the African Union and in the sprit of the African Renaissance towards resuscitating the African values of caring for women, children, the weak and the helpless; if so, (a) what contribution is South Africa making within the African Union to ensure that African states recommit themselves by way of programmes and projects to resuscitate these values and (b) what are the relevant details?
REPLY
Great progress has been made within NEPAD and the African Union towards resuscitating the African values of caring and supporting the vulnerable and South Africa has been making an important contribution in this regard.
South Africa has also been instrumental in the drafting of the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which will be presented for adoption at the forthcoming African Union Summit in Maputo in July this year. This Protocol pays specific attention to the rights of the elderly, the girl child and women with disability; it focus on the rights of women in situations of conflict and as peace builders; and in the context of our continent it seeks to protect women from harmful cultural and traditional practices.
South Africa has by example, and in its statements within the AU, encouraged member states to take heed of the provisions of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The Resolution acknowledges the manifestly negative impact of violence and conflict on the development of women in Africa and their particular vulnerability to the impact of war and aggression. In keeping with this Resolution, South Africa has recognised the importance of including women in all peace processes, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace building, peace keeping and in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Last year, South Africa became Chair of the Regional Committee of Women in Development. The Committee is pioneering, through the Africa Centre for Women in Development (based at the UNECA headquarters in Addis Ababa), the Africa Gender Index and the African Women's Report. These mechanisms will track progress made by African States in implementing the Beijing Platform of Action; the Dakar Plan of Action; the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women; and other international instruments to which African States have acceded.
In April this year a NEPAD Gender Forum, convened under the auspices of the NEPAD Secretariat, gathered at Libreville, Gabon. Member states (including South Africa) met with the singular purpose of ensuring that gender equality is mainstreamed into the NEPAD implementation process. In convening this meeting, African Heads of State and Government acknowledge that the development of African women is integral to the development of Africa and its people and that pursuit of one without the other is contrary to the founding values of the African Union and NEPAD itself.
Issued by The Presidency
25 June 2003
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