PRESS STATEMENT
BY
THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
EXCERPTS OF THE ADDRESS OF
THE PARTY PRESIDENT, PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI
TO THE 25TH INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE IFP
WOMEN'S BRIGADE
THEME: "25 YEARS IN THE STRUGGLE : IFP WOMEN TACKLING THE REAL ISSUES"
ULUNDI : OCTOBER 12, 2002
The President of the IFP, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi began his address by noting that this year's Conference of the Women's Brigade marks the Silver Jubilee of an organisation and:
"The struggle of women for liberation has been, and continues to be, the most important segment of the struggle for liberation of all the people of South Africa."
"The struggle of IFP women to free themselves from this political oppression did not terminate with the collapse of apartheid, because the legacy of discrimination on account of race and discrimination against women, remains embedded in the matrix of our society."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then observed that South Africa has not emerged as a consolidated democracy.
"South African democracy has also not yet been secured. Democracy is not just about empowering a majority the way we did through elections on April 27, 1994. The real test of democracy comes when those who have risen to power are threatened with the possibility of losing their majority. The real test of democracy lies in the capacity of people to relinquish rather than acquire power, so that tomorrow a new majority can be formed to replace today's majority".
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then turned to the emerging food crisis and its implications for those people living with HIV/Aids.
"A recent press statement issued by Statistics South Africa puts the headline inflation rate at 11,6%...the most rapidly rising prices are among basic foods, such as meat, grain products, milk, eggs and vegetables."
"Bearing all this in mind, a healthy diet has become more important than ever to keep our people strong and productive. Particularly people suffering from HIV/AIDS must be nourished by such basic foods every day."
Prince Magosuthu Buthelezi then turned to the sluggishness of the economy and the demands of COSATU.
"We realise that government is going to need to take more decisive actions if it is going to turn around the steady decline of our economy. For far too long government has been held to ransom by COSATU."
"I wish to praise President Mbeki for having had the courage recently to draw the line and to say to COSATU 'This far, and no further'."
"I can tell you that COSATU's attitude on this issue of privatisation is hypocritical. As you know, an important component of the Government's privatisation programme is black economic empowerment for previously disadvantaged individuals. These are mostly our people, black people."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then referred to the importance of self-help and self-reliance schemes.
"It is quite clear to me that in a world in which there is a looming recession, countries which are developing like ours, are still going to rely on self-help and self-reliance schemes to be able to survive. Whether it is arts and crafts or garden produce, we know that it is women who have been in the forefront of these life-survival efforts."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then turned to the issue of food security.
"The national Government and provincial Governments are now busy with social grants, whether for child grants, grants for the disabled or old-age pensions which as you know are being paid even retrospectively in many cases. The national Government intends increasing these grants to help alleviate the problems of food security. But I wish to state that while all this is well and good, there is no way that we will be able to resolve the problems of food security unless we roll up our sleeves, and I mean all of us, to till the soil we have, however little it might be."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then referred to the changing role of women.
"Women are changing. There is greater independence and more of an adventurous spirit among today's women. It is important that our women learn to take control over every aspect of their lives and take responsibility for fulfilling their own aspirations. When it comes to life's most important decisions, we must make these by ourselves. Increasingly women are choosing for themselves what work they will do, what they should study, whom they shall marry, how many children they want to have and where they will live."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then turned to the HIV/Aids pandemic and looked to the progress made in Uganda in combating the pandemic.
Wittingly or unwittingly, the thrust of our national HIV/Aids prevention effort speaks primarily to a narrow band of privileged youth.""For instance, I believe that in respect of the raging HIV/AIDS pandemic which is decimating our youth, that we should not ignore the gospel of condoms. But I do believe that this is not the only thing we need to do to counter this scourge."
"Indeed, the concerns of young people the world over may be similar, but a case needs to be made for engaging more directly with the local context.
"When it comes to reducing HIV infection rates, we have nothing at all to teach the rest of Africa."
"As researchers start to pick through the reasons for this success, one troublesome fact emerges: condoms had little to do with it. Ugandan men never really took to condoms. Rather, the biggest reported differences in behaviour had to do with real behaviour change and the development of social support for abstinence and faithfulness."
"As unlikely as it may sound, Uganda's experiences suggest that the promotion of abstinence before marriage and mutual faithfulness in relationships may be the keys to halting the spread of Aids in Africa."
"In a raging epidemic such as we have here, messages that promote real sexual behaviour change are about far more than moral choices. They are about sensible health choices and basic survival tactics."
"As mothers of the Nation, I put this to you as perhaps the biggest challenge you face in the midst of this pandemic. If Uganda could achieve what they have achieved, why can't we follow in her steps?"
"HIV/AIDS is but one of the real issues IFP women can tackle right now. Do not wait for government to bring change to your community. Do not wait till you are employed to begin working. Do not expect the real issues to be resolved without real effort from real people. You are the real people."
"The issues of HIV/AIDS, poverty alleviation, food security, physical and psychological abuse, education, health-care, access to services, sexism, unemployment, crime, moral decay and collapsing families are real issues which surround you every day."
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi then turned to the IFP's victory in the Constitutional Court.
"Hope can triumph when one least expects it [the Constitutional Court judgement which was rendered a week ago yesterday]. We received that judgement with great pride, because it was the IFP's doing. In fact, the Constitutional Court rejected the arguments put forward by all the other parties claiming that the crossing of the floor legislation was unconstitutional, but accepted the IFP's argument that, albeit Parliament was entitled to allow the crossing of the floor, it went about it the wrong way."