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ULUNDI, EMANDLENI/MATLENG:
10 November 2007
Many of
you were present at our Annual General Conference last month where
we delved deeply into the theme of that Conference which was: “EACH
ONE’S ROLE IN A CRISIS AND THE FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS”. Today’s
Conference is almost a sequel to that for we look at “WOMEN AS
CHAMPIONS IN A CRISIS”.
Over the years I have repeatedly paid tribute to our women as the
backbone of this organisation. I have gone further to say that
whether one looks at the Church, one is largely talking about Women
who form the largest segment of the people of God – the Church.
There is no debate about the fact that we are in a crisis in our
Country for various reasons. This crisis is a challenge to our
nation but in every crisis that the Nation faces women have each
time distinguished themselves as Champions in any crisis. I am not
suggesting that this crisis is just the responsibility of our women
only. Not by any means. We are facing a crisis as a nation. But
in that crisis you will see as I go on speaking, that women
invariably are always the worst victims of it.
We are in this crisis just 17 months before the general election in
our Country, that is what makes the situation we face one which
cannot be described in any other term, than that we are in a
crisis. The big question that comes to mind is to what extent are we
prepared to survive this crisis. We are in a situation of war
against terrible evils that are now almost overwhelming us as a
nation. This organisation from its inception created a Women’s wing
as well as a Youth wing. This reminds me of the Zulu horns of the
army with women on the one end and our Youth on the other wing.
Before I go into the bolts and nuts of what I wish to spell out to
you let me say something about my own role in all this.
At the annual Conference I clarified something which all of you
know, that we hold office for 5 years. I was elected in 2004 after
I had resigned, and on being persuaded by the entire Conference I
clarified something which all of you know that we hold office for 5
years. I was elected in 2004 after I had resigned and on being
persuaded by the entire Conference without a single dissenter. That
means that I was elected for five years. As you are aware in April
2005 I called a special Conference at which I again asked to step
down as leader even though my term of 5 years had not expired. This
was both for personal reasons and because there was a perception
that was created by some and the Media that MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI was
clinging to power as President of the IFP. Again to my surprise the
whole Conference answered my request to step down with a big NO!
So I then agreed that as long as my health allows it, I shall
complete my term. And that term expires in 2009. There has been a
lot of comment about this announcement. I make it clear that I will
lead the election in 2009 before the expiry of my term. I frankly
do not understand what the problem is. Since some of our leaders
including the Youth Brigade have after my announcement made
statements to the effect that when my term expires they will still
plead with me to continue, a lot of speculations have been bandied
about. I have been asked whether if that happens and the Party
persuades me I will again buckle under that pressure.
I have refused to play that game of political ping pong with some
commentators and journalists. I have stated my position clearly and
unambiguously in black and white. I am not prepared to now
speculate about what may or may not happen when my term expires.
For one thing I am as mortal as anyone of you. I do not even know
whether I will still be alive then. And if I am alive I cannot know
now what the state of my health will be then. I hope that this
matter is closed for now and that we shall all focus on the 2009
election, that’s all. This is where our main focus should be as we
face this crisis.
I founded this Organisation with other leaders. Some are still
alive and some have already been called to Higher Service. We
founded the INKATHA YENKULULEKO YESIZWE/KGARE YA TOKOLOHO YA SECHABA
– THE NATIONAL CULTURAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT as an instrument we were
placing in the hands of our people to liberate themselves. This was
not only just from political oppression. We stated in the preamble
to our Constitution the following:
(4) Recognising the need to harness great resources of our Country,
to fight poverty, hunger unemployment, disease, ignorance,
insecurity, homelessness and moral decay.”
This year we celebrated the 13th Anniversary of our political
emancipation. Since 1994, the democratic government of which we are
part, whether as Representatives in the national Parliament, or in
the Provincial Legislatures or in Local government as Councillors,
has tried to address some of these evils. While we relish our
political emancipation, when looking at the list of the evils listed
in the preamble to our IFP Constitution, we realise that we are
nowhere near reaching our goals.
In other words, while acknowledging that quite a lot has been
achieved we must at the same time acknowledge that we still have a
long way to go. And through some acts of omission and commission on
our part, we are now faced with a real crisis in our Country. And
we know that there has never been a crisis which can be overcome
without the large input of our women, who are well known champions
in any crisis.
The name of our Party is the Inkatha Freedom Party. It means we
stand for freedom and that we will rise in defence of freedom
wherever we feel it is being curtailed. Such is the case now.
Thirteen years into our democratic dispensation, South Africa is
experiencing a crisis of confidence.
The high rates of poverty and joblessness persist. Crime is out of
control. Our society is disintegrating under the weight of HIV/AIDS
and disease in general. The poor are only made more visible by the
presence of the select few BEE billionaires. We realise that the
pace as far as the BEE – which is the broad based Black Economic
Empowerment, is concerned, which includes women and the disabled etc
that progress has been slower. One must acknowledge that there are
remarkable women who have pulled through. Just last week I was in
Soweto to participate in the launch of a broad-based black economic
empowerment project with Madiba’s grandson Inkosi Zwelivelile
Mandlesizwe Mandela and King Leruo of the Royal Bafokeng.
This project is led by a woman, Ms Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, the
daughter of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission. She and
her fellow Directors have established the first Holiday Inn in
Soweto. I have been shocked to read in one newspaper that Mr
William M Gumede, the author of the Book: ‘THABO MBEKI AND THE
BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF THE ANC’, has in the second edition of this
book according to the article in ‘The Week-End Witness’ (dated
October 27, 2007) stated: “The IFP’s strategic choices have also
driven it into a corner. The IFP’s Opposition to Affirmative Action
and black empowerment has driven many of the KwaZulu Natal business
class that use to have close links to the IFP.” I am just amazed
that someone like Mr Gumede can write such lies about the IFP.
The IFP has never opposed Affirmative Action. We however cautioned
that in applying Affirmative Action we should guard against it
becoming another form of racial discrimination against other race
groups. We have never opposed black Economic Empowerment, but we
have cautioned that while it is welcome it should again not
discriminate against other previously disadvantaged race groups such
as Indians and Coloureds. They are supposed to fall under the term
black as well. And yet they are now complaining that they are
suddenly not black enough in the way BEE is implemented. I am
amazed for my track-record even as Head of the KwaZulu Government
speaks for itself.
I do not wish to blow my own trumpet. But ITHALA BANK was founded
by the Economic Arm of the erstwhile KwaZulu government, the KwaZulu
Investment and Finance Corporation, which was established under me
as Minister of Economic Affairs. At the same time I sent some young
people to Coady Institute in Canada at St Xavier University to take
courses in cooperatives and mobilisation of savings. Mrs
KaNkosi-Shandu was one of a number of these people. Ms Thoko Zungu
who is one of the leaders of the Discussion Groups is one of them.
Amid all these social ills, women – of all ages – are often the most
vulnerable. However, how can women be champions, I hear you ask, in
such a crisis? Today I will spell out the central challenges as I
see them, with a policy proposal for your consideration.
I believe that for all of us to be truly free, our women must attain
their freedom as provided by the Constitution. We must bridge the
gap between codified and tangible rights, especially for women
living in rural areas, like where we are today. The crisp question
is how do we give meaningful expression to the rights of women
contained in the Constitution? Do you feel that you have attained
your rights? The themes of gender equality, food security,
sustainable development and the impact of globalisation and trade
will and should dominate our discussions here this weekend. That is
where the major battle of minds must take place if we are going to
overcome our crisis.
One of the crucial components of empowering rural women is enabling
them to earn a living wage. Here, we in the IFP were trail blazers.
As Chief Minister of KwaZulu, one of my first acts, once we gained
legislative powers in what was regarded as "KwaZulu" territory, was
to repeal the fundamental sections of the Natal Zulu Code. Under
these sections, women were regarded as minors who could not own any
property. I further equalised the salaries of women and men in the
civil service. I also personally advocated the rights of previously
disadvantaged widows.
Women in townships were also often ejected from houses once their
husbands had died. We stopped this in all the townships where we had
jurisdiction by amending the Code of Zulu Law. Later, the IFP
delegation to the Kempton Park negotiations where these started
contained, I think had the largest number of women of all the major
political parties. Our commitment to gender equality has never been
tokenistic and remains, for the IFP, a genuine priority.
At present, although women constitute 52% of South Africa's adult
population, they make up only 41% of the working South African
population. This is an obvious distortion which must be corrected.
This historical anomaly is greatly exacerbated in South Africa by
HIV and AIDS. Women are being exterminated by HIV/AIDS more than us
men, as there are more infected women than men.
Last year, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids (UNAIDS)
released their report which stated that women account for the bulk
of the epidemic: 58% of HIV-positive South Africans are women, or
3.1 million out of 5.5 million infected adults aged 15 and over.
This is not fair for it is women who must succumb to our sexual
demands. And it is women who as victims of Rape are more exposed to
this infection than men. The levels of Rape in our country are
unacceptable.
The UN report also bolstered proof of the link between HIV/AIDS and
poverty. In South Africa, women only earn 70 percent of what men
earn. This already puts them at a high disadvantage for attaining
self-reliance. I therefore hope that this Conference will help shape
practical solutions on how rural women, in particular, can be
empowered and greater progress can be made to achieving gender
earning parity.
As I have indicated, solutions must be provided within the context
of the Aids epidemic which is ravaging our nation. This is no easy
task. Your discussions and resolutions should interrogate how we
achieve this. For me earning parity should be a given, in a
non-sexist society, like the one we are building.
While the country has made impressive strides in gender
transformation in parliament and senior government positions, it
appears from recent research that these achievements have not yet
been replicated in the corporate arena. The proportion that
decreases dramatically as one moves up the corporate pyramid - only
14,7% of all executive managers and 7,1% of all directors on listed
JSE companies are women. The picture of gender representation within
State Owned Enterprises is a bit brighter than in listed companies.
How do we level the playing fields and ensure that women are
properly represented in the workplace?
I would, at the risk of sounding politically incorrect, caution
against "affirming" women into management positions - or for that
matter - any other job by the route of gender-based affirmative
action. Women should be appointed on merit and ability, not for
their gender. The transformation of women's position in the
corporate world should start many years earlier through education
and equal access to opportunities. To me it is an insult to our
women to affirm them for the sake of it, without any regard to
merit.
As in almost everything I believe, change starts from the bottom
upwards. In South Africa (which has more than its fair share of
chauvinists!), this will require jettisoning gender stereotypes and
inculcating a different perspective of the role of women as equals.
This starts with the girl-child. Girls must be encouraged to excel
in science, mathematics, computer studies, mechanical engineering
and other subjects long considered the dominion of boys. It is in
the classroom where future destinies take shape. Female
participation in these subjects tapers off at the tertiary level.
Yet, it is these fields that we know are enjoying a prolific boom in
the global economy. If you go to Taiwan or Singapore, you see girls
learning these subjects. The workplace today is predominantly based
on brains, not brawn. Our girls must not allow themselves to be
intimidated from excelling in these subjects. It is such nonsense
to create the impression, as some do, that only boys can excel in
these subjects.
In arguing against gender affirmative action, it is equally wrong
that women, as I mentioned earlier, bear the brunt of care-giving in
families affected by HIV and Aids. Men too must share the burden too
as equals. Again, in classrooms, the role of women must be re-conceptualised
and repackaged in the curriculum so that boys and girls from an
early age perceive each other as equals, with the same familial
responsibilities.
This is particularly important in the rural areas where gender
stereotyping is more pronounced. For women with children and for
single fathers raising children, we must encourage greater flexible
working arrangements. They have been doing this for decades in
Scandinavia, Canada and other parts of the world. The world has
changed and so must we.
I agree that in a society based on gender-equality that more women
should be represented in the workforce and, especially, in plum
positions in the corporate world. If we give women the right start,
the cream, as I have always maintained, will rise to the top. To do
anything less is patronising and mere tokenism. I must now turn to a
fight we are losing everyday: the fight against domestic violence
against women and children.
One of the most difficult, heart-breaking and inexplicable facts of
life is being the victim of abuse or violence at the hands of
someone you love. This is the lot of many, perhaps too many, women
in South African society today. The truth that we live in a violent
society is no excuse. In fact, I have had enough of this lame
excuse? Have you too?
Unlike in the old days, when the violence perpetrated by the state
against certain classes of citizens did discriminate, the mostly
criminal violence of today does not. It affects people from all
walks of life every day. It does not matter what race, culture or
background you come from, how old you are, how much money you have
or if you have a disability or are vulnerable in some way. What
serves as an infinite encouragement to perpetrators is that many of
us do not view violence against women - whether physical, mental or
emotional - as a straightforward crime. Whether your abuser is a
family member, someone you love, a current or past partner,
boyfriend or girlfriend, an acquaintance, a neighbour, or a total
stranger, the violence against you is a straightforward crime.
Today abuses are happening within families. We read in the media
and see in our neighbourhoods almost everyday how young girls and
young boys are abused within families.
Where do your political representatives fit into this? Where do our
members of Parliament fit into this? In short, what are we doing? I
have pledged myself and my party to work with other political
parties and organisations to combat violence, against women and
children. But there is one thing that I really want to say today to
the women and children who are the victims of domestic violence in
South Africa today. You should know that you are not at fault. You
must remember that you did not cause the abusive behaviour to occur.
You are the victim. One important part of getting help is knowing if
you are in an abusive relationship and then admitting it to
yourself.
Sometimes this can be hard. It may involve very strong ties,
emotional as well as material. But you know, for you own sake, that
it must be done. If you or someone you know has been physically,
sexually or emotionally abused or violated, do not hesitate and seek
help from others, trustworthy family members, friends or community
organisations. Talk to people. Talk to a health care counsellor if
you have been physically hurt. Consult a dedicated helpline on how
to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of sexual abuse before you
find yourself in actual danger.
In all our struggles women have been in the forefront; in the very
coalface of the suffering. In facing all the evils that constantly
destroyed our lives, it is women who have borne the brunt of it all.
I agree with the saying that if you strike a woman, you strike a
rock. Our women are indeed the rock upon which our nation is built.
Women are the foundation of our society. Yet we men often adopt
the attitude that children are ours. We often say we have the seed
of human life. And yet what could we do with it, if women were not
there for us to plant that seed of human life?
So why is it that, of the reported cases, only seven percent result
in conviction? All too often rape survivors are blamed for the
incident which, in turn, encourages others to keep quiet. The
stereotypes surrounding this issue still prevail and continues to be
perpetuated. I would like to ask you: what programmes can we devise
to assist women and children affected by domestic violence and rape
in our communities? All too often we adopt resolutions, but lack the
resolve to implement them. I would like to hear from this Conference
what practical and measurable programmes we are going to implement
in our branches and structures in the year ahead. In 2005, we
attached timeframes to our resolutions. Were they honoured? If we
dishonour our resolutions, we dishonour the people we claim to
serve.
I
realise that there are challenges that face you as mothers of our
nation. I sense a feeling of disillusionment that is engendered by
some of the things which we as Legislators have introduced in order
to comply with our very liberal Constitution. I refer here to
legislation that has been passed such as the law allowing 12 year
olds children to commit abortion. And to do so without any
reference or consultation with their mothers. I hear voices that
ask: Is that what we struggled for? Is that what we were struggling
to achieve when we waged the struggle against Colonialism and more
recently against Apartheid? Just last week there was a stalemate in
Parliament concerning the children’s Bill. Section 139 of the Bill
outlaws all corporal punishment of children whether by parents or
caregivers.
In other words, it seeks to outlaw giving a spank to one’s child.
These are the things that exacerbate the problems of the crisis
which we face. All of us are products of our parents’ upbringing.
Our mothers had more to do with our upbringing from the time that
we sat on their laps after they had given birth to us. I therefore
realise that such legislation is a direct challenge to how you bring
up your children as mothers of our nation. And worse still, there
has been a provision in the same legislation which bans virginity
tests for those children below the age of 18. With the pandemic of
HIV/AIDS mowing down the very crop of our youth, it is extraordinary
that we are now being prevented from filling certain cultural norms
of our people, which do help our young people to value chastity.
I have stated at some of your past conferences that when the First
Lady of Uganda Mrs Janet Museveni told us at the SACLA Conference
how in Uganda, they managed to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS from
30 percent to 5 percent, she said that they were also helped by
returning to some of their cultural norms and Christian teachings.
That they did not just rely only on condoms. And she quoted her
husband President Yoweri Museveni, who on addressing a Conference on
HIV/AIDS in Italy in 1998 said about condoms, that if we were to
rely only on a piece of rubber for our salvation from the pandemic,
then we are already doomed. Just look at the recent scandal when
the State distributed faulty condoms throughout the country. Do we
know how many people were infected as a result?
I know that branches have been renewed and that we waited for this
to happen before holding our Conferences. Even the current audit of
our Women Brigade Branches is far from satisfactory. I find this
extremely worrying since our champions in this crisis, are women.
If women do not have branches that meet regularly and at least once
a month as the Constitution requires, how are we going to stand up
to face the crisis that we face?
I know that as a result of the resignation of the Chairperson of
your Brigade, you have been greatly disadvantaged. In terms of the
Constitution, I asked Mrs Abbie Mchunu to act as Chairperson. I
have only learnt lately that there are some of you who resented my
doing so because you felt that the Deputy Chairperson of Women’s
Brigade Ms Hleziphi Myeni should have acted. It was out of
consideration of the load that Ms Myeni was carrying that I asked
Mrs Mchunu to act until this Conference takes place. As some of you
know Ms Myeni is the Principal of a School and at the same time she
is the Speaker of the EJozini Municipality.
The NEC decided to advise me to rather ask Mrs Mchunu to act until
this Conference takes place. She had two terms as Chairperson of
the Women’s Brigade and she has no ambitions of being elected to
Head the Women’s Brigade. Nor will she stand for elections when you
do hold them. So please, have peace of mind. Mrs Mchunu is one of
our veterans who we requested to stand in before you choose your
Chairperson tomorrow.
In the crisis in which we find ourselves as a Party you need to
think very carefully what kind of person you elect to be
Chairperson. After the downward trend the Women’s Brigade has had,
you need someone who is a real live wire who can resuscitate the
Women’s Brigade and put it into the position of being able to be
properly organised. We need it to have activities that the Women’s
Brigade has had for years. Just for example just now food is
costing a fortune. In the past there were very active clubs where
women practiced bulk-buying in order to share the burden of feeding
their families. Even the Governor of the Reserve Bank has warned us
against too much consumerism.
In spite of the social grants which are appreciated as usual, there
is really a big problem concerning food Security. I am extremely
concerned that we do not even have the kind of subsistence farming
that existed and maintained our families for many generations. The
evils that we face which I have mentioned such as HIV/AIDS, XDR TB
and Malnutrition are things which we clearly cannot overcome merely
from social grants without supplementing them on the basis of our
belief as IFP in Self-help and Self-reliance. I regret the fact
that we are such a poor Party for I do believe that we need more
than one Organiser. But an Organiser or Organisers without a real
powerful diligent and committed leader of the Women’s Brigade will
not achieve much. My dear sisters and daughters we are in a real
crisis and if we do not unleash all your strengths which God gave
you as Champions in a crisis, we are doomed.
Yes, we do need someone who is also articulate but please do not
regard that as the sole qualification for someone who should be at
the helm of your great Organisation. We really need someone who is
going to remove the cob-webs that were created by the resignation of
our Chairperson of the Women’s Brigade. We have also a problem that
some of you feel that we should be a clone of the ANC. Some say,
but in the ANC it is like this and like that – we should also do
what they do. Yes, as someone who grew up in the ANC, there are
many good things that are worth emulating but please remember that
the IFP prides itself in its own distinct culture as far as
leadership is concerned.
We are concerned about what is going on in the ruling Party just now
as it is bound to affect us all as Citizens of South Africa. But I
am certain you do not wish to see us doing some of the things that
some of the leaders of the ANC are doing just now. Even some of the
leaders of the ANC itself including the President do point at
certain activities which they say are not part of the culture of the
ANC. This year’s election of a leader of the Women’s Brigade is
extremely important for the reasons which I have stated to you very
clearly and frankly. It is my duty as the leader of this
organisation to say exactly what kind of qualities we need in the
leader of the most important segment of our Organisation – the
Women’s Brigade.
Someone that you elect should be able to attend meetings of the
National Executive Committee of the IFP which meets at our Head
Office in Durban every Monday. Do not therefore create problems for
us by choosing someone who will be unable to do that because a
leader of the Women’s Brigade is required by the Constitution of the
IFP to be part of any decision that we take at that level. We need
someone who is going to see to the revival of all the activities
that our Women’s Brigade Branches have performed over the years. So
it will be stupid to choose anyone who is already carrying a lot,
because of other positions and commitments in the Party or in public
affairs.
With the election just around the corner we need to target each
month individually and collectively, registering people who need to
register for elections. We need to target each month how many
members you can recruit to join us. I mean here each one of us. We
suffered a set back in 2004 because you ignored my clarion call to
register people long before the elections.
I think that our Students Wing SADESMO has set a high standard for
us. As you are aware both at the University of Zululand and at the
Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi SADESMO took over the
student government of these two tertiary institutions. This must be
an act each one of us must aim to follow. I wish to congratulate
SADESMO as they are your children. It is to your credit as women,
as mothers and as the Women’s Brigade that your children have swept
the boards.
You know that each year obituaries of the IFP are written as we saw
last week in ‘Business Day’ and ‘The Star’ by journalists and the
so-called Political Analysts. The song whose refrain is familiar to
all of us is that “The Youth want a Deputy President of the IFP”.
An Editor I know and respect wrote a feature article saying “Young
people do not believe that it is cool to belong to the IFP”. I
remember many years ago that Steve Biko used to say: “Buthelezi is
followed only by the oldies”. And yet the strength of this Party
has always been a strong Youth Brigade Wing and a strong Women’s
Brigade Wing.
Before I wind up this address, let me throw into the ring one policy
idea. Being a woman is, as you all know, expensive. However, I will
add to this notion an extra dimension. Even in our democratic order
where emphasis is on equality and non-discrimination, it costs
several hundred thousand rands to be female. That is how much the
average woman loses or foregoes over her lifetime thanks to the
persisting gender pay gap.
In case some of you were thinking, 'It's the 21st century - everyone
gets a fair deal these days', then you were wrong. Across Southern
Africa, men get paid between 70 and 25 percent more than women,
based on mean hourly earnings – and far from disappearing, the pay
gap is actually increasing in some sectors and geographical regions.
And yet it is women who are in charge of families. It is women
who see to it that children go to school and who make sure that
families are fed.
We in the IFP, given our record in the KwaZulu Government, have
never thought that equal pay was not just a 'lovely idea' or a 'nice
thought'. We have always promoted it as your right. We feel that as
women, if you think you are getting paid less just because you are
women, you need to do something about it. And we are determined to
help you. Here is how to tell if you are not getting a fair deal.
Ask yourselves the following questions:
- Are male colleagues paid more for doing the same sort of work as
you?
- Have you got a worse job title than men doing similar work?
- If you are part-time, do you get paid less than men doing the same
job full-time? Or do you miss out on sick and holiday pay?
- Have you missed out on a bonus or pay rise just because you were
on maternity leave?
If any of these apply to you, the next step is to gather up as much
information as you can and talk to your boss. Try to give your
employer every chance to explain and correct things. It is not easy
being a boss, but the fact that your boss does not stick his fingers
in his or her ears may show that they care – and that they are smart
enough to know that the best employees are happy employees.
The IFP has some questions to ask employers too. They will help them
work out whether their pay system is fair and clear, and whether
they are doing all they can for everyone in their workforce:
- Do the employees know where they stand and how they will be
rewarded?
- Is the employer objective and fair in setting salaries?
- Are the employer’s pay decisions made on job-size, capability and
proven performance? One thing our affirmative action-driven
employment policies forget is that it is OK to reward those who
perform well.
- How diverse is the workforce? Are jobs in a particular business
only done by one gender – and does this make a difference to their
pay? What is the employer doing to attract both male and female
candidates?
- Are flexible working options offered to all employees? How many
senior positions do women hold? Could more of the roles on offer be
part-time jobs or job-shares?
- How many employees return after maternity leave?
- Does everyone in the organisation feel welcome and valued? Are
training and development opportunities open to all? Is there an
anti-harassment policy? Are complaints monitored?
The IFP pledges to tackle these issues at parliamentary level but
before we do so, we will need your ideas and we are hoping to
inspire a lively debate on the subject during this conference. At
the same time I appreciate that the majority of you at this
Conference are not in any employment and that this does not affect
you.
Today South Africa needs women and men who will be loud trumpets
sounding a clarion call for truth and righteousness. The strongholds
of silence and stigma have still not been demolished. The IFP is
well equipped to lead the call for truth and righteousness.
We have the experience, the guts and the willpower. Beyond these
tools, we have a secret weapon; and that is you, the women of the
IFP Women's Brigade.
For years I have listened to our women, and worked with women from
all walks of life. Hearing your stories I am more convinced than
ever that we are living in a country where everything is possible.
Our Constitution gives us the freedom to follow our dreams, and our
sense of unity gives us the responsibility to help build South
Africa and prepare it for the challenges that lie ahead. In order to
perform these tasks our women need to be properly organised.
The reason why soldiers have to drill and do exercises is because
they need to be orderly in attacking the enemy. A rabble cannot
face a well organised army. An orderly platoon of well trained
soldiers can always rout a rabble before breakfast! This then means
that women need to organise themselves properly. They need to have
proper branches in order to tackle problems in an orderly fashion
whether it is poverty, whether it is crime, whether it is HIV/AIDS,
whether it is corruption or whether it is food production in order
to ensure food security for our families.
You cannot tackle any of these challenges unless you are orderly.
That means getting yourselves like an army into proper platoons in
order to fight these evils. This can be done through proper
branches. Your Brigade is the spearhead of our organisation. In
addition form Cooperatives and NGOs outside of your normal branches.
Women are the very pillars on which our neighbourhoods and
communities stand; women of ideas, conviction and action, who have
an abiding sense of responsibility, solidarity and commitment to
others. I am humbled to see just how strong and vibrant our women
are. We know you as Champions who combine prayer and work and who
daily demonstrate our dependence on God, for there is nothing we can
achieve without Him.
Let us go forth and together build a country in which women are not
only free to live securely and with dignity, but are free to lend
their enormous contribution to the success of our nation. The
present crisis demands that we respond. I salute you as Champions
in any Crisis.
Contact: Jon Cayzer
084 555 7144 |
