Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Human Rights Day commemorative event

Deputy President Paul Mashatile
Minister of Arts and Culture, Gayton Mackenzie
Premier of the Eastern Cape. Oscar Mabuyane
Executive Mayor of Nelson Bay Municipality Cllr. Babalwa Lobishe.

Good afternoon

Let me start by passing my sincere condolences to the family of Ashwin Trikamjee, who was a prominent lawyer, human rights defender and a religious leader who led a life of service to his community and South Africa as a whole. He lives behind a legacy of love, kindness, and compassion. South Africa has indeed lost a patriot.

Deputy President, contrary to what the programme director has said I am coming up here to do, I am not going to deliver a message of support, I am rather here to deliver a message from women who asked to say to you all “women’s rights are human rights”.

Our Constitution enshrines the rights of all South Africans, and these rights, ensure that every citizen can exercise them freely, without discrimination based on race, creed, class, or sexual orientation.

However, there are sections of society who feel that their rights are not sufficiently protected and as a result they are not able to fully enjoy them.

Yesterday I attended an event, which brought together women from civil society, non-governmental organizations, and other ordinary women in the communities here in Nelson Mandela Bay who were expressing their frustration with the continued violation of their rights.

These are women who live in fear because at any time they can fall victim to gender based violence and femicide.

They fear for their lives because they live in a society in which the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report on gender based violence and femicide found that “33.1% of all women aged 18 years and older had experienced physical violence in their lifetime. Lifetime physical violence was significantly higher among Black African women…”.

This means at least 3 women out of ten women aged 18 years and older you meet have experienced GBV.

They said to me that they too have a right “to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources” as outlined in the bill of rights.

They appreciate that President Cyril Ramaphosa has recognized and described gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as the country’s ‘second pandemic.  The question they were asking is that: is our country response to this challenge equal to that of a pandemic?

They asked this question because they still live in communities where they struggle to report GBV cases in police stations. When they secure a protection order from our courts, there are inordinate delays in delivering the orders to the perpetrators. There are many women who have been killed because the protection order they had secured in court had not been delivered as it should have been.

Amongst them was the LGBTIQA+ or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning and asexual who were concerned that they continue to be victimized for their choice of sexual orientation.

These women said to me that they do not understand why the National register of Sexual Offenders (NRSO) is kept confidential while women, children and people with disabilities continue to fall victim to repeat sexual offenders.

These are women who have been denied economic opportunities because of race and gender discrimination. These black women are wondering for how long will the black women remain the face of poverty in this country.

Without first obtaining a mandate, I have committed that our government will do everything in it’s power to respond to the plight of these women. I have committed that our government will do everything in its power to protect the rights of women and increase the effort to transform our society so that it is socially and economically inclusive.

I assured the women that our government is working around the clock to change the legislation so that NRSO can be publicly available.  

I assured the women yesterday that our government will do everything within its power to dismantle patriarchy. Gender equality is non-negotiable and the future of South Africa requires the full participation of women in all spheres of society.

Our constitutional democracy is premised on the values of non-racialism and non-sexism, social cohesion and nation building, tolerance, diversity and equality, aimed at protecting the rights and freedoms of all and affirming equality between men and women and people of all races.

As we commemorate this Human Rights day, remembering those who paid the ultimate price for us to enjoy the rights we have today, let us deepen a culture of social justice and human rights. Let us protect the rights of women and let’s work deliberately to dismantle patriarchy to achieve a just and equitable society.

I thank you.

#GovZAUpdates