Public participation and the provision of face-to-face interactions with those who govern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remains a cornerstone of the Legislature agenda. It does, however, remain a double-edged sword for the government of our province. On one hand it furthers democracy, on the other it lays bare the glaring challenges government has to grapple with, amid a myriad of long-standing social and economic challenges facing our people.
It is sad that delegates at the 2024 Women’s Parliament raised what can be seen as an indictment upon some who served before us – when they spoke of resolutions taken in 2022, many of which have yet to be addressed or receive feedback on. The vigour shown by KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) to get things going is filled with hope that this will change as we develop.
Given the nature of concerns raised by those who placed us in office, it is indeed time for serious reflection when delegates speak of the same challenges, year in, and year out. These delegates do not have the luxury of leaving Women’s Parliament and returning to another reality when proceedings end.
It is incumbent on all spheres of KZN’s GPU to find true and meaningful solutions to extremely valid complaints. It is also incumbent upon KZN’s citizens to keep the MK party out of local government – and away from the coffers of all spheres of government – if the GPU gains are to be lasting.
How much longer must we hear from victimised women that there are no social or judicial mechanisms in place to protect them from ongoing brutal Gender-based Violence (GBV)? It is shocking that some delegates and participants in the event may have returned home the same evening, only to become victims of physical or sexual assault.
Again, how many more debates and resolutions must Women’s Parliament table around forcing teachers to try to combat rampant teenage pregnancy, peer pressure, bullying and killing of our youth? Resolutions to properly equip and train SAPS personnel to handle GBV cases in a sensitive manner and to form specialised investigative teams to prosecute offenders cannot continue to ring hollow.
I make this claim in the full knowledge that government needs to do more. Resolutions without action do not change society – action in itself does.
The DA welcomes the resolution dealing with a call on cross border crime to be dealt with swiftly. We have, for years, called for our porous borders to be shut to those who cause harm to our citizens. Resolutions of undocumented foreigners fathering and abandoning children, rendering them to a life with little future, is the consequence of a litany of failures. No child can prosper and be granted opportunity when they cannot be registered at birth or even enrolled in a school. Fortunately, we now see the Government of National Unity (GNU) Minster of Home Affairs moving swiftly to reform the sector.
Perhaps the biggest intervention pleaded for during Women’s Parliament, is the dire need for the most basic educational principles within the intermediate teaching phase. Reading, writing and mathematics understanding is core to a successful nation. Yet delegates again lamented the lack of libraries and support mechanisms to uplift our youth.
Is it really so difficult to give books to our youth? We continue to collectively hang our heads in shame when mothers have to plead for books and libraries in a developing country such as South Africa. For far too long, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Government must commit to doing more, whether through public private partnerships or donations, and definitely with sheer will power.
The cornerstones of education, safety, justice and equality must start emerging from the quagmire of KZN’s administrative processes. They must emerge swiftly, and start meaningfully impacting the lives of those who were brave and spoke their truth at Women’s Parliament 2024.
KZN’s GPU is committed to doing, rather than talking. We are committed to tackling the vast number of challenges our people face. It will take time but the difference now is that there is the political will to do so. The GPU is committed to an ethical, capable and caring government.