MAKING YOUR FUTURE WORK BETTER – Learning from Madiba The official newsletter of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa Vol.Vol. 12 12 ISSUE ISSUE 7 5 AugustISSUE June 7 20122018 Protecting Women’s Rights Parliament recognises the role of women in society Vision An activist and responsive people’s Parliament that improves the quality of life of South Africans and ensures enduring equality in our society. Mission Parliament aims to provide a service to the people of South Africa by providing the following: • A vibrant people’s Assembly that intervenes and transforms society and addresses the development challenges of our people; • Effective oversight over the Executive by strengthening its scrutiny of actions against the needs of South Africans; Provinces of Council National of • Participation of South Africans in the decision-making of National Assembly National of processes that affect their lives; • A healthy relationship between the three arms of the State, Black Rod Mace Mace that promotes efficient co-operative governance between the spheres of government, and ensures appropriate links with our region and the world; and • An innovative, transformative, effective and efficient parliamentary service and administration that enables Members of Parliament to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities. Strategic Objectives 1. Strengthening oversight and accountability 2. Enhancing public involvement 3. Deepening engagement in international fora 4. Strengthening co-operative government 5. Strengthening legislative capacity HEADING Contents 12 18 22 14 5. Land expropriation opens up24 historical wounds 20. Parliament Youth Summit: ‘Young people must 7. Women’s rights include right sustain freedom and democracy’ to land: Women MPs share their views 22. Summit discusses business opportunities 10. Eastern Cape kings welcome and support public for the youth hearings 24. Women’s march demands emancipation from all 12. Land redistribution creates hope for healing of the forms of discrimination and violence historical wound of dispossession 26. ‘War against gender inequality cannot be won 14. North West people ‘very keen to have their voices without Involvement of men’ heard on land redistribution matter’ 28. Celebrating the life and times of two giants of our 16. Western Cape public hearings on constitutional liberation review hear of forced removals 30. Mbete calls for international cooperation to ‘protect 18. Students’ Parliament celebrates the lives of Madiba vulnerable migrants, particularly women and and MaSisulu children’ 31. Tribute to Ms Zelda Jongbloed 3 Editor Mr Brent Simons Production editor Mr Mava Lukani Design and layout Vishaal Lalla Copy editors Jane Henshall, Vusumzi Nobadula Writers Sakhile Mokoena, Abel Mputing, Mava Lukani, Malatswa Molepo, Rajaa Azzakani, Faith Ndenze, Brent Simons Photography Mlandeli Puzi, Zwelethemba Kostile Distribution & subscriptions Jacqueline Zils Publisher Parliament of the Republic of South Africa Printer Capitil Press Copyright INSESSION is a monthly publication, which is published by the Information and Content Development Unit of the Parliamentary Communication Services of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. All material published is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Telephone 021 403 8738 Fax 021 403 8096 E-mail [email protected] Subscriptions [email protected] Post PO Box 15, Cape Town, 8000 OUR IDEALS Vision An activist and responsive people’s Parliament that improves the quality of life of South Africans and ensures enduring equality in our society. Strategic Objectives Strengthening oversight and accountability; enhancing public involvement; deepening engagement in international fora; strengthening cooperative government; strengthening legislative capacity. VISIT US ON www.parliament.gov.za Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .ai Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .ai www.facebook.com/parliamentofrsa twitter.com/ParliamentofRSA youtube.com/ParliamentofRSA ParliamentofRSA BOOK A TOUR To tour Parliament Telephone 021 403 2266 Fax 021 403 3817 E-mail [email protected] ISSN 2227-1325 (Print) ISSN 2227-3778 (Online) 4 OR Tambo women demand land. Land expropriation opens up historical wounds The public hearings on whether Furthermore, the public hearings on people, which took place before the the land issue took place in Mandela frontier wars. The Khoisan kings were to amend section 25 of the Month, when we remember Mr the original owners of the land. “The Constitution, to make it possible Mandela’s legacy in South Africa and Khoisan people were created in South to expropriate land without in the world. Both of these struggle Africa by God. [He] settled them in icons are symbols of reconciliation their country and they were prepared compensation in the public and justice, and their names are the to share their country with all the interest, has inadvertently antithesis of anything that goes against refugees that came later.” these two ideals. opened wounds in the hearts Based on this history, she argued for of many people caused by The Eastern Cape leg of public hearings the expropriation of the land with on the possible amendment to the compensation. She said expropriation the bitter and painful history Constitution began in mid-July in the with compensation is consistent with of colonialism and apartheid, Mthatha Town Hall, where people the spirit of reconciliation and inclusive sustained themselves in the long nation-building as espoused by Nelson writes Mava Lukani. queues outside the hall as they waited Mandela. “Expropriation without to participate in the hearings by compensation is inconsistent with the That history of dispossessing them of reminding each other of the history of values of reconciliation which Nelson their inheritance inevitably became dispossession that took place in the 18th Mandela laid in this new republic,” Ms fresh in the people’s minds and century in the frontier wars from 1779 Noah emphasised. automatically created a mixture of to 1879, in which the AbaThembu, contrasting emotions of anger and AmaXhosa and AmaMpondo kingdoms Some people taking part in the public excitement in the hope of regaining were dispossessed on their lands by hearings argued that the land should what was lost centuries ago. colonial forces. People reminded each be placed in the custodianship of other of the torture and killing of the traditional leadership, as the state is Furthermore, that history became famous King of the AmaXhosa, King not to be trusted. Holding this view was alive when those who own land resist Hintsa, near Nqabara River during one Prince Burns-Ncamashe, who said the attempts at land redistribution to undo of those frontier battles. state must first release the 87% land in the haunting legacy of inequality its possession. among South Africans. Ms Noziyolo Phethani, of the town of Mqanduli, said the pain of The majority view on the custodianship However, hope for the redistribution dispossession still rankles: “We hear of land at all the Eastern Cape public of land triumphs over the legacy of about this from history and it is very hearings, however, was that the state bitterness and anger. Coincidentally, painful. How much more to those who should be the custodian of the land, the discourse on expropriation of land experienced this pain in their lifetime?” on the basis that South Africa is a without compensation is balanced she asked. constitutional democracy. by celebrations to commemorate the centenary of the birth of those icons Another participant in the Mthatha People participating in the hearings of the liberation struggle, Mr Nelson hearings, Ms Phyllis Noah, identified called for speed in amending the Mandela and Ms Albertina Sisulu. herself as a descendant of the Griquas. Constitution, to ensure that the long- She shared an emotional history of the overdue redistribution of land is not killing of the Khoisan kings and their impeded in any way. PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 5 PUBLIC HEARINGS ON LAND Parliament recognises the role of women in society 6 PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA VIEWS OF WOMEN MPs Women’s rights include right to land: Women MPs share their views InSession writers spoke to As a country, we have achieved a lot under the government of the African various women Members of National Congress (ANC), but various Parliament to hear their views barriers are still prevalent and hinder on the current debate on the women from owning land. redistribution of land. One of the barriers faced by rural women is the issue of traditional and customary laws that are still prevalent in our rural areas. In rural areas, it is customary for a male child to inherit land. but not for a woman. We still have situations in our rural areas where a widow is forced to marry another male within the family so that she can continue staying in the late husband’s homestead. This is the reality for women in some rural areas. The issue of land ownership by rural women has been the subject of debate in various regional and international platforms, including the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women. South Africa, as a member of UN Women, is expected to adopt laws that ensure equitable ownership of land by women. Ms Thandeka Mbabama (Democratic Alliance) The current debate on land in South Ms Mbabama of the Democratic Africa is happening at just the right Alliance (DA) said that section 25 of the time. Constitution states that no one may be deprived of property and that the state “We are a constitutional democracy, must take reasonable legislative and Ms Rosalia Morutoa (African National and we recognise equality and non- other measures, within its available Congress) sexism as among our core constitutional resources, to foster conditions which Ms Morutoa, a veteran of the struggle pillars. We need to collect gender- enable citizens to gain access to land against apartheid, said South African disaggregated data on land ownership, on an equitable basis.