Zuma says his young parent remarks taken out of context
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has told Parliament that an earlier speech in which he appeared to attack teenage moms had been taken out of context.
Comments made last Thursday by Zuma in a speech to traditional leaders appeared to suggest that teenage moms be removed from their babies, sparking outrage among child psychologists, parent support groups and opposition parties.
“I was responding to a contribution made by one of the traditional leaders. In fact, I was telling him how I was stopped by women when I made the statement,” Zuma told Parliament on Wednesday.
Zuma had reportedly told the National House of Traditional Leaders: “They must be educated by government until they are empowered and they can take care of their kids. Take them to Robben Island or any other island, sit there, study until they are qualified to come back and work to look after their kids. They must be taken and be forced to go to school, far away.”
Zuma acknowledged that when he first expressed this view during his 2009 election campaign, it had stirred controversy and was likely to do so again, but said that allowing teenage mothers to leave school was proving an untenable burden on society and the state’s welfare bill.
Yesterday, in explaining that he had been taken out of context, Zuma said he had merely been referencing the statement he had made in 2009 on the same matter.
The Presidency also defended Zuma’s comments about teenage mothers, saying he did not single out only girls.
“President Zuma was emphasising the need for teenagers to focus on their studies and said children should not be raising children,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said. In his remarks he had referred to boys and girls.
Cape Town child psychologist Anel Annandale criticised the president’s comments, saying they were a recipe for disaster. “Teen moms are more likely to suffer from post-natal depression because they have so much anxiety. Having them to think about possibly being removed from their babies would be devastating.”
DA national spokeswoman Phumzile van Damme said: “The comments expose a deep-seated patriarchal thinking.”