NA MPs call on department of women to do its job & defend women
This year’s budget vote of the Department of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities took place during the government’s year-long commemoration of Ms Charlotte Maxeke, one of the first South Africans to fight for African women’s enfranchisement, rreports Abel Mputing. Ms Maxeke fought against patriarchy and colonial domination, and her call for women’s emancipation and self-determination still resonates with the women’s cause to this day.
Delivering her budget vote speech before a National Assembly mini-plenary, the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said two years ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide to tackle genderbased violence (GBV). This was strengthened by the establishment of a ministerial committee and multi-sectorial approach.
Part of the legislative battle against GBV is a Bill that will pay special attention to the rights and recourse of GBV victims, to ensure justice, as well as coherent and systematic legal prescripts for handling GBV cases. The
Bill will reinforce gender budgeting in government departments, which will enforce compliance with the requirement that 40% of tenders in every department should be allocated to women.
The Minister also announced that women will be prioritised in land redistribution programmes, as one of the factors leading women to stay in abusive relationships is that they are not economically independent.
The Minister also reported that the department is paying special attention to youth unemployment. It will use the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to allocate funds to upskill the youth and facilitate the development of their entrepreneurial skills.
However, the departmental budget will hamper efforts to facilitate, monitor and evaluate inter-ministerial and multi-sectoral commitments to fight GBV and femicide. It will also diminish the mainstreaming of youth empowerment and people with disabilities.
Nevertheless, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Nonhlanhla Ndaba, welcomed that out of the department’s budget of R763 million allocation, R479 million will go to the NYDA. “This will ensure that the youth are given training in technical, vocational skills and entrepreneurial development to ensure that they participate in the mainstream economy.”
However, Ms Ndaba criticised the fact that R90 million will go the Commission for Gender Equality, leaving R100 million for staff salaries and only R85 million will be left for goods and services. “More allocations are needed if we were to achieve the targets of core programmes aimed at addressing the rights of persons with disabilities.”
She urged the department to intensify its role of monitoring and evaluating the policies and commitments aimed at enhancing the rights of women, youth and people with disabilities.
On budgetary cuts, NA MP, Mr Luvuyo Mphiti, claimed that this has reduced the department’s objectives of monitoring and valuation without any effect on implementing its key priorities, as stated in its annual performance plans. The reduced budget indicates to him that the department is “not there to serve the interests of women, youth and people with disabilities, but to extend political patronage”.
The department’s commitment to fighting GBV was questioned by another NA MP, Ms Ntokozo Hlonyana. “The department has failed to hold the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) accountable for the countless cases that go by without any prosecution and that have been thrown out of court due to poor investigation.”