Dina Pule on the occasion of the provincial conference of the Women in
Agriculture and Rural Development (WARD) at the Ingwenyama Lodge
29 March 2007
MEC for Roads and Transport, David Mabuza
MEC for Finance, Mmathulare Coleman
Honourable Phumzile Ngwenya, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on
Agriculture
His Worship, Khosi Mkhonto, Executive Mayor of the Ehlanzeni District
Municipality
His Worship Justice Nsibande, Executive Mayor of Mbombela Municipality
Commissioner Joyce Piliso Seroke of the Commission on Gender Equality
Acting Head of the Department of Agriculture and Land Administration, Philemon
Mathebula
Head of the Department of Health and Social Services, EC Moloko
Head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation, S Mjwara
Head of the Department of Public Works, PN Nkwinika
National Manager of WARD, Lufuno Mbadi,
Mpumalanga Provincial Manager of the South African Human Rights Commission
On 7 July 2001 during the launch of the Integrated Sustainable Rural
Development Strategy in the Kgalagadi District Municipality President Mbeki
said the following, I quote
"Clearly, throughout our country, our rural areas are characterised by high
levels of poverty, limited economic and employment opportunities, undeveloped
infrastructure and limited services with marginalised communities economically
dependent on urban areas. For decades, our rural communities were denied
adequate education and our youth forced to abandon their homes and seek jobs in
the cities. Our people were forced out of the countryside to become cheap
migrant labourers on the mines and in the factories, in the cities and on the
farms. Our women in rural areas have had to bear the brunt of suffering by
having to walk long distances to fetch water and collect firewood, by having to
eke out their living and that of their families often on barren land to which
they had been removed. Yet, they have remained pillars of strength in the
community and we must pay tribute to their fortitude and resilience." Close
quote.
Further to that our rural communities have to contend with lack of access to
government services and unintended policy implementation consequences, as the
implementation of policy tended to be biased towards the urban and semi urban
areas. Most often than not rural communities receive one size fits all
projects. The project design rarely takes into account the different features
of the rural community. Rural women are often classified as one homogenous
group, and all are said to experience patriarchy in the same manner and form,
which is often not the case. There has been minimal assessment of the actual
gender strategies, if any, which are being pursued in different development
projects and processes be they land reform projects or Expanded Public Works
Programme projects.
And their impact on gender relations within rural communities is often
unknown. This calls for an integrated approach in dealing with rural
development in line with the National Integrated Sustainable Development
Strategy. Rural development is everyone's business. We have to ask ourselves
that to what extent rural women benefit from our programmes such as Masibuyele
'emasimini? To what extent do rural women benefit from the Comprehensive
Agricultural Support Programme? What percentage of government's procurement
goes to them? Are we creating enough space for them to partake in Black
Economic Empowerment?
As women bear the brunt of poverty, it is just and fair that the bulk of our
programmes be targeted towards them. We have to ensure that they also enjoy the
fruits of freedom. We hope and believe that the conference will come up with
tangible programmes that will take women issues to the centre of our agenda.
The consolidation of democracy in our country requires the eradication of
social and economic inequities, especially those that are systematic in nature,
which were generated in our history by colonialism, apartheid and patriarchy
and brought pain and suffering to the great majority of our people.
Although significant progress has been made in restructuring and
transforming our society and institutions, systematic inequalities and unfair
discrimination remain deeply embedded in social structures, practices and
attitudes, undermining the aspirations of our constitutional democracy.
Programme Director this is just an abstract from the Preamble to the
Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act. The great
majority of our people, those who have no voice and the armoury to defend
themselves need to know about government programmes that are aimed at bettering
their lives. We have to place information at their disposal because information
is power. WARD is an important instrument in this regard.
Though agriculture has a central role to play in the rural community, it is
not an end in itself but a means to an end which is rural development. It
remains one of the important ingredients which include access to healthcare,
education and other government services such enabling documents. Therefore the
project planning for rural development needs to take these factors into
account. Whatever solutions we are proposing have to make a difference at the
local level.
Structures such as Women in Agriculture and Rural Development have to work
with the Ward Committees, the Community Policing Forums and other local
structures to bring women's issues to the centre. We remain committed to
building a just society, a Mpumalanga that belongs to all its people united in
their diversity, hard at work to push back the frontiers of poverty advancing
in unity towards 2014. Remember water is life, green is cool as agriculture is
fashionable, waste is money and a pristine environment is our children's
rightful inheritance.
Let the business of conference begin.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Land Administration, Mpumalanga
Provincial Government
29 March 2007
