Source: AllAfrica
Today we are celebrating the power that is Women! On this Women's Day we can take inspiration from the women in our history who showed us what our society can achieve if we stand up for ourselves and each other.

When women marched on Pretoria on the 9th August in 1956 they were asserting their power in the face of fear and acquiescence to pass laws on the part of black men. "wathint'abafazi wathint'imbhokoto uzakufa" (you touch a woman you dislodge a boulder, you will be crushed) captures the essence of this feminine power.

Women have power that remains under-utilized in our society. Women in my life understood the power that is women - their essential role as bearers and nurturers of future generations of both men and women, their capacity to be connectors of the extended family, their ability to empathize with the vulnerable, their organizational abilities to collaborate to tackle complex problems and their capacity for joy.

In many communities in our country, men who are expected by society to be the providers and protectors of their families lack the capacity and capability to do so, leaving them with a sense of powerlessness.

The gap between the expectations of a male-dominated society and the inability of a large proportion of men to play that role generates rage, self-hatred and its worst brutality and violence - particularly against women.

The more women succeed the more many insecure men feel threatened. Women remain "out of place" as leaders in male dominated societies. Violence against women is a symptom of this insecurity and of a wider failure of our society to instill the value of respect for each other.

Educating our children about gender equality is the responsibility for all of us as citizens. We need to strengthen women to believe in themselves and stand fearlessly in defence of their rights. At the same time we need to educate our sons and grandsons.

It is the pride and protective instincts of men at their best to which we must appeal, men who understand their own role in their families, their own responsibilities as sons, fathers, husbands and brothers. But this society has not invested enough in men, especially black men, to encourage them to become positive contributors to society.

I am imagining the pride we feel in the wonderful women breadwinners who are the rocks of townships and rural communities, the stokvel savers for the future, the hard working subsistence farmers of the villages and the 9-5 heroines of offices across the country.

Why are women being attacked Instead of being honourned?

I know that there are families in the Sharpville community who have suffered the loss of their children. We all share in their grief. We all want to see and end to this.

We can no longer wait for another rape, another death, another strike at the heart of a family and community.

Why? Why do women and children in our country still face the violence and abuse that should have become a thing of the past we fought so hard to escape?

Violent crime against women has fallen over the last 5 years and yet we still have one of the highest rates of violence against women anywhere in the world.

If the level of violence is horrific, so too is the character of the attacker. Women are not just raped and abused they are often mutilated and murdered.

It is as if there is a need to destroy the very idea of a woman by exerting power in a most terrible, cowardly and personal way.

The quality of any society can be judged by how it treats those most vulnerable: women, children and those least able to fend for themselves.

We have achieved much since our freedom, above all a constitution that enshrines the right to dignity, freedom and equality for every citizen of our country.

And yet after nearly 20 years since our freedom, too many women are still subject to appalling abuse. Why on our watch do we continue to allow this to happen?

Something is still very wrong at the heart of our society, when the instances of violence remain so high and, what's more, we seem to have become numb to the nature and repeated instance of these appalling crimes.

These are not newspaper stories they are the lives of individual sisters being brutalized and discarded.

My own family has been deeply affected by violence against our women folk. I have lost nieces to gender based violence in the home at the hand of their intimate partners. Not one but many. There are few families that remain unaffected.

The tolerance of human rights abuses colours relationships within homes and communities and is a shameful stain on our society. The level of violence goes beyond the need to dominate; its brutality is indicative of the turmoil in the mind of the perpetrators.

The epidemic of violence against women and children is emblematic of a society still at war within itself, one that needs all its citizens to come to come together and heal itself.

Where is the spirit of Ubuntu in the way the relationships play out between men and women? Our ancient spirit of togetherness says 'I am who I am because of who we all are'.

Each time a women is struck, do we not all cry out in anguish? She is a sister, mother, a daughter or a wife.

Violence against women is abnormal. It is completely unacceptable. There is no justification, ever. It is an indication of the unfinished business of our transition to democracy.

From our family behaviour, to the violent anger of some men, to the police handling of victims and the ability of the judicial system to successfully prosecute rape and abuse cases, the distortion of patriarchal traditional societal norms and the numbed reaction to stories of horrible acts, we are in danger of sending the message to victims that it is something normal, something that women just have to deal with.

The fact is that violence against women is an extreme symptom of the failure of our democracy to provide opportunities for all South Africans. It is a manifest failure of government to address the humiliation of men, especially black men at the hands of apartheid. The disempowerment that men feel is taken out against women closest to them.

Authoritarian unaccountable government perpetuates the humiliation that poor people have experienced under apartheid. Humiliated people are unable to care about the rights of others in a society that does not care about them. It is not surprising that we are now reaping the whirlwind of the breakdown of African family life in both urban and rural areas. Young men who have no prospect of finding work resort to raping their grandmothers who feed them on their old age pensions.

Nearly 20 years after freedom millions of our fellow citizens are living like forgotten people, without dignified jobs and homes. Without quality education and healthcare. Without safe communities.

Successive governments have sought to build and electrify homes, to educate our young, to create jobs and provide the protection of social grants for the young, the old and those unable to work.

Great efforts have been made but the truth is with each passing year, we have fallen further and further behind. For millions of our fellow citizens we have not come far enough, fast enough. The heart of the problem is the failure of political will by our government. The government does not believe that black people are capable of excellence. The low expectation of our children's performance is exemplified in the 30% pass mark in three subjects and 40% in three others that constitute a Matric pass.

These failings of government to set and meet high standards in education and training are driving this country into an abyss. No society in the 21st century can succeed if its most dynamic sector of the population is disabled by a deliberately sub-standard education. The failure to prepare young people for a creative hopeful future is driving frustration that leads to sexual and other forms of violence. This is eating at the very heart of our society. They undermine our self-esteem and corrupt the dreams we all have for our futures.

Yes we have a constitution that protects the rights of every citizen, but in practice we cannot fail so many women, men and children and expect that these rights will protect themselves.

Like most societies in the world, despite our wonderful constitution we remain a male-dominated society. All of our cultures reflect it. Our traditions and our inability to transform our social relationships to be more respectful of each other play a major role in leading to gender-based violence. A failure of the education system for young boys and girls only exacerbates this.

It is clear that there is a desperate need in South Africa to transform our social relationships. It starts in the home, and it needs to be followed up in the school, so that it spreads then to the workplace and through the wider community. Parents need to model good behaviour in promoting equality for girls; so do educators.

What is needed is political and citizen action to return to the promise of freedom, hope, human dignity and equality for all.

Together we can finally bring about equality between women and men. We have all the power we need to change our society and or world. It is in our hands.

South Africa is a country of immense potential, but that potential will remain untapped until we unleash the power in all of us to be the best we can become.

Let us use Women's Day as a rallying call to stand up and say 'no more'. Let us with one voice say: Enough is Enough!

The effects will be profound. We women who are the majority population need to unleash the power within us. The power of our youthful population needs to be unleashed.

Just before joining you here I had the opportunity to speak to the young men from this community and others who came today from across the Vaal. We talked about these very things, about how, in a country in which so many poor, black households are headed by women, igniting these values of respect and pride are vital.

I was inspired to hear the deep sense of pride, care and responsibility that these men, these role models, carry. But it is also going to take a co-ordinated and relentless focus on the policies we enact across government.

That is why AgangSA is here today. We are here to begin the restoration of the promise of our great nation and to offer the hope of a better future for every South African.

We are here together to honour the sacrifices of the struggle and take inspiration from the achievements of the past.

Agang pledges to live by our founding democratic values: human dignity, equality and freedom.

We pledge to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.

Power in numbers and solidarity for national goals was the driving force through-out the struggle for freedom. Standing up for what is right, even in the face of danger.

We need to march again, this time against violence against our daughters and sisters and not just as women but as the whole of society standing together.

We need to look again at our approaches to policing, the courts and at healthcare and counseling, to ensure that victims of rape and violent crime are protected and cared for better and that the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted.

We can help the men and women in blue with better training, specialized police units to deal with violent and sexual crimes and look at every policing precinct having a special facility where victims can report cases and be treated with dignity.

The news that specialized sexual offences courts are to be reintroduced is to be heartily welcomed. We need dedicated magistrates and prosecutors. We must also look at more stringent measures for dealing with bail for rape suspects.

In education there is more that can be done to help assist victims of rape and sexual abuse, with greater access to counseling services.

If we send a message that our society will not tolerate the stain of gender based violence any longer. If we pursue those who commit rape and violent crime against women and children with vigour, catch and prosecute them, then survivors of rape will be given the strength to break their silence. They will not to feel ashamed to report the culprit to the police.

But in truth it begins with us all as citizens. If we say no, this is not right we will not stand for this any longer. We have been given many lessons in the ability of active citizens to bring about change.

We pledge to improve the quality of life for all and free the potential of each person.

I see a great future for our country. One in which we finally realise true freedom for all.

Freedom from poverty, crime and corruption.

A job, a home, a life of dignity.

AgangSA is inspired by a burning ambition to aim higher.

To bring an end to gender violence and inequality.

To expect excellence in education, in healthcare, and policing.

To restore integrity to public life and pride to public service.

To restore the trust between citizens and their leaders.

We believe in restoring power to the people.

We believe in a government that listens to the people and is accountable to the people.

All this is possible if we raise our expectations of the future.

You know I want us to dream bigger, to expect much, much more.

Imagine for a moment that 90% of our children passed their matric each year and that we had libraries and computers in every school.

Imagine that our economy grew by 5% every year, creating thousands of new jobs and imagine that we could drive unemployment down below 10%.

Imagine that every mother and her baby are born happy and healthy and that we could walk the streets free of the fear of crime.

And imagine that we had the education, job opportunities, housing and healthcare to raise millions out of poverty.

This, is what true freedom feels like and it is within our reach.

It is a future we can have if we expect more from ourselves, our government and our country, and if we vote for the future, not the past.

I began by speaking about the scourge of gender violence. We at AgangSA believe that we must tackle the wider problems in society if we are to eradicate violence against women.

My generation didn't fight and die in the struggle against apartheid for the country we have now.

20 years is too long to wait:

· for quality education and training for our children,

· for jobs,

· for effective health care,

· to be helped to build houses that will become dignified homes,

· Waiting to live in a decent sustainable living environment

· for a government that serves all citizens rather than a select few

Corruption is at the heart of the problems our country faces today.

Corruption and a culture of impunity have spread throughout government and society stealing textbooks from classrooms, homes from those who have been waiting, stealing drugs from those living with HIV and stealing thousands of jobs and billions of rands of investment.

What angers me is that these are all failures of political will, not policy or a lack of money.

Corruption and waste is costing us billions. The Auditor General's report identifies R33billion that was misspent or wasted in the 2011/2012 year.

Imagine how many thousands of teachers and police officers that would pay for?

Government officials are stealing millions of rands for themselves and their families, paid for by you and I and yet there is no accountability.

It is staggering that those found guilty of corruption are allowed to take another job in government.

After 20 years we have arrived at a crossroads. We must change course now or rampant corruption will rob every man, woman and child of their future and our country of its full potential.

This is not the legacy our great leaders had in mind. This is not the country dreamed of by of our beloved Madiba, by Steve Biko or Lillian Ngoyi, by Ruth First or Chief Albert Luthuli.

Leadership begins at the top. The leaders of this current government set an appalling example that others follow.

They seem to think they are beyond the reach of the law. They abuse the trust of the citizens who elected them.

The Arms Deal, Nkandla, the Guptas, the list of these abuses goes on and on.

These are not the leaders our country deserves.

Who steal from their own in broad daylight.

Who wound our country's spirit with the language of hate, of fear and of anger.

Who threaten to take away grants and RDP houses if you don't vote for them.

Change is possible: it begins with you and I today.

We must aim higher. Together we can build an economy that works for all South Africans, not just the powerful and politically connected.

We can create thousands of jobs through an infrastructure public works programme to build roads, schools, railways and ports to unlock the potential of our economy.

We can boost small business job creation with tax credits.

And we can provide a 21st century education system to ensure that young people have the skills needed to drive our economy.

We must set the bar higher and aim for excellence, both in the results we need to see from learners and from the quality of education provided by teachers.

We will raise the pass mark to 50%, train talented teachers and create thousands more teaching posts, attracting unemployed graduates.

Together we can build an education system that restores pride in the profession, creating highly qualified teachers, proper infrastructure and better learning environments so young people get the education they deserve and have the best possible opportunity of dignified jobs.

If we upgrade the education system and get the economy moving we can start to tackle the poverty and despair that are at the heart of our social problems and are the root causes of crime.

This government has left us crippled by rampant crime. The men and women in blue, who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect the public, are not inherently bad. The problem is one of bad leadership.

This week the focus will again fall on policing as we mark the anniversary of the Marikana Massacre. It is the lack of imagination and leadership, as shown by this government's chilling "shoot to kill" instruction to police, that led to the tragedy at Marikana and to increasing police brutality.

We had thought that another Sharpville was not possible in post-apartheid South Africa, but we were wrong! We have to use our meeting here today in this historic township to say Enough is Enough!

We must restore the trust between communities and the policemen and women who serve them so that society works together to tackle crime.

We must have a justice system that works. A professional, respected police service must protect citizens and criminals must know they will be caught and punished.

And we must finally have a professional police service that has zero tolerance for brutality and one that inspires pride amongst its ranks. This more than anything will help tackle to epidemic of violence against women.

Finally, we need to restore dedicated ethical professionalism to our health care system so it can serve the public effectively and efficiently.

Agang believes that we have the resources to restore our healthcare system and provide dignified care for all in need. You must be able to see a doctor and to get a script whenever you need.

We must use our strong science and technology base to attract, train and retain the best health care workers to restore the pride and trust in our system.

This is just the beginning of what AgangSA will do to change our country.

We will work tirelessly with all South Africans to find solutions to the challenges we face and to shape a vision of our country's future that we all share.

Over the coming weeks and months we will continue engaging with our fellow citizens on our draft policies as we shape our manifesto together.

AgangSA is growing fast. Thousands of members and volunteers have joined us since the launch of the party 6 weeks ago.

To AgangSA's volunteers and members here today, brothers and sisters, you are our heart and soul.

Your are the strong arms that link our party together on the long road to 2014. I salute you!

Let every South African be in no doubt. Change is possible. The country of our dreams is within reach.

Where there has been anger and despair, working together we can bring hope.

And where there is hope we can build a better future for our country.

Yes Agang has a vision of South Africa in which every citizen can finally prosper.

Yes we have a plan to bring change and restore the promise of freedom.

Now is the time for action. There is work to do and we must begin immediately.

We can only do this together. The future of country depends on it.

Get involved, become a member and a volunteer, talk to the people here today.

Together we can build a bridge between the generations, reaching out to our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. We are building a powerful campaign machine to fight the 2014 elections.

We will take our message of hope to every corner of South Africa, to every home on every street in every community.

Let's roll up our sleeves and get South Africa working. It is our duty as citizens to come together and change our country.

Let us carry the spirit of our great leaders in our hearts and chart a course toward the future together.

Together we will restore the promise of a free South Africa, a greater future for our nation.

Freedom from poverty, crime and corruption.

A job, a home, a life of dignity.

Excellence in education, in healthcare and policing.

Integrity in public life and pride in public service.

Trust between citizens and their leaders.

True freedom is within our grasp.

Look to the future and let us build the country of our dreams together.

Thank you

• South Africa