Programme Director, the AU Commissioner for Social Affairs,

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma,

Honourable Ministers of Health, The Executive Director of UNFPA,

The Executive Director of UNAIDS,

The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, my sister Yvonne Chaka Chaka,

Members of the Diplomatic corps,

Members of the media,

Distinguished guests,

 

Good morning!

 

Let me extend a very warm welcome to South Africa to all our esteemed guests who have honoured us with their presence today.

We meet during historic times!

 

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organisation for African Unity/AU.

August is also a very important month in the South African calendar as it is Women’s Month.

 

On 9thAugust every year we commemorate the march to the Union Buildings seat of government in Pretoria, against pass laws by 20 000 women in 1956.

This march was led by stalwarts of our struggle against apartheid, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn.

The year 2013 is more significant as it marks 100 years since the first women’s march against pass laws in our country.

 

In 1913about 600 women marched to the Bloemfontein City Council in the Orange Free State to petition the mayor on the gross violation of the basic human rights of black people.

The Orange Free State was the only province in which passes were stringently enforced to control the movement of women residing and working in towns in large numbers.

Thus, as we begin women’s month, we salute all South African women for their brave and illustrious contribution to the struggle for liberation.

 

Your Excellencies, the timing of this historic International Conference on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health on the first day of women’s month is thus very appropriate. South Africa is honoured to co-host the conference together with the African Union Commission.

We all recognise the importance of women’s health as well as children’s health in the development of our nations.

It is for this reason that dealing with maternal and child mortality was put on the international agenda of the United Nations as Goal number 4 in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as far back as 14 years ago.

 

As the African Union, we did not just fold our arms and waited for the United Nations. We also did our bit.

Under the theme “No woman should die while giving life”, we launched the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

This Campaign was launched at the African Union’s Heads of State meeting in 2009. In South Africa, CARMMA was launched in May 2009.

 

We are gathered here today, to review our progress and map the way forward.

While CARMMA does not have a target date, the MDGs have. That target date is less than 900 days away – in 2015.

It is generally believed that Africa in general, but Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, is going to find it very difficult to achieve the health-related MDGs.

 

Our view is that a lot can still be achieved in 900 days. The fact that we have gathered here today, is also an indication that we have faith in ourselves.

We have faith that we can review progress made, identify continuing challenges, generate new knowledge that we can use when we go back home, learn from one another and finally develop an action plan to take this continent forward.

The important fact is that as leaders, it is within our power to do everything to ensure that no woman dies while giving life.

 

Equally, we must work together to ensure that no child dies from an avoidable cause.

As we review our work and map the way forward, we must at all times not forget that South Africa and Southern and Eastern African regions in particular have had a very serious challenge of HIV and AIDS in the past 30 years.

 

This pandemic complicated and completely altered the picture of maternal and child mortality in our continent. It has actually altered the cause of history on our continent.

We cannot ignore its impact on the development and health status of our people, especially on women and children.

This means that in our strategies to accelerate reduction of maternal and child mortality on our continent, we need to deal decisively with the HIV epidemic and of course its twin, which is TB.

 

Excellencies,

 

We felt a surge of pride when recently, the United Nations released the 2013 Getting to Zero: HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa Report.

 

The report noted that the number of children infected with HIV has decreased by more than half. The report further noted a decline in HIV infections in the region and a decrease in deaths from AIDS and over 10 years.

It is evident that with concerted efforts, accelerated reduction in both maternal and child mortality can be achieved. In South Africa, we have been able to reduce both maternal and child mortality in the past three years.

 

Mother-to-child transmission for instance, used to be 8,5% in 2008. It went down to 3,5% in2010 and even more down to 2,7% in 2011.

Since there are a million pregnancies per annum in South Africa, with approximately30% HIV prevalence rate in pregnant women, it means that in 2008, a total of25 000 children were born HIV positive in South Africa but in 2011, there were 8 100. This is a more than a 60% reduction.

 

The figures of 2012 are still being verified but we are made to understand by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) that they are likely to be lower than even for 2011.

While HIV and AIDS may be a very big contributor to maternal and child morality, we know that other preventable causes are also at play.

 

In our case in South Africa, we have discovered that the biggest killers of mothers in pregnancy and child birth can be summarised as the 3 H’s, namely:

 

1.             HIV

2.             Hypertension

3.             Haemorrhage

 

Both Hypertension and Haemorrhage can be dealt with if we improve our healthcare systems.

 

Recently, at the National Health Council held in Pretoria, one of our provinces – the Free State, demonstrated how this can be done. They made a presentation that indicated an amazing reduction in maternal and newborn mortality rates between2011 and 2012.

In that short space of time, maternal deaths were reduced by 43%, still births by23% and perinatal mortality by 19%.

 

Close scrutiny on interventions made shows that this did not need rocket science.

The chief factor was found to be an altered and improved method transferring patients from one hospital to another.

 

The other important factors were:

 

1.    Leadership and Accountability.

2.    Information usage and interpretation.

3.    Training and teaching.

 

These are very simple achievable factors.

 

I have been informed that later during the day, a presentation will be made about the Free State success story. We can learn from these success stories and multiply them around the whole continent.

 

Ministers, ladies and gentlemen,

 

Access to good nutrition and food security are important with regards to promoting healthier mothers and children.

 

We have introduced Government’s Integrated Food Security Production Intervention Programme to afford smallholder farmers, communities and households an ability to increase the production of basic food.

This intervention will be managed over a period of ten years from 2012 to 2022. The first four years will focus on the stabilisation of production and productivity of maize, beans, potatoes and vegetables.

 

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries together with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform ran an intensive ploughing or agricultural production programme in seven provinces namely the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West last year.

Approximately39 225 hectares of under utilised agricultural land was put under production with maize and beans being the main commodities.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as well as the Department Rural Development and Land Reform have made available R390 million for this Government food security programme.

 

The harvesting of beans is on-going in the Free State and has started in parts of Kwa Zulu- Natal. It is envisaged that the yearly target will be the cultivation of one million hectares. The importance of the programme is that it mobilises communities to do the work for themselves which will make the programme sustainable.

The government food security programme has demonstrated the possibility that South Africa can attain self-sufficiency and food security, and all related spin offs including improved health of our population.

 

Distinguished participants,

 

Africa has achieved a lot in the 50 years of independence from colonialism.

It is crucial that we have elevated women and child health to the mainstream of the African Union and the African Union Commission. This indicates the seriousness with which this crucial intervention is viewed. We thank you all for making the time to visit our country and attend this conference.

 

Let us continue the good work, guided by the determination to make Africa a better place for all our peoples.

 

I thank you.