The ANC Women’s League is concerned that the ANC would have to deploy more women in cabinet positions to meet the preferred 50/50 ratio.
Nokuthula Nqaba, ANCWL secretary-general, said other political parties were not sending out enough women for representation. And this cripples the expected visibility of women in the executive.
She said the league was pleased that women formed part of the negotiation team for the Government of National Unity (GNU) with other political parties.
Concerned about GNU parties’ lack of women representatives
The outcome from these meetings has been that the GNU’s founding members were not as informed on this issue. They were not informed that there should be a fair share of executive seats for women.
“Our policy with the ANC is that there should be a fair share of responsibilities. This means if other parties do not come on board because of their own policies, then the ANC should. It should by all means, ensure that women are represented as they should,” said Nqaba.
She said the Statement of Intent also notes that there should be equity. This in the women’s league means that all genders would be represented with fairness. And that gender equality would be boldly visible.
GNU parties should not be allowed to dictate to the ANC
She said other parties should not be able to dictate what should and should not be done in the GNU. This as a tactic to hijack the ANC.
Nqaba believes that while the ANC did not solely win the election, they still hold the majority of votes. And some of their policies, such as a fair share for women, should not be overlooked.
She insists that the GNU is the brainchild of the ANC. It should be allowed to steer the ship in a direction that would better South Africa. This with input from other parties.
Some GNU demands for positions do not mention women
“We understand that there have been certain demands of parties that want to take charge of a number of departments. [This they do] without even shedding light on how many women will be on those seats.
“It needs to be understood that the ANC invited parties into the GNU. And generally, when I invite you to my party, you cannot come and start dictating. [You can’t be] introducing new terms and conditions that I should now play by. You are still my guest,” said Nqaba.
