ANC NEC member and minister of Human Settlements Mmamoloko Kubayi yesterday got endorsement to contest for the position of deputy president of the ruling party from the Moloto Tabane branch in Ward 14, Protea South, Soweto.
Speaking at the event themed “Breaking down patriarchal relations: pursuing new frontiers”, Kubayi said that the struggle for freedom will never be complete until women enjoy equal status as their male counterparts.
“Our basic premise is that women emancipation and women empowerment in the context of economic transformation is non-negotiable. The march of history in the struggle against oppression has always pitted men against women and this has always placed women at the most disadvantageous position,” said Kubayi.
The Soweto born Kubayi also said questions should be asked on how far women have gone in transforming South Africa from a male dominated society to a truly non-sexist, non-racial and democratic society.
“As women and the society at large, we must understand that, in patriarchy, we are fighting against what was once regarded as common sense and in some quarters is still regarded as common sense. The resistance we have faced in achieving gender equality arises from the fact that it is hard to go against what is regarded as common sense. Ours is a struggle to create a new common sense,” she said.
“We must also celebrate the fact that our democracy has ensured that representation women in the parliament or legislature and is at its highest, we have more women serving as judges and magistrates including the deputy chief justice designate, Justice Mandisa Maya, and further women occupy senior management positions in the public service,” she said.
Kubayi admitted that the country is facing many challenges such as poverty, unemployment and inequality.
“A black woman in our country remains the face of poverty. Subjectively, we must concede that there are governance failures that have happened under our watch that could have been avoided.
“The near collapse of our major state-owned enterprises such as Eskom, which many here in Soweto can attest to the impact of load-shedding and load reduction that we had to endure. These collapses of SOEs have placed enormous strain on our ability to wield the state for the purposes of transforming our economy for the benefit of the poor especially women,” she said.
ANCWL Young Women’s Desk Pinkie Numa endorsed Kubayi to campaign for the position of being ANC deputy president in the elective conference to be held in December.
“We want comrade Kubayi to be in the top 6 of the ANC and to become a deputy president of the party. She is a feisty woman with leadership qualities and a vision,” said Kekana.
Among top ANC women who attended the gathering included Gauteng’s MEC of Safety and Security Faith Mazibuko and Matshidiso Mfikoe who is a leader of ANC in Johannesburg.
The race for the ANC deputy president is expected to be hotly contested with the likes of Ronald Lamola, Paul Mashatile said to also be eyeing the position. The party will elect its new leaders in December with Cyril Ramaphosa the favorite to retain the president position.
Many pandits have said the real race is for the deputy president position which is a step way from the top position.
The ANC Women’s League has already said it will demand that at least three women occupy top positions in the party, while the ANC’s youth arm has said it will be supporting younger candidates. Kubayi, a former youth league leader is 44 years old.
She has been entrusted with serious responsibilities in the party and in the state. The ANC national executive committee (NEC) – the party’s highest decision-making body between elective conferences – in April affirmed the selection of Kubayi as the head of its economic transformation committee (ETC).
The ETC brings together the party’s most brilliant minds on the economy and has been a stepping stone to powerful positions in the cabinet. She replaced long-serving ETC head and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
A former tourism minister, Kubayi has been the head of the economic cluster in Ramaphosa’s national executive and was responsible for coordinating South Africa’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan at a time when the economy has been battered by Covid-19 and unemployment is at its highest level.
The economic cluster of ministries – which comprises leaders far more senior than Kubayi politically – includes the department of Public Enterprise, headed by Pravin Gordhan; the Department of Employment and Labour, which is led by Thulas Nxesi; the department of Tourism, whose minister is Lindiwe Sisulu; and the Department of Trade and Industry, which is led by Ebrahim Patel.
When Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet in August last year, Kubayi was appointed minister of human settlements, replacing Sisulu.
Kubayi has previously served as minister in five portfolios – recently health in an acting capacity, tourism, science and technology, energy, and communications.
