African National Congress Women's League statement on appointment of Premiers

14 March 2018

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) welcomes the decision of the African National Congress (ANC) to select Cde Refilwe Mtshweni and Cde Sisi Ntombela as Premier's elect of Mpumalanga and Free-State respectively. 

In the declaration of the 54th national conference the ANC committed to find sound, effective and sustainable structural mechanisms to ensure the full realisation of women's potential especially in leadership roles.  This is after the delegates to the conference indicated that  electoral processes, both of the ANC and  a country, do not always guarantee the full representation and participation of women in key decision making structures. It is a well known fact that in high echelons of the organisation from branch to national level the  representation of women is not reaching a target of minimum 50%.  Even in the high echelons of government from local municipalities to national government the representation of women in key leadership position is not satisfactorily. ANC is non-sexist organisation and must lead in recognizing leadership capacity of the women within the organisation.

The ANCWL applauds the ANC on its bold decision to deploy women as Premiers. We demand that after the 2019 elections the ANC must deploy minimum 50% of women as Premier's, minimum 50% of women representation in provincial and national cabinets and in all provincial legislatures and in national assembly.  We demand 50/50 % gender parity at all levels and not only in government but private sector must adhere to our demands too. 

ANCWL calls all its members deployed in various levels of government to prioritise the implementation of the resolutions of the 54th national conference. No one should attempt to water down any mandate given by ANC branch delegates during the 54th national conference. Taking forward the agenda of radical socio-economic transformation is non-negotiable. 

Radical socio-economic transformation now or never!!!

Issued by Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 14 March 2018