THE ANCWL CONDEMNS THE UNNECESARY GENDER ANALYSIS ON CASTER SEMENYA BY THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

13th August 2016

The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) condemns the unwarranted speculation by the international media on the sexual orientation of a South African gold medallist runner, Caster Semenya.As the ANCWL we view the debate on Castor’s gender as an attack to humiliate and demoralise her since she is expected to win a gold medal in the 2016 Olympic games. The ANCWL condemns the motives of those who continually perpetrate a view that an African woman has no capacity to excel in sports.

Caster Semenya’s eligibility to compete against other female athletes is not a debatable matter as she was born a girl and no amount of public humiliation can change her gender. The ANCWL respects and accepts the decision of the Court of Arbitration (CAS) on ruling out the enforcement on testosterone limits on runners as Semenya. The courts have proven that there was insufficient evidence to prove that women athletes with higher testosterone levels had an edge over other women athletes. This kind of scrutiny is inhumane and is a violation on Semenya’s human rights.

As the ANCWL we are fully behind Castor Semenya, she will rise above the speculations and bring a gold medal back onto our shores. The ANC Women’s League calls on all South Africans to rally behind Semenya and condemn all speculations on her gender.

Statement issued by Cde Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 14 August 2016