RE: ANCWL STATEMENT ON SOWETAN ARTICLE
The ANCWL is deeply distressed by the gross misinterpretation of the ANCWL Mpumalanga provincial secretary, Clara Ndlovu's statement, which appeared on the front page of the Sowetan newspaper with the headline "ANC women not ready to lead." This flies in the face of everything the ANCWL stands for and has been fighting for since its inception. Women of the ANC have been ready to lead since the days of strong women leaders like Charlotte Maxeke, Lilian Ngoyi and many others.
The calibre of women leaders we have in the organisation today speaks of strong capable female figures who are leading in various sectors of Government, including an ANC women leading the continent. However due to the nature of patriarchy which persists in South African society a women President has not yet been a reality. While we celebrate the past presidents of the ANC during its centenary we can see that none of them have been women.
The Women's League however have managed to make many major dents into that deep set patriarchy, and among other gains was the resolution that came out of the Polokwane conference of the ANC that speaks to 50% gender parity across all ANC structures. This was a resolution that was not only celebrated by women in South Africa as a major gain for gender equality but the ANCWL has received praise from women across the globe who come from centuries old democracies but are yet to achieve the gender equality gains made by the ANC.
It must not be misinterpreted that the ANC Women's does not want a women president at the helm of the ANC, this is not the case, however the ANCWL is a strategic political organisation, with a deep understanding of the organisation we form part of. We are supporting Comrade Jacob Zuma for President, Comrade Kgalema Motlanthe for deputy President and Comrade Gwede Mantashe for Secretary General to promote continuity and to unify our organisation.
We say the time is not right currently not because we don't have the capable leaders, and we believe South African society is maturing to a point where being led by a women is acceptable, however the WL currently need to assist in healing and unifying the organisation and we believe at this point continuity will assist in achieving this goal, rather than bringing another candidate to the fore and creating further rifts in our organisation.
The Women's League being strategic in nature due to the environment in which we operate also must take into consideration that while women form the majority of branch membership in the ANC, when it comes delegation to conference we see conferences dominated by male delegates. It is this patriarchy at a branch level that the ANCWL are currently battling, it is branches who decide on the leadership of the ANC and we are calling on women in structures to ensure that they form part of branch delegations.
It is then we can begin to see more women as provincial chairpersons of the ANC and in the near future a female president of the ANC and the country. We will not nominate a women for president just for the sake of the nomination, that would be extremely unstrategic. The women in the ANC need to come from a branch level upwards then we will begin to see real change in the organisation.
Comrade Clara Ndlovu was referring to this when speaking of readiness for a women leader.
The ANC Women's League has always and will always be the custodians of the women's struggle in South Africa and the never wavering fighters for gender equality and women's right. There has never been a time when the gender agenda has been more relevant. We see women as the face of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
The epidemic or rape and gender based violence is sweeping through our communities, and it is women that bear the burden of disease. The ANC Women's will forever be there to ensure the voice of women is heard loud and clear and be at the forefront of policy development that speaks to the betterment of the lives of women.
Statement issued by Troy Martens on behalf of the ANC Women's League, October 10 2012
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