DA will fight against 50/50 gender quotas

The DA will not accept amendments to the Electoral Act to provide for party gender quotas. This would be as constitutionally problematic as basing representation in Parliament on race or any other demographic variable. 

The DA thoroughly rejects the concept of demographic representivity, which was the animating idea of apartheid. In contrast, our constitutional democracy enjoins us all to protect each other's rights. You don't need to look the same as someone to be represented by them in Parliament. 

At the Women's Parliament gala dinner yesterday, the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, said that government is working on changes to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2014 elections which would require all political parties to have at least 50% representation by women. If a party fails to reach this target, they will "not qualify for Parliament".

A legislated quota would amount to a violation of the Constitutional right to non-discrimination.

Section 9(3) of the Constitution states that: "The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth."

The ANC already has a 50/50 quota in place, which shows that this proposal is driven as much by self-interest as the apartheid-era mentality that people can only be represented by those who share the same race or sex. The ANC can only gain seats from this proposal; it cannot lose. 

The DA's approach to diversity is not based on top-down manipulation of electoral lists. It is based on a commitment to developing a genuinely diverse slate of candidates based on merit. The Leader of our party is not the Leader because she is a woman. She is the Leader because the party believes she is the best person for the job. 

It is the same with the Mayor of Cape Town and the DA's Parliamentary Leader. None of these women needed the help of quotas to get where they are. They got there because of the DA's open opportunity approach to candidate selection.

The DA will oppose any attempts to introduce apartheid-era demographic quotas. We have come too far to go backwards.

Statement issued by James Selfe MP, DA Chairperson of the DA's Federal Executive, September 2 2012

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