COSATU disappointed by the statements made by the ANC Women’s League President, Cde Bathabile Dlamini about women

5 July 2017

COSATU is saddened and disappointed to hear that ANC Women’s League President, Comrade Bathabile Dlamini is quoted to have argued that women were sometimes emotionally unsteady and could not always be trusted to partake in sober debates. She allegedly said, “Sometimes we lose debates because we become emotional so now we want experts to argue”

The federation believes that this statement is unfortunate coming from the president of the ANCWL and indirectly plays into the hands of an intransigent spectre of patriarchy that continues to oppress women in the workplace and in our communities. As COSATU, we believe that the experts required to deal with women’s oppression are the women themselves ,who experience it on a daily basis.

Our struggles against apartheid-colonialism, against gender oppression and economic subjugation have yielded what we call organic intellectuals for our movement. In addition, we have succeeded in developing thousands of experts and intellectuals through a combination of our revolutionary schools as well as traditional academia. We find it laughable that the ANC Women’s League could not find even six women amongst these thousands to articulate responsibly on the plight of women in present day South Africa.

The federation remains determined to fight alongside other women and gender activists for justice for women, a voice for women and a decent life for women in the economy and in the community.

We call on all genuine activists and genuine men to fight the scourge of Gender Based Violence that is holding women and our country at ransom. We will be found in the trenches dealing with this evil that has taken hold of our country.

Issued by Gertrude Mtsweni, Gender Co-ordinator, Organising Unit, COSATU, 5 July 2017