OPEN LETTER TO SADTU
To: SADTU, Commission for Gender Equality and COSATU
Date: 26 April 2013
Re: SADTU March
On the 24th of April 2013, the teacher union SADTU, supported by COSATU, held protest marches in Cape Town and in Pretoria, to make demands on the Department of Basic Education and the government.
I do not intend going into the details of their grievances nor do I have any inclination to debate the merits or demerits of their protest action.
However, from the outset, I do need to register my very profound revulsion about some of the nauseating displays during the protest action. Of grave concern was the sexist and insulting display of a woman's underwear - an act so disgusting and one that certainly has no place in our democratic order.
This morally deplorable display happens at a time when the nation shall be taking stock, pause, reflect, and honour the women's generation of 1913, who took it upon themselves to fight the oppressive pass laws introduced by the Union Government of the time. These women saw it in themselves that they too matter and that future struggles for liberation of our country will be poorer, were they not to take an active part.
Implicit in the struggle for liberation has always been the idea that human freedom, liberty and dignity must - as a matter of course - be extended to all humans, whether black or white, male or female. The women's generation of 1956 who dared the most heinous of regimes and marched onto the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 had taken a leaf out of the generation of 1913. Our democratic movement recognised this by making women eligible to stand as candidates for the National Executive Committee. We further made gains in 2007 with the promulgation of the 50/50 gender representation policy.
I deliberately go back into history to make the point about the long and wretched road we travelled together in fighting misogyny. Yet, on this very road we had leaders, among many others, of the progressive trade union movement, who led the way. I deliberately recount the historical narrative so as to remind the leaders of SADTU and COSATU whence we come as a nation. I dare say that not on our watch will we allow the precipitous slide into that dark and painful past for women, especially for black African women. A past where women were nothing more than lowly denigrated and objectified objects whose primary reason for existence was to the man'swanton desires and pleasure.
I am pained that the current generation of leaders in the progressive trade union movement, as evidenced in the conduct of SADTU and COSATU during the march, seem content disregard the brave actions of those noble men and women in the mass democratic movement who fought against patriarchy.
There can be no debate that the display of a woman's underwear, as part of the trade union protest paraphernalia is unacceptable and can only fuel patriarchal prejudices in an environment that is already volatile for women. I am pained at this open display of denigration, sexual violence and objectification. It offends against the founding provisions of our Constitution - the values of human dignity, equality, and non-sexism.
The deplorable display of the woman's underwear has a deeper meaning - it illuminates the prejudices, beliefs and understandings of some men (and some women) that women cannot be fully human. Hence society has every right to poke fun at women in very denigrating ways.
In a country where women and children continue to be victims of gender-based violence, I believe SADTU and COSATU have crossed the line, and should apologize. Not only do they owe an apology to me personally but to the rest of the South African women across the religious, racial, and political divide, who certainly must be feeling denigrated and disrespected.
Yours sincerely
Mrs AM Motshekga, MP
Date: 26 April 2013
Issued by the Department of Basic Education, April 29 2013
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