The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) expresses concern at the release of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) statistics revealing that women comprise a mere 38,5% of all municipal councillors.
Comprising an initial 36.81% of all party proportional representation candidates, on the surface, this represents an apparent increase in numbers since the 2006 local government elections, when women comprised 36.59% of councillors. However, it must be remembered that this was largely influenced by the African National Congress’s (ANC) then 30% quota system and the number of seats it gained in that election.
Despite the ANC’s implementation of a 50% quota system for the 2011 elections, the fact that the party has lost ground to other parties with very poor representation of women has resulted in a considerably lower level of women’s representation than was anticipated.
This has worrying implications for women’s political representation at national and provincial levels – should the ANC’s support at the polls continue to decline, and other political parties refuse to adopt a voluntary quota system, this means that our apparent gain with regard to women’s representation in these spheres is under threat. Clearly, the urgency for the introduction of a legislated quota system is apparent now more than ever.
The CGE is concerned that parties are failing to comply with the Municipal Structures Act’s (MSA) provision that they should seek to ensure that women are equally represented on – and distributed across – their proportional representation lists. They also are clearly not taking adequate steps to enable women’s full political participation, within the context of a deeply patriarchal society.
This results in fewer women standing for nomination and fewer women being nominated by parties to contest wards, and prevents women and men from supporting female candidates.
Parties need to identify and address obstacles to women’s political representation, and implement programmes to encourage and support women to participate in political processes, such as capacity building, access to finances, and addressing discriminatory attitudes and mindsets prevailing in political parties and communities.
Particular measures are required to ensure that women with disabilities are enabled to participate fully, and parties should ensure that women are appointed to key positions within municipalities, such as Mayor and Speaker, and chair portfolios such as infrastructure and finance, to counter prevailing perceptions relating to women’s leadership abilities.
The CGE is engaging with legislative processes and political parties to address these issues and bring about parity in women’s political representation.
Enquiries:
Javu Baloyi
Cell: 083 579 3306
