The Big Read: ANC is still a boys only club

To paraphrase a line from Worst Behaviour, a popular song by US rapper Drake: "ANC structures never loved women."

In the build-up to the elections, the hip and happening in the ANC had changed Drake's vulgar lyrics to "DA never loved us" as commentary on the official opposition's chequered track record in the fight against racism.

So popular was the line that the enterprising among them even bought golf shirts and caps emblazoned with the same slogan.

They should be vindicated now that the DA is embroiled in a race crisis precipitated by former parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko's decision to take up a Harvard scholarship and party boss Helen Zille's reported remarks at its federal council to the effect that she had to babysit an out-of-depth Mazibuko.

But as ANC deputy secretary- general Jessie Duarte yesterday read out the names of the premier candidates to be sworn in this morning in the eight provinces it runs, my paraphrased version of Drake's line came to mind.

For it is the ANC's structures that are to blame for the fact that only two out of nine premiers would be women in a country where gender parity is stated ruling party and government policy.

Sylvia Lucas, the Northern Cape premier, is the only woman retained as the political head of a province in a list of eight premier candidates chosen by the ANC's national executive committee at its special meeting on Monday.

The only other woman premier is the DA's Zille, who may be forced - a year or so from now - to abandon the Western Cape premiership and take up a seat in the National Assembly as the leader of the official opposition. But that would only be necessary if Zille fails to "make" her anointed heir to the post, Mmusi Maimane, succeed as parliamentary leader.

The other seven ANC premier candidates are not only male but run party structure - six as provincial chairmen and the seventh as provincial secretary.

With the ruling party's 2007 national conference frowning upon "two centres of power" - a scenario where the provincial chairman is not the same as provincial premier - it was always going to be difficult for the ANC national executive committee to appoint women premier candidates without resistance from its structures.

All the chairs in the nine provinces are men, meaning that party branches prefer to be led by males at party and government levels, despite party policies that seek to promote the involvement of women in all spheres of governance.

In the past, the national executive committee preferred to strike a balance between the wishes of its branches and the need to implement gender parity.

Gauteng, Eastern Cape, North West and Northern Cape previously had women premiers even though party structures in those provinces had nominated male leaders.

But this time around, the executive has preferred political expedience over principle.

Had it not been for ANC Northern Cape chairman John Block's legal troubles - he is currently facing charges of corruption - that province would also have a man as a premier candidate this morning.

Does that mean the ANC, with more than a million members, does not have women capable of serving as premiers?

ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize denied that yesterday, saying the ANC already has many talented women leaders in various levels in government.

But he conceded that the current selection process - which sees party structures submitting three names to the executive from which to choose a premier candidate - may not be ideal if the party wanted to seriously address gender imbalances.

The next ANC national conference, he said, must address the issue.

But the real problem is that, despite the ruling party's stated commitment to gender equality, its general membership has not really internalised the need for it to be reflected in public office.

That is why, 20 years into democracy, the dominant political party is not even entertaining the possibility of electing a woman president.

The ANC, despite its lofty policies and principles, remains a male-dominated and controlled organisation.