Women not spared political violence despite barriers to positions of power

Women are not spared political violence despite the struggle they still go through for political recognition when it comes to positions of influence.

That is according to social development minister Lindiwe Zulu, who was speaking at the official launch of Women’s Month at the Musgrave Coastlands hotel in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday.

She replaced minister in the presidency for women, youth & persons with disabilities Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who is out of the country.

She referred to the recent murder of National Freedom Party (NFP) councillor in KwaNongoma municipality Mbalenhle Mchunu at her home over the weekend.

“Our thoughts are with the family of councillor Mchunu. The fact she’s from the NFP is immaterial to us as national and provincial government. It is painful that the province has lost an elder woman who was working hard for her family and her community.”

Mchunu was shot dead by unknown people in the early hours of Sunday. The council has been engulfed by power struggles between the ANC, IFP and the NFP.

The event also marked the 38 years to the day that political stalwart Victoria Mxenge was gunned down in her Umlazi home.

“It’s painful that women fought to be included across party political lines to be councillors and premiers — which is a fight that must not be taken for granted — but they are not excluded when it comes to violence in political space.”

Zulu added that, on paper, there are plans to empower women yet that is not translated to practical recognition when it comes to being voted into positions of power.

“For women it has always been a struggle for opportunities and they must be able to occupy these spaces. At a party political level, when it comes to the selection to parliament, legislatures at all levels, we have due processes. But whenever there is time to ensure that women are also voted into these structures and decision-making, it’s difficult.”

That can be traced as far back as the liberation struggle when, Zulu said, women spent their lives training to fight in camps but were excluded from influential positions.

“We had to fight to be commanders and commissars and that fight to make sure that women rise up to decision-making structures continues today.”

KZN premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, the first woman to lead the province, also highlighted the challenges she witnessed on her journey and the strides that have been taken in the country to address them over the years.

“It took 30 years for KZN to have a woman premier. And when it comes to the next term I would not want us to lose the spot because I know that in the last 30 years, when we were not in position, our voices were not heard as much.”

She said there have been changes since she had a baby while the country’s ambassador to the Czech Republic.

“At the time there was no maternity leave for ambassadors and we had a policy that said you can’t be out of the country of residence for more than 15 or 30 days, meaning my baby had to take a passport when she was two weeks old.”

She also mentioned the challenges women went through in parliament after the 1994 elections when women’s toilets were far from committee meetings and parliament because “there’d never been females who were members of parliament”.

“That highlights how much we’ve had to go through as women and also how much we still need to go through to change the policies and mindsets of our colleagues.”

Zulu said the exclusion of women was not just prevalent in politics but socially and in the country’s economy, including the JSE.

“There is a need for a creation of an environment that is enabling for women to be able to participate [in the economy].”

Women’s Month will be commemorated around the country, with President Cyril Ramaphosa set to officiate the Women’s Day national commemorative event in Cape Town on August 9.

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