ANC wants measures to tackle patriarchy within its ranks

Delegates at the ANC’s 54th national elective conference have admitted that patriarchy is a big problem in the governing party.

This is according to senior ANC MP Nocawe Mafu‚ who was briefing the media on the resolutions adopted by the national conference in the area of policy on social transformation.

“The ANC must do everything to make sure women are empowered. If we don’t do that‚ we will find ourselves reversing the gains of gender equality‚” Mafu said.

This comes after the ANC Women's League complained bitterly on Tuesday after their preferred candidate‚ Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma‚ failed to be elected as the new president of the party.

The women's league claimed that male leaders in the party had used Dlamini-Zuma to ascend to a leadership position while the number of female leaders in the ANC top six had dropped from two to one despite the fact that women were the majority members of the party.

Mafu said conference delegates have also recommended that ANC leaders should lead by example.

“ANC must be exemplary both in their families and communities. If we are saying that the ANC is the leader of society it must lead by example.”

Mafu said the governing party also wanted parliament to pass legislation to deal with the social scourge of racism‚ following a proposal that was first made at the national policy conference in July this year.

Mafu also said there was a recommendation that ANC branches must continue to lead discussions on radical economic transformation.

The party also reiterated that street committees were critical to deal with social ills such as crime and violence.

"ANC members must lead programmes that promote a dialogue‚ social cohesion and nation building‚" Mafu said

- SowetanLIVE