“We need to drive an agenda of an inclusive society. When we got into democracy no man had experience of being a political leader,” said Gcaleka.
There is a need for a push towards equity, something that can accelerate equality.
“Everything is a creature of law. We don’t speak of equity to leave equality behind, but that we should accelerate the other so that they are on par,” she said.
Masilo Silokazi, outgoing Stellenbosch University SRC secretary, said the curriculum needs to be expanded beyond just gender and should reflect other aspects such as heritage.
“The campaign paper we sent out, we outlined there should be a compulsory curriculum all students need to take. We are still refining what kind of students need to be reflected, stories of women, queer and transgender and not only to conscientise students, but also to create the gender diversity we want.
“We shouldn’t be honing in on one idea but take an intersectional approach. Heritage month is coming up and is an example of the work that needs to be incorporated into the curriculum.” said Silokazi.
'The bar is set too high for women,' says acting public protector Gcaleka
Acting public protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka says when women are in leadership roles the bar is set too high and they are constantly criticised.
She was speaking at an inter-generation dialogue with young women leaders in higher education at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Johannesburg, hosted by the higher education department on Monday
“Women are not trusted with leadership, even among ourselves we don’t trust each other. The future of women cannot still be in the hands of men. One esteemed legal mind said to me, 'it’s time for a male PP'. That showed me even big legal minds don’t understand the assignment.
“We need to drive an agenda of an inclusive society. When we got into democracy no man had experience of being a political leader,” said Gcaleka.
There is a need for a push towards equity, something that can accelerate equality.
“Everything is a creature of law. We don’t speak of equity to leave equality behind, but that we should accelerate the other so that they are on par,” she said.
Masilo Silokazi, outgoing Stellenbosch University SRC secretary, said the curriculum needs to be expanded beyond just gender and should reflect other aspects such as heritage.
“The campaign paper we sent out, we outlined there should be a compulsory curriculum all students need to take. We are still refining what kind of students need to be reflected, stories of women, queer and transgender and not only to conscientise students, but also to create the gender diversity we want.
“We shouldn’t be honing in on one idea but take an intersectional approach. Heritage month is coming up and is an example of the work that needs to be incorporated into the curriculum.” said Silokazi.
The dialogue brings together young women leaders from universities and TVET Colleges for an inter-generational conversation with other women leaders who are veterans of South Africa’s liberation struggle, as well as leaders in business, labour, politics and other sectors of society.
Prof Nthabiseng Motsemme, associate professor at the University of Johannesburg’s sociology department, warned of the role of power dynamics on campus. Invisible factors hinder transformation at universities, she said.
“The knowledge that you are consuming, who does it reflect? It does something [to] your mind. You need to question if it’s productive and contributes to our minds.
“Systems such as racism, sexism, patriarchy make women unsure of themselves. Be aware of the institutionalised power still dominant in these spaces. The long-term fight involves knowledge culture, types of power at play, and how we define the resistance towards them,” said Motsemme.
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