ANC Women's League eThekwini regional chairperson Sinegugu Sishange has called for the total implementation of the 50/50 gender representation policy.
Image: Supplied
As part of getting women to vote for the ANC in numbers in eThekwini, the regional Women's League chairperson, Sinegugu Sishange has called for the total implementation of a 50/50 gender representation policy in the selection of councillor candidates.
In an interview on Sunday morning to outline the League’s election strategy, Sishange said that one of the strategies to encourage more women to vote for the ANC in the coming local government elections is to ensure their meaningful participation in the governance of eThekwini Municipality. She said the league has realised that while mobilising women to vote for the ANC, it is the league’s responsibility to guard against women being made voting cows for men to be councillors.
“ANC took this decision a long time ago to ensure a 50/50 gender representation in the public and private spheres, however, here in eThekwini the policy’s total implementation has not been realised. We have met as the league and resolved that this time we need the total implementation of the policy to encourage women to vote for our party in numbers, ensuring that we keep the city under our control,” said Sishange.
To achieve this, she called on women to ensure that they themselves nominate women as ward councillor candidates.
In eThekwini, she said, the biggest representation of women was in 2011 where the party had 44 women councillors. Since then the number has been decreasing instead of growing.
In terms of ward councillors, Sishange agreed that the party has been struggling to implement the policy as it has only four ward councillors out of 76, the ANC won in 2021. Even in the proportional representation (PR), the party currently has less than 30 councillors out of 96.
ANC Women's League gathered for an election prayer in eThekwini
Image: Supplied
Apart from the 50/50 gender split demand, Sishange said that she has marshalled her foot soldiers to work with all local women's organisations and women-led civil society groups particularly those fighting against women and child abuse.
“We have directed our women volunteers to visibly participate in all local groups, be it stokvels or any other women activities in their wards. We have also directed to lead the fight against gender based violence and to be the first to visit the victims and their families to give comfort," she said.
Sishange, who hails from KwaMashu north of Durban, started her political activism during her high school years in 1990.
She was instrumental in establishing party structures inside the country after the unbanning of the party and went on to become the inaugural chairperson of Youth League in ward 45. She also became inaugural branch secretary of the Women's League.
Her dedication to the movement’s work saw being elevated to become the zone secretary in 2002. She continued climbing the political ladder and became the regional Youth League deputy secretary later. She was elected to chair the regional Women's League in 2023 and subsequently became the chief whip of the party in eThekwini Municipality
In response, the ANC regional task team convener Thabani Nyawose agreed with the Women’s League call. However, he cautioned that the candidates must be of a good quality.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za