It was an indictment that since the ANC was formed 105 years ago, it had never been led by a woman, ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini said in Durban yesterday.
Dlamini, who is also the minister of social development, was speaking at the 2017 Land Colloquium held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
She took to the stage soon after former African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had finished her presentation, which was focused on land use in African countries.
“Having an organisation that was formed by (John Langalibalele) Dube, which is 105 years old, never having a woman president is an indictment,” Dlamini said.
The women’s league had recently pronounced Dlamini Zuma as its choice for the next leader of the ANC when President Jacob Zuma relinquishes the position at the party's national conference in December.
The league’s public endorsement of Dlamini Zuma, which followed that of the ANC Youth League and the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association, led to the ANC’s national executive committee reiterating its call for its structures to stop premature public engagement on the succession debate.
Other factions of the ANC have endorsed its treasurer- general Zweli Mkhize, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.
Dlamini said that to have a woman president would advance the country as this would mean “we are ready to face the issues of gender”. Addressing gender issues would mean South Africa had matured and developed.
She added that after having listened to Dlamini Zuma’s presentation, she realised that “the rights of women are safe in her hands”.
Xhosa King Mpendulo Zwelonke Sigcawu recently said: “South Africa is not yet ready to be led by a woman president. Women are sensitive by nature.”
Asked yesterday to respond to the king’s statement, Dlamini said: “You want to put me into trouble. I don’t respond on those things,” before quickly leaving.
In her own presentation, Dlamini Zuma told the professors and land right activists who attended the event that African countries were letting themselves down by failing to process raw materials produced by themselves.
With the exception of Egypt, they were only known for exporting their raw materials and later buying products at a price they could not afford.
“Lots of African countries grow cotton, but the world knows Egyptian cotton because Egypt adds value to its cotton and sells the finished product. So it is known that this comes from Egyptian cotton, and they think Egyptian cotton is very good, is the best thing.
“But if Egypt was selling raw cotton, nobody would be talking about Egyptian cotton,” said Dlamini Zuma.
She said Switzerland and France were known for producing linen – it was little known that the cotton they use was produced across Africa.
“Those who add value are the ones that are known: Dutch cloth, Swiss cotton and Egyptian cotton. But those who sell it raw, nobody cares and nobody knows them. The revenue they get from it is very little.
“Africa has land but we are not using it to make sure that there is security with nutrition of food. We are still importing a lot of processed food from outside, and using billions of dollars that we should be using for other things,” she said.