Durban - An NFP councillor in eThekwini was labelled sexist by colleagues and cultural experts after he jokingly referred to August as the month of “people with big buttocks”.
The councillor, Wiseman Mcoyi, had been reacting to the announcement of the appointment of the two new deputy city managers, Simphiwe Duma and Philemon Mashoko, during a council meeting in Mpumalanga township yesterday.
Mcoyi, who had not been impressed that both appointments were male, said: “We are pleased to see the appointments finally happen. But what is a bit surprising, as we are in the month of abantu besinqe (loosely translated as ‘people with big buttocks’).”
At this point, he was interrupted by incensed ANC councillors.
He struggled to defend his stance, saying the phrase derived from a Zulu idiom and was “not offensive”.
The meeting threatened to degenerate into chaos, with Speaker Logie Naidoo struggling to maintain order.
Deputy mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala led the stinging charge against Mcoyi, cheered on by rowdy councillors.
“That is not isiZulu. That phrase is intended to discriminate against women – that’s it. We are not comfortable with that. We cannot use such words here,” she said.
Mcoyi backed off half-heartedly, saying: “Mr Speaker, I would like to withdraw the term. Our Zulu language has got several dialects. I withdraw in totality.”
He finally got to the crux of his comment, saying it would have been a “plus” had one of the appointments been female. “This is what I was getting at in my Zulu statement.”
Approached for comment, the Commission for Gender Equality’s Javu Baloyi described Mcoyi’s comments as an “inflammatory” and “demeaning”.
“It is sexist,” he said. “It shouldn’t be accepted in our society and people should be taught a lesson – conscious awareness.
“Awareness should be raised. It is August, we are celebrating women. Raise awareness about woman empowerment, about the role of women.”
He added that if the councillor did make the alleged comments, then “he should be referred to the Commission for Gender Equality or the Human Rights Commission”, so he could be “taught how to treat women”.
A Zulu cultural expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihawu Ngubane, said the phrase depended on the context it was used in.
But, based on Mcoyi’s comments, he did not think it was appropriate.
“It has derogatory connotations. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to say. I have never heard the phrase used in this context. He could have gotten his point across in a much more respectful manner,” Ngubane said.
The Mercury