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The congress elected Kenetswe Mosenogi as deputy secretary-general and the only female in the top five. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu
The ANC Youth League has come under fire for failing to elect more females into its top leadership.
Gender activist group Sonke Gender Justice Network has slammed the ANCYL, whose top five positions remain under patriarchal domination.
At the weekend, the ANCYL congress elected 17 females and 13 males as additional members to its 35-member national executive committee.
The congress elected Kenetswe Mosenogi, the only female in the top five, as deputy secretary-general.
In the previous leadership, Vuyiswa Tulelo, the outgoing secretary-general, had been the only woman in the top five ANCYL positions.
Sonke spokesman Mbuyiselo Botha said the league was sending the wrong message to the public. “What message is this sending to the girl child, who has faith in the ANC’s 50/50 zebra stripes?” asked Botha.
He said the youth league, as a “preparatory school” for the ruling party, should take the lead in the empowerment of women.
Since its formation in 1944, the ANCYL has never had a woman president.
Currently, all the provincial chairmen are males. Ayanda Kasa of Gauteng is the only female provincial secretary.
Botha said the ANC and the ANCYL should take the blame for failing to put women in positions of power.
Nearly 100 years after its formation, the ANC too has never had a woman president.
At its congress last week, the league did not have a specific commission dealing with gender issues even though the league had posted a discussion paper titled “ANCYL Perspective on Gender Relations and Women Emancipation” on its website.
The paper highlights the plight of females in “our movement” and society at large. It points out that before 1943, women in the ANC were granted “auxiliary membership” only.
This had unfairly limited women’s participation in party activities.
“The role of such membership was to entertain and provide shelter for those who held full membership of the ANC at that time – men,” the paper states.
In 1944, the late ANC stalwart Albertina Sisulu was the only female delegate at the ANCYL’s launch. Some 68 years later, females still can’t swell the top ranks of either the ANC or the league.
Botha said he believed it would take many decades before South Africa had a woman president.
ANCYL spokeswoman Magdelene Moonsamy has admitted that more still needed to be done.
“Definitely, we should have a woman president in the youth league at some point,” she said.
However, she said that even if Mosenogi was the only female in the top five, there were many others in the national executive committee.
The ANCYL has about 800 000 members in good standing, and Moonsamy said the majority are females. She maintained that women have a voice in the youth league.
The Commission on Gender Equality commended the ANCYL for electing more women as additional members.
“However, going forward, it is imperative for the ANCYL to consider nominating women for election to their top five positions to address the issue of (representation) in its totality,” said commission spokesman Javu Baloyi.
- The Star
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aNON, wrote
amazing....none-the-less, it time this country got over demographics, etc and let the best qualified people get on with the job...not so?
Anonymous, wrote
@Anonymous 12:13...I think i like U. @Mpho...Shut the hell up.
mpho, wrote
PPLE DONT CONFUSE THE ISSUE HERE, ZILLE APPOINTED A MAN SQUAD IN THE WC, MALEMA APPOINTED NO TOP 5, THOSE WERE ELECTED IN A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, MIND YOU WOMAN ERE AND THE WHITES WERE AMONG THOSE WHO ELECTED THEM...WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE ? CAN SOMEBODY OUT THERE TELL ME PLS, THE ANC HAS A HUGE FEMALE MEMBERSHIP SOME HAVE PROVEN TO BE CAPABLE BT THEY DONT NOMINATE ONE ANOTHER INSTEAD THEY SUPPORT MALES FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES, WHO MUST BE BLAMED FOR THAT FOR THE ANC CONSTITUTION DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE, WHY IS IT THAT WE WANT TO FORCE FOR WOMEN LEADERSHIP ? (IN A DEMOCRACY GENDER DOES NOT DICTATE BUT VOTES SUPPORT DO AND MAN AND WOMAN CANNOT AND MUST NEVER BE COERCED TO VOTE ALONG GENDER LINES)...
Hard Courage, wrote
Good on Sonke that they should raise this issue, but nobody is surprised. The ANCYL is dominated by loud mouthed overweight whisky sippers that think that the only use of a woman is to clean after them, bend over and raise the outcome of their sperm. I am amazed that ANY woman would want to associate with the Youth League.
Anonymous, wrote
The girls are all making the tea, stupid. Cant put them in top positions, who will serve the tea? What battle are you going to win anyway? You want to proove that a rabble can be raised by the chief rabble rouser? You think money grows on trees and whites just "pluck" it off to pay their taxes? Whose money is being used for all of the youth meetings? Makes you think doesnt it?
Fester, wrote
and where is the fat boys wife? has he got a family and why is he hiding them?
Leader, wrote
A Leader is presented by a particular time & space. So, chill you potential comrades, we are afterall the only organization (ANC)which has a quota for women in leadership. I am sure there will period where the future demands more women in leadership. Read our constitution to know how non-sexist we are. You must learn to respect democracy, Chief!
Third Class Citizen, wrote
They are afraid of the competition, better to have the women pregnant, barefoot, in the kitchen - then there is no competition.
Anonymous, wrote
Which policy talk about 5050 as the Zebra because I read documents and have not come upon the one that say that, as depicted in this article. I agree with Mzo , I am a female and I do not want to be put in the position because of gender but because of what I could contribute to where I am voted in for. Media Ward League please check you facts correctly before you splash them on the newspaper. Chairperson of the ANC is Baleka Mbethe, or maybe you have forgotten. Please
Anonymous, wrote
ithink this ngo guy is mad
Anonymous, wrote
very good comment But it looks like it is for Old Boys only and the ANC criticises the DA what a croc
Anonymous, wrote
Oh God please no. Can you imagine? From bad to worse...
Anonymous, wrote
Oh God please no. Can you imagine? From bad to worse...
Realist, wrote
The ANC has never had a woman as a leader either. The only organization who has is the DP, twice, Helen Suzman when it was the PFP and now with Helen Zille. Maybe Malema still looks at the role of women as just being there as tea girls...
Anonymous, wrote
I don't even think that the ancyl knows what the word respect means
Anonymous, wrote
didn't Malema make a fuss when Helen Zille had an all male group around her when she was mayor of Cape Town? He sees women as teagirls and beneath his notice...God forbid he gets any power in this country.
Anonymous, wrote
This article is useless, what if their were not nominated?
Hangmann, wrote
Julius's disregardrespect of females speaks for itself.
The Rajah, wrote
For the benefit of the optimists who believe that some day a woman would lead the ANCYL or the ANC for that matter, let me remind you of the contemptious manner in which JM views strong women leaders when he publicly referred to Lindiwe Mazibuko and Patricia De Lille as "tea girls". The mere fact that his compatriots and senior leaders did not caution him, leads one to believe that they too share his views. This level of disrespect is surely a strong indication of any remote possibility that women will enjoy and form of recognition or respect from these "leaders". Once again, I still believe that there are strong leaders among our youth who feel too intimidated and unprotected by the government of the day to seriouly emerge and take the lead. Tragically, this will cause the country further loss in human capital potential to take it to its aspirant level as a serious global player.
Anonymous, wrote
Maybe the ANC YL should look to the DA Youth as an example. The DA Youth is one of the most diverse organisations in SA with leadership across the race and gender spectrum. Both their Chair and director are dynamic young women.
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