Pretoria - Pressure is mounting on the ANC to ensure equal representation of women and men in its top six structure ahead of the elective conference in December.
Baleka Mbete, former speaker of the National Assembly, is the latest senior party member to reinvigorate the call following the death of deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte on July 17.
Duarte was the sole woman in the top leadership of the ANC which comprised President Cyril Ramaphosa, his deputy David Mabuza, treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and national chairperson Gwede Mantashe. The list also included Ace Magashule, who has since been placed on suspension following criminal charges against him before the High Court in the Free State.
Now, the death of Duarte means that the party’s usual Monday top six meetings will remain male dominated. Duarte succumbed to cancer following a nine-month battle.
Mbete, ANC national chairperson after the 2012 national elective conference, now wants the party to act quickly on equal representation.
She is serving as the national convenor of the ANC Women’s League after the top six disbanded the previous leadership which was led by Bathabile Dlamini in June.
Mbete made the passionate plea during the memorial service of Duarte on Thursday at the Joburg City Hall.
Addressing the mourners, Mbete said it was Duarte’s wish that her party should implement the resolution of the 2012 ANC national elective conference for a collective leadership of the ANC to be composed of equal numbers of women and men in the top six.
The mourners heard that in February, Duarte expressed her disappointment about the slow pace of equal representation of women in the top leadership.
“While sick, in February, Comrade Jessie expressed concern that at the 2012 national conference, a resolution was taken to have equal representation of women in the top echelons of the ANC.
At the conference, two women were elected to the top leadership of the ANC, but there was retrogression at the last conference in 2017.
“Comrade Jessie was the only woman elected in the top six. She was very concerned about it,” Mbete told the mourners.
She called on the ANC to form a task team which would look into Duarte’s concern and make an effort in ensuring that the December conference adopts a resolution to implement Duarte’s wishes.
Mbete said the task team should include various eminent persons in the party, the OR Tambo School of Leadership as well as representation from the Women’s League.
According to Mbete, the ANC was not yet ready for equal representation of women in leadership, saying nomination for party representations at the past local government elections was dominated by men despite long-standing policies to include women in decision-making bodies of the party.
“The formation of the task team must be agreed upon and structured. It must be formed and it should report to the ANC’s national working
committee in the next three months about progress in the matter ahead of the national conference,” Mbete insisted.
Former president Thabo Mbeki and Mabuza also paid tribute to Duarte. Various international governments, diplomatic corps also paid tribute to Duarte at the moving ceremony.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe was not available to comment on the latest call.
Pretoria News