'Were there no women on the DA list?'
15 May 2009
Dear Helen Zille,
I sit at my desk moving between anger and complete disbelief. I see your derogatory comments on President Jacob Zuma's cabinet and your subsequent declaration that the central government's policies and practices will not dictate to the Western Cape. According to you, the policies and principles of the DA will govern the Western Cape. Just as an aside, what exactly are these alternative policies and principles?
Back to the point: what bona fides do you have to hold the president accountable? Not that I am a loyal, uncritical, unquestioning supporter of President Zuma. Based on his past actions, including lack of judgement and being a practising polygamist, which is intrinsically prejudicial to women, the jury is still out on the president.
The ANC has many questions it has to answer that go beyond the representation of women by numbers. A question, for example, such as: what motivated the formation of a Ministry for Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities?
Will this ministry be able to coherently deal with any of the target groups, each of whom require unique, multifaceted interventions? Women are linked with children yet again, when in reality women and children have very different needs.
However, on the other hand, you have proved to have feet of clay. You have appointed an all-male, except for yourself, Western Cape provincial cabinet - a primarily white, male cabinet. In my view, you have just taken South Africa backwards both in terms of race and gender.
As a black South African woman, I am appalled that a structure in this country meant to live the constitution, that entrenches equality between women and men and all races, can be 75 percent white, 73 percent white male and 91 percent male. What hope is there for a political party that in its actions shows that it is not committed to change or transformation?
The justification provided was that these men are the best people for the job. So, let's look at that. What criteria determined that these men were best? Do you have a list?
Some of the candidates selected have experience in their fields, but not everyone - so how did you select them as the best people for the job?
The real question is: were there no women on the DA or ID lists qualified to run any of these portfolios? This is a serious indictment of the skills and abilities of the women on these lists. Is it only Helen Zille who is capable and possessed of the skills to govern?
A glaring absence in all these biographies is any work or projects relating to gender or women's rights. I understand that the DA ideology commits itself to all South Africans. However, we are not homogenous. South Africans are found in many different places living many different realities.
The majority of women's realities are characterised by the highest levels of poverty, highest burden of care, least access to the mainstream economy, inadequate provision of basic needs, and little access to decision-making structures.
Government programmes must have multiple target groups and different interventions based on the realities on the ground. To continuously fall back on the position that the DA responds to all citizens and, therefore, cannot have specific gender provisions is too simplistic.
How will this new cabinet ensure there is gender mainstreaming in its policies? Will gender feature on its agenda? Most important, who will represent the voices of women in the province?
The other tragedy is the creation of a political football field where the game is being played in the most unethical manner possible, including criticisms levelled by yourself at Zuma about his sexual behaviour.
This criticism is not unfounded; technically he did expose his wives to the risk of HIV and Aids after having unprotected sex with someone who was HIV positive. Was the further assertion of him being a "womaniser with deeply sexist views" necessary?
The ANC Youth League response calling you a "girl" and accusing you of "appointing boyfriends and concubines..." to the Western Cape cabinet so you "can continue to sleep around with them", is detrimental to the political health of the country.
Name-calling and diatribes from any party or institution are not useful.
Let us rather use the structures that we have in this country to deal with these situations. Cosatu's plan to take the DA to the Equality Court is a constructive way of dealing with the appointment of a primarily male, white cabinet.
In a maturing democracy, citizens have a right to expect better of the parties we put in power. Rather than mudslinging, parties should raise debate and address real issues such as:
These are some of the real questions at hand.
