DEBATING LEADERSHIP

New political party putting ”Women Forward“ By Laura Lopez Gonzalez

A new women’s party has entered the fray of South acknowledged the fact that every speech he wrote, had African politics, hoping to give a voice to the nation’s to be edited by his wife,“ she said. ”Not many current women. Using next Wednesday’s election as a trial run leaders would actually admit that their wife contributed for local government elections down the line, they may an idea.“ not be in it to win it, but they are providing a much needed platform for issues some say have been left off After working for more than 10 years as a gender national agendas for far too long. consultant, Ngobese-Nxumalo joined government in 2005 –a move that opened her eyes. ”I decided to get Nana Ngobese-Nxumalo, a long-time gender advocate into government in 2005 to more or less find out how and granddaughter of Chief Albert Luthuli, former African government dealt with gender issues,“ she said. ”What National Congress (ANC) president and Africa’s first I found is that how government understands working Nobel Peace Prize winner, launched Women Forward with women on the ground, is basically doing things for (WF) in 2007. With a burgeoning membership of more them. There is no relationship – if we are going to build than 30,000 and strongholds in some of the country’s houses for you, we will call you after we build the poorest areas, the party is looking to break the current houses.“ mould of male-dominated South African politics and provide women with a channel to communicate their ”Women out there were almost like passive recipients needs to government. of what government thought would be for them,“ she said. ”For me, what it actually said was that ”I think its time for us to recognise female leadership government does not have a conversation with women that is different from male leadership,“ said Ngobese- on the ground.“ Nxumalo, head of the party and its presidential candidate. ”Women are naturally more caring, more inclusive and The party’s hope to help facilitate this conversation is work more in a cooperative environment than men do partly why Women Forward is using this year’s national I’m not saying they’re not competitive, just that they are elections as a trial run, choosing to focus instead on less competitive [then men] and work for the greater 2011’s local government elections. good of the group.“ ”Local government is key to the development of people Her belief in women’s roles in politics is somewhat on the ground because that is where the delivery of an of an inheritance, her grandparents’ legacy. services actually happens, where you find the local ”What actually strengthened the argument for female councils and women’s voices are just not there.“ What leadership, for me, was that my grandfather wrote this means, according to Ngobese-Nxumalo, is that issues about it a lot. He wrote about his mother’s role in his like schooling, health and gender-based violence remain upbringing as a man who became who he was. He largely off the local agendas.

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”Women’s issues are still seen as private matters, Writer, academic and feminist, Pumla Dineo Gqola is what happens behind closed door,“ she said. ”When a professor at the University of Witswatersrand. people talk about service delivery they talk about ”Again it’s very much a discourse that women are what happens outside of the home... by the time softer, that they are the foundation of the community... you get to women’s issues, it’s like, ‘Oh, he slapped many of those ideas around nature somewhat you on the face? It doesn’t matter.’ It matters to romanticise what women are; it translates into me and it should be part of the agenda of govern- iconography, which is what the party symbol, the rose. ment - if it is not, we are short changing 50% of the really is,“ said Gqola. She added that a woman’s party population.“ should not necessarily be assumed a feminist one and that WF had never claimed to be. Although many gender advocates say a platform for women such as WF is long overdue, some take issue Sheila Meintjies, head of political studies at Wits with what they say are the party’s romanticised and University, added that while some of the party’s stereotypical notions about women. characterisations about women did seem somewhat essentialist, that WF was likely to provide voters with a ”I’m not sure this is so helpful, this thing that women bit of fresh air amid a political climate laden with masculine are nurturing and caring. Women are not a homogenous overtones. group [and] I don’t know if that is helpful in advancing gender equality,“ said Carrie Shelver is programmes ”In the context of a very masculanist approach from the coordinator with People Opposing Women Abuse ANC, it’s somewhat a relief to have a political party that (POWA). ”I would have hoped that they would offers a different set of values,“ she said. ”We need to have come up with a far more radial agenda.“ have platform of this kind, and it might garner some

Women Forward launching campaign manifesto Photo: Women Forward

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Women Forward Door to Door at Tiyani Mahatlani Photo: Women Forward support from women who feel that no political parties The party now has the bulk of its membership in the offer them a manifesto that really focuses on the role province. women play in caring for children and family. Women ”I think we’re so popular in are the ones that bare that brunt and also bear the brunt of increasing poverty, which has a very strongly female because people face.“ understand what we are trying

The face of poverty in was one of the to achieve, especially rural reasons University of Venda Professor Tshifhiwa women because they believe in Nangammbi became the party’s main organiser in the working for themselves,“ she relatively poor and largely rural Limpopo province and the party’s secretary general. said. ”They understood quite well what WF stood for, and ”I joined the party because this is what I believe in – that the party’s goals are rural development. That s where our politics should be focused on and I don’t believe that what’s going relevant, part and parcel of what on,“ she said. ”Where I come from, most of the they are already doing in their rural community does not work. For them, and for to really go out and look for job it takes as lot of everyday lives.“ effort – they have to have something on paper, a certificate and the education system is less than in Writers Bio Laura Lopez Gonzalez is a specialist other areas.“ reporter on health and development.

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