Forgotten by families Anushka Virahsawmy CHAPTER 2 Gender and governance Articles 12-13 Namibia scored a goal for gender equality in its November 2014 elecions. KEY POINTS Photo courtesy of All Africa.com • The year 2015 marks the deadline for the SADC region to have reached gender parity in all areas of decision-making. No country has reached the 50% target of women's representation in parliament, cabinet or local government. • Over the past six years, women's overall representation in parliament has gone up by only two percentage points from 25% in 2009 to 27% in 2015. Seychelles (4th) and South Africa (7th) are the only two SADC countries in the top ten global ranking of women parliamen- tarians. However as a region SADC is five percentage points ahead of the global average of women in parliament (22%). • Women's representation in local government has increased by a mere one percentage point from 23% in 2009 to 24% in 2015. • Women's representation in cabinet has virtually remained stagnant at 22% since 2009. • Women in eight SADC countries have, for the first time, occupied top positions during the monitoring period. In June, Mauritius became the second SADC country after Malawi to have a woman President. SADC currently has a woman vice president in Zambia, as well as a woman prime minister and deputy prime minister in Namibia. • Between July 2015 and the end of 2016, seven more SADC countries - DRC (local); Lesotho (local), Madagascar (local), Tanzania (Tripartite) and Zambia (National), South Africa and Namibia (local) are due to hold elections. • Calculations in this chapter reflect the global reality that women's political representation is highest in Proportional Representation (PR) electoral systems (39% in parliament and 31% in local government) and in countries with quotas (38% in parliament and 37% in local government). • The focus of the 5050 campaign must be on the adoption of strategic special measures to ensure that gender parity is achieved in the Post-2015 era. SADC Gender Protocol 2015 Barometer 79 Governance in the SADC region 2009-2015 trends table Baseline Variance Target (2009 or 2011) Progress 2015 (Progress minus target) Women in Parliament The average proportion of women 25% 27% 23% in Parliament reaches 50%. Number of countries that have 5 (Angola, Mozambique, 7 (Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, 8 countries (Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, achieved over 30% women in Namibia, South Africa and Seychelles South Africa, Tanzania Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Swaziland Parliament. Tanzania) and Zimbabwe) and Zambia) Highest (country %) South Africa (42%) Seychelles (44%) 6% Lowest (country %) DRC (8%) DRC (9 %) 91% Women in Cabinet Average proportion of women in 21% 22% 28% cabinet reaches 50%. Number of countries that have 1 (South Africa) 2 (South Africa and Tanzania) 13 (Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, achieved over 30% women in Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Swaziland Cabinet and Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles and Zimbabwe) Highest (country %) South Africa (42%) South Africa (41%) 9% Lowest (country %) Mauritius (10%) Mauritius (8%) 42% Women in Local Government Average proportion of women in 23% 24% 26% local government reaches 50%. No. of countries that have achieved 5 (Lesotho, Mozambique, 5 (Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, 10 (Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Madagascar, over 30% women in Local Namibia, South Africa and South Africa and Tanzania) Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Government Tanzania) Zambia and Zimbabwe) Highest (country %) Lesotho (58%) Namibia (49%) 1% Lowest (country %) Mauritius(6%) Madagascar (6 %) 44% Scores SGDI 48% 49% 51% CSC 50% 67% 23% Women's political participation and representation is Protocol targets. The period has seen a paradigm shift central to achieving the full dividends of democracy. from the call for 30% women in decision-making prior When women are marginalised in politics, issues that to 2005, to gender parity in the current period. concern them, children and youth tend to be compro- mised at the political decision-making level. When As reflected alongside in Table 2.1, in the year under women are equal partners in decision-making, and their review, SADC countries held three local and five national experiences considered and their voices heard, national elections (in Madagascar, Mozambique, Botswana, and development policies are more inclusive and have Namibia, Mauritius, Lesotho and Tanzania). Seven local a broader influence and impact. This makes a difference elections are taking place in one or other of these in people's lives, which supports the need to have more countries and in South Africa in 2015/2016. Tanzania women in local and national parliaments.1 and DRC will also be having national elections this year. This flurry of elections gave countries a real opportunity While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) only to make up lost ground in the final count-down to 2015. had a target on women's participation in parliament, the SADC Gender Protocol went further and tracked With a regional average of 27% women in national progress at the local government and cabinet levels. parliaments, 24% in local government and 22% in The 50/50 target is one of the best known of the South- cabinet, Southern Africa is barely half way where it ern African Development Community (SADC) Gender needs to be to meet the target of 50% women - all 1 African Woman and Child Feature service, 2010.”Beyond Numbers: Narrating the Impact of Women's Leadership in Africa.” 80 SADC Gender Protocol 2015 Barometer Table 2.1: Elections in SADC 2014-2016 Elections held 2014-2015 Elections planned 2015-2016 Country Local National Local National Madagascar August 2014 July 2015 Mozambique October 2014 October 2014 Botswana October 2014 October 2014 Namibia November 2014 Late 2015 Mauritius June 2015 (municipal) December 2014 Village (late 2015) Lesotho February 2015 September 2015 Tanzania 2015 - TBC 2015 TBC DRC Late 2015 Late 2015 South Africa Early 2016 Zambia May 2014 September 2016 September 2016 Source: Gender Links 2015. areas of decision-making by 2015. Yet the region is figure is diluted to 38% because of a weaker showing ahead of Europe, Asia, Arab States and the Pacific in the upper house. regions on this score. The adoption of affirmative action measures - such as quotas and party electoral lists or Lesotho, which has a mixed system, missed the oppor- reserved seats - has been critical in facilitating women's tunity to escalate the quota at local level to national entry into national assemblies and local councils. Inno- level. Again, the PR seats delivered a higher proportion vations in electoral system and affirmative action of women, but the overall performance (25%) fell short measures have come about both as a result of pressure of target. Tanzania is strengthening its constitutional from women's movement and through the influence quota from 30% to 50%, but this is unlikely to be of global declarations and resolutions.2 adopted before the elections later this year. Since the baseline Barometer in 2009, progress on the Recognising the quotas and electoral systems are key three governance indicators (national, local and cabinet) to increasing women's political representation, the has been wide and varied with countries like Seychelles 50/50 campaign is sharpening its tools. A high level local and South Africa missing the target with single digit government study visit from Zimbabwe to Mauritius in points while in DRC the variance runs in the double April 2015, resulted in a proposal for the adoption of digits. a quota for women in local government in the 2018 elections. This should inform the continued 50/50 The period under review demonstrated yet again that campaigns across SADC towards more strategic the First Past the Post System (FPTP) with no quota is approaches with clear emphasis on electoral systems hostile to women's political participation, with women's and quotas, accompanied by strong advocacy campaigns, representation declining in both the Botswana and combined with increased training and financing of Mauritius national elections. In contrast, in the municipal women in leadership and politics. elections where the 30% quota for women in local government held sway, women got voted in at the local level in Mauritius. The village elections are yet to take place later this year. In Madagascar, the increase of women's representation from 8% to 21% showed that it is possible to have an increase in a FPTP system without a quota, but with concerted lobbying and advocacy. However, this still remains far below the 50% mark. Countries with a Proportional Representation (PR) system (Namibia and Mozambique) did well but fell short of the 50% mark. As a result of the ruling South West Africa Peoples (SWAPO) 50% zebra quota, the representation of women in the national assembly in Namibia shot up from 26% to 47%, but the overall Peer learning and sharing: Zimbabwe study visit to Mauritius. Photo by Gender Links 2 UN Women: Progress of the world's women 2015-2016. SADC Gender Protocol 2015 Barometer 81 During the period under review (2009-2015) there has ment to gender in governance. The CSC is highly been an unprecedented flurry of women in top subjective and dependant on people's views. A leadership. In 2012 Malawi became the first country in combination of the quantitative and qualitative tools the region to have a female head of state after deputy provides an objective view and analysis of progress president Joyce Banda stepped in following the death countries are making towards promoting gender of the incumbent, Bingu wa Mutharika. She later lost equality and development for all in SADC. the post to Peter Mutharika, brother to her predecessor in the 2014 Presidential elections. Figure 2.1: Average comparative SGDI This June the Mauritian Parliament voted Ameenah and CSC scores from 2011 to 2015 80 Gurib-Fakim as the country's new president following 67 the resignation of her predecessor, Kailash Purryag.