Women’s voices fade after local government elections - The Mail & Guardian

With South Africa’s 213 municipal councils holding their first council meetings aimed at establishing political office, the absence of women in many councils is glaring.

The ANC’s 50/50 policy ensures an equal balance of women and men on the list and this has contributed to the increased participation of women in local government councils. No other party has a policy on gender as clear as that of the ANC, nor has any party enforced the implementation of their policies on gender balance as the ANC did during the list development processes.

What we have seen in these elections is that when presented with a male and female ward candidate, communities tend to gravitate toward the male candidate. With only 12.5% of women councillors elected from wards, the PR system seems to be the major mechanism women have to ensure greater representation in municipal councils.

Sexist, misogynistic and patriarchal systems do not build inclusive societies; instead they lead to greater forms of exclusion, violence and disenfranchisement. The scourge of gender-based violence that we have been experiencing as a country should already indicate to us that we are not a cohering and safe society.

Are they even interested in political positions?

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