COMMENT: Although gender-based violence measures may sound good on paper we need to assess the commitment of parties to deal with gender-based violence in reality. SAElections2019.
It remains a mystery why political parties do not canvass the women’s vote when women can swing an election in South Africa. There are over two-million more women voters registered for the election than men . If most women voted collectively for one party they could determine the outcome of an election.Party manifestos are normally a good indicator of what parties can offer women.
In the recent past the ANC had to deal with the transgressions of a deputy minister, Mduduzi Manana, who beat up two women in a nightclub. It took months for him to vacate his position. The EFF is the only party that has mainstreamed gender in their manifesto. Women are referred to throughout the manifesto; for example, women should get 50% of jobs in more than 20 sectors, such as mining, bank management and artificial intelligence. Although this may be laudable, the EFF is certainly aware that these promises are not implementable, given South Africa’s economic conditions, while dangerously escalating expectations.
There is one party — the Women Forward Party — that is contesting the election on a gender platform. Although it is important that there is a party campaigning for women, it does not seem to have a feminist agenda. Women are described in its manifesto as nurturing and caring and less competitive. In this way it essentialises women as caregivers rather than political leaders.
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